This is unfortunately a game I cannot recommend unless you find it for very cheap.
Graphics:
This game actually has a 3d graphics engine that, arguably, makes the game more realistic. When you start up the game you get to see the logo get a view of the track. Here you can either go into an options screen or start the game. The options-screen looks generic and a bit boring. When a new game is started, you get to choose automatic or manual transmission-box and the game tells you to turn the key to start the game. This is obviously one of those tricks to make you feel like you're at the arcades and show you that this is as close to the original arcade machine as the original. The track is divided into two paths; the fast track and the stunt track. The two tracks are very well designed and you'll definitely find some unusual designs, especially on the "stunt" side of things, such as a barn (complete with a cow), a loop (!), jumps and turns and even a drawbridge! When you crash you get a crack in your windshield ala Test drive and you get to see a replay of your crash, which is awesome! The graphics have not aged very well and it looks more comic rather than good. It does have its charms though but the whole game feels very desolate and even though there are other cars racing the tracks and you even get to race against people from the pre-generated highscore list if you clock in quickly enough, it feels sterile in an uncomfortable and misanthropic way.
40%
Gameplay:
I can't help to feel that, even though the Genesis version IS a lot slower than the original, I get an arcade feel when I race and there's action all the way. No shops, dialogues or missions just Hard drivin'! I find it fun to drive around and look at all the impossible things that are going on, like a heavy truck racing through the loop or seeing myself crash against a building just to bounce back one hundred meters. This game is fairly unique in the way it plays, as you must watch your speed at all times. If you try taking on a jump at breakneck speed you'll probably not make it. I think Sterling Silver did an excellent job with this port. It's as good as it could possibly have been in terms of gameplay. It's very far from perfect, and it runs very slowly and choppy, but it has the arcade feel to it, and the gameplay differs from the rest of the racers/driving games from that time.
60%
Sound:
There's a title track as you start up the game and browse around the game's many options which is far from a classic and a quite boring tune, but since you'll hear it in short bursts it does its job, I suppose. There's a short jingle as the replay of your crash plays which goes on for three or four seconds but still manages to radiate an aura of doom and gloom as it's in minor with some miserable sounds in the background. Very effective, and adds up to the misanthropy I spoke of earlier. The sound in-game is the normal boring and bad engine and break sounds that plagued the games of this era (late eighties, early nineties). The only decent effect is the crash-sound.
25%
Lastability:
Hard drivin' is definitely best played in short bursts, as it gets tedious pretty quickly and there are only two different tracks. There are a lot of options to tweak though, such as three difficulties, which side of the road the traffic drives on, showing k/ph or m/ph, manual or automatic transmission. There's also a practice mode where you can race without having to worry about oncoming traffic. There's a highscore-list and some more things that you can look forward to. I still play it once a year or so, but never for longer than thirty minutes. If you've got twenty minutes to spare before your friend comes over for an Altered beast run-through or a session of Golden axe or Mortal kombat, you might as well jam in the old Hard drivin cartridge since your Genesis is already ready to go.
50%
Overall:
A fun arcade game with many flaws in its presentation, horrible sound and strange physics. This is unfortunately a game I cannot recommend unless you find it for very cheap.
49%