Excessive Speed (GOG)

Tiny bitmap racers turn every corner into a scramble for position, power-ups, and petty revenge in this brisk top-down arcade racer. Excessive Speed trades simulation handling for immediate, old-school competition, with seven compact vehicles tearing around 14 tightly designed circuits. Its cheerful pixel presentation gives the action a playful character, but races quickly become ruthless once weapons start appearing on the road. The mood sits somewhere between a toy-box racer and a classic combat game: fast, colorful, and built around ruining a rival’s perfect lap.

Races center on mastering the overhead view, learning each track’s short routes, and keeping enough control to survive the chaos around you. Pickups litter the circuits, offering an unusually large selection of 17 boosts, traps, and attacks that can swing the order in seconds. Winning is not only about clean driving; players need to grab the right item, use it at the right moment, and recover quickly after an opponent lands a hit. The track list is small by modern standards, but the compact layouts encourage repeat attempts as players chase cleaner lines and learn where each useful pickup tends to appear.

Local multiplayer is the main attraction, supporting up to four people on one computer for crowded, highly competitive sessions. That shared-screen focus also marks its limitation: there is no network or online play, so it works best as a couch multiplayer throwback or a solo score-chasing diversion. Excessive Speed stands out through its dense power-up roster and quick, readable 2D racing rather than deep customization or realistic physics. Fans of Micro Machines-style overhead racing, especially players who enjoy weapon-heavy arcade contests, should find plenty to like, while newcomers can jump in easily thanks to the simple controls and short races.