Micro Machines (1991)

Source: Wikipedia, "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro_Machines_%28video_games%2...;, available under the CC-BY-SA License.

Released in 1991 on the NES and 1993 on other formats, the first game in the series laid the foundation of the gameplay: a top-down racing game with miniature vehicles. The race tracks are unconventionally themed. For example, some races take place on a billiard table while others occur in a garden. The cartridge itself was gold with a switch at the bottom in order to be compatible with the American and European hardware. It was also released as an add-on to the Aladdin Deck Enhancer created by Codemasters.