Road Rash (Euro, USA)
Road Rash is the name of a motorcycle-racing video game series by Electronic Arts, in which the player participates in violent illegal street races. The game was originally released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, but was ported to several other systems. Six different games were released from 1991 to 1999, and a 2003 licensed port for the Game Boy Advance was released. Road Rash and two of its sequels later appeared on the EA Replay collection for the PSP.
The game's title is based on the slang term for the severe friction burns that can occur in a motorcycling fall where skin comes into contact with the ground at high speed.
Road Rash has a smoothly rendered vertical element. In most traditional older racing games, the player's vehicle remained on the same horizontal plane, negotiating turns essentially by going right or left (see Pole Position (video game)). In Road Rash, players had to contend with grade changes, and the physics—though rudimentary compared to today's games—reflected the act of going up or down a hill, as well as turning while climbing, etc. This resulted in the ability to launch one's motorcycle great distances, resulting in crash animations. Road Rash also introduced an interactive race environment, with street signs, trees, poles, and livestock, which could interact with the player's vehicle. This was also one of the earlier games to feature active traffic, such as slow moving station wagons and the like while racing against other bikers.
Part of what separated Road Rash from other racing games was its combat element. The player could fight other bikers with a variety of hand weapons or kick away other racers. The player would initially start off with just his or her hands and feet, but if the gamer timed a punch right, he or she could grab a weapon from another rider. The weapons themselves included clubs, crowbars, nunchaku, and cattle prods. Fights between riders to knock each other off the bike would often go on at high speeds through traffic, pedestrians and roadside obstacles, with the victor gaining place and the loser sustaining bike damage and losing time.
The motorcycle police officers have dual antagonistic roles. They fight the player as another opponent, and they also serve as game play enforcers by policing the back of the pack and culling players who fall too far behind or choose to explore the world rather than race in it. The stakes are higher for losing a fight with a police officer than for losing to another player: Losing a fight with an officer or being caught by an officer while off one's motorcycle would cause the player to be "Busted" and the race would end.
In the earlier games, each race locale consisted of a single road, and as the player progressed through the levels the finish line would be placed farther down the road.
The game's title is based on the slang term for the severe friction burns that can occur in a motorcycling fall where skin comes into contact with the ground at high speed.
Road Rash has a smoothly rendered vertical element. In most traditional older racing games, the player's vehicle remained on the same horizontal plane, negotiating turns essentially by going right or left (see Pole Position (video game)). In Road Rash, players had to contend with grade changes, and the physics—though rudimentary compared to today's games—reflected the act of going up or down a hill, as well as turning while climbing, etc. This resulted in the ability to launch one's motorcycle great distances, resulting in crash animations. Road Rash also introduced an interactive race environment, with street signs, trees, poles, and livestock, which could interact with the player's vehicle. This was also one of the earlier games to feature active traffic, such as slow moving station wagons and the like while racing against other bikers.
Part of what separated Road Rash from other racing games was its combat element. The player could fight other bikers with a variety of hand weapons or kick away other racers. The player would initially start off with just his or her hands and feet, but if the gamer timed a punch right, he or she could grab a weapon from another rider. The weapons themselves included clubs, crowbars, nunchaku, and cattle prods. Fights between riders to knock each other off the bike would often go on at high speeds through traffic, pedestrians and roadside obstacles, with the victor gaining place and the loser sustaining bike damage and losing time.
The motorcycle police officers have dual antagonistic roles. They fight the player as another opponent, and they also serve as game play enforcers by policing the back of the pack and culling players who fall too far behind or choose to explore the world rather than race in it. The stakes are higher for losing a fight with a police officer than for losing to another player: Losing a fight with an officer or being caught by an officer while off one's motorcycle would cause the player to be "Busted" and the race would end.
In the earlier games, each race locale consisted of a single road, and as the player progressed through the levels the finish line would be placed farther down the road.
Road Rash (Euro, USA)
Technical
CPU
- maincpu 68000 (@ 7 Mhz)
- genesis_snd_z80 Z80 (@ 3 Mhz)
Chipset
- YM2612 (@ 7 Mhz)
- SEGA VDP PSG (@ 3 Mhz)
Display
- Orientation Yoko
- Resolution 255 x 224
- Frequency 50 Hz
Controlers
- Number of players 4
- Number of buttons 7
- Kind of controler joy (8 ways)
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Road Rash (Euro, USA) Screenshots
Overview
Presented in a third-person view similar to Hang-On, the player competes in illegal road races and must finish in the three or four places (depending on the specific game) in every race in order to proceed to the next level. As levels progress, the opponents ride faster, fight harder and the tracks are longer and more dangerous. Placing in each race gives a certain amount of money which increases considerably as levels progress. This money allows the player to buy faster bikes which are needed to stay competitive, and to pay for repairs when their motorcycle is wrecked, or fines when they are arrested by the police. The game is over if the player is unable to pay for repairs or fines.
Sound
The original Mega Drive/Genesis games featured a Rob Hubbard soundtrack. Later Road Rash games were among the first video games to include licensed music tracks from major recording artists in gameplay.
Releases
Road Rash
Road Rash debuted on the 16-bit Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in 1991. All races take place in locales in the U.S. state of California on progressively longer two-lane roads. While the game had a two-player mode, it was a take-turns system that only allowed one person to play his or her individual game at a time. There are 14 computer players and a human player.
The tracks depict California State Routes on highway shields as the player travels through the level. The levels are, from start and pressing right on the selection screen:
- Sierra Nevada (CA 89)
- Pacific Coast (CA 1)
- Redwood Forest (no highway shields)
- Palm Desert (CA 74)
- Grass Valley (CA 49)
MegaTech magazine said "Lots of races, lots of bikes, and plenty of thrills 'n' spills make this the best racer on the Megadrive!" Mega placed the game at #8 in their Top Mega Drive Games of All Time.
Road Rash II
Main article: Road Rash II
Road Rash II, the sequel to the first game, was released the next year in 1992, also on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. Road Rash II was heavily based on the same engine and sprites as the first Road Rash game. You can only get to the next level by finishing in first, second, or third place. They added a new weapon the chain along with the club from the first game. The races took place in the U.S. states of Alaska, Hawaii, Tennessee, Arizona, and Vermont.Road Rash II made navigation of the menu screens considerably easier, as well as gave the game a password less than half the size of the first game's passwords. Also, several game modes were introduced; alongside the two modes from the first Road Rash were a true two-player game called "Split Screen" where the 14th and 15th players are replaced by human players, and a duel mode called "Mano a Mano" where the two human players can select any bike, weapon, and length of track they wish before racing each other.
Road Rash 3: Tour de Force
The final installment of Road Rash on the Sega Mega Drive, Road Rash 3: Tour de Force was released in 1995. All races took place in 5 of 7 countries, with the track selection varying per level: Brazil, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Kenya, Australia, and Japan.
Fifteen bikes are available in different classes, and four upgrades are available for each. Eight weapons are available, and the game allows the player to hold on to the weapons between races as long as the game is not reset.
Notably, this game changed its aesthetic by using digitized sprites as opposed to the "cartoony" sprites of the first two installments.
Road Rash (3DO)
Road Rash, often called Road Rash 3DO to distinguish it from the Mega Drive/Genesis original of the same name, was originally released on the 3DO, and later for the Sony PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and PC. A version for the Super Nintendo was planned for release, but was eventually canceled. The game featured full motion video sequences to advance the plot.
There are five levels altogether, and five courses, all California locales: The City, The Peninsula, Pacific Coast Highway, Sierra Nevada, and Napa Valley. The roads themselves are multi-lane with brief divided road sections.
The object of the game is the same as in previous installments in the series: When all courses are completed without getting "Game Over" or "Busted", in 1st, 2nd or 3rd out of 14th place, the level will increase. Differences affected on tracks are the length and the amount of traffic on the road, with the additions of heavier fines from the police if the player is caught, and a larger reward for completing the track.
The player could choose a character to play as, which came with a specific cash amount and a personal motorcycle. Some of these characters' names come from combatants from the original Genesis releases, such as "Axle" and "Rhonda". The character also had status among his or her fellow bikers, which was accessible after the race. Depending on what the NPC preferred (some liked being hit, some didn't), the other racers would dynamically react to the player depending on how he or she was treated during the races.
When Road Rash debuted on the 32-bit home game consoles, they were initially ported from the 3DO version of the game. All of these games were called "Road Rash", despite being 4th in the series. Derivative works were re-engineered up for Microsoft Windows and Nintendo 64 platforms or reengineered down to Sega Mega-CD and the handheld consoles. The game was also called "Road Rash 32-Bit" at one point according to the copyright screen.
Music
The 3DO game's soundtrack contained 14 music tracks from A&M Records artists Soundgarden, Paw, Hammerbox, Therapy?, Monster Magnet, and Swervedriver. Months before Road Rash was even released for the 3DO it received 3DO's 1994 "Soundtrack of the Year" award. The last version featured garage and unsigned bands who got a chance to be in the game by sending in their tapes.
Bikes
Players could choose between three categories of motorcycles. Rat Bikes were the cheapest and slowest bikes available, and are competitive in the early parts of the game. Sport Bikes had more power and handled better, but were more expensive; too slow still to be used all the way to the end, they were useful in the middle parts of the game. Super Bikes, while prohibitively expensive early on, were the fastest bikes in the game. All but one of these motorcycles contained N2O boosts; the player started each race with ten uses, depleting by one whenever the button was pressed.
Reception
Road Rash received a very favourable review in Mean Machines magazine. It received a final score of 91% and was praised for its music, graphics and gameplay. The Commodore Amiga release of Road Rash received moderately high ratings, including 84% from Amiga Format and 81% from CU Amiga. The release received worse reviews from Amiga Power, who rated the game 70%. It won several awards from Electronic Gaming Monthly in their 1994 video game awards, including Best Driving Game, Best Music in a CD-Based Game, and Best 3DO Game of 1994 by Electronic Gaming Monthly.
Road Rash 3D
Main article: Road Rash 3D
Road Rash 3D was released in 1998 for the PlayStation.Road Rash 64
Main article: Road Rash 64
Road Rash 64 for the Nintendo 64 was released in 1999. It is noteworthy because Electronic Arts did not design or publish it. Instead, the intellectual property rights were licensed to THQ, which in turn had its own studio, Pacific Coast Power & Light (founded by former EA employee Don Traeger), develop the game.Road Rash: Jail Break
Road Rash: Jail Break was released 1999 in EU (2000 U.S.) for the PlayStation, and eventually adapted for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. Its main gameplay elements incorporated an interconnected road system and 2 player cooperative play with a sidecar.
Road Rash: Jail Break for the Game Boy Advance scored mixed reviews with critics, gaining a score of 67% on Metacritic.
