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Road Rash (1991 video game)

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Road Rash
Developer(s)Electronic Arts
Publisher(s)Electronic Arts
Designer(s)Randy Breen
Dan Geisler
Programmer(s)Dan Geisler
Walter Stein
Carl Mey
Composer(s)Michael Bartlow
Rob Hubbard
SeriesRoad Rash
Platform(s)Sega Genesis, Amiga, Sega CD, Master System, 3DO, Sega Game Gear, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Microsoft Windows, Game Boy, Game Boy Color
Release
September 1991
  • Sega Genesis
    • EU: September 1991[1]
    • NA: November 19, 1991
    • JP: November 20, 1992
    Amiga
    Sega CD
    Master System
    3DO
    Sega Game Gear
    PlayStation
    • NA: December 29, 1995
    • JP: March 22, 1996
    • EU: March 1996
    Sega Saturn
    • EU: January 4, 1996
    • JP: July 26, 1996
    • NA: 1996
    Microsoft Windows
    Game Boy
    Game Boy Color
Genre(s)Vehicular combat, racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Road Rash is a vehicular combat racing video game developed and published by Electronic Arts, originally in 1991.

Gameplay

Screenshot of the original Road Rash

Basic gameplay is similar to Sega's Hang-On (1985) and Tatsumi's Cycle Warriors (1991).[3] The player competes in illegal road races and must finish in either 3rd or 4th place (game specific) and up in every race of a "level" in order to proceed to the next. As these levels progress, the opponents ride faster and fight harder, and the tracks are longer and more dangerous. Placing in each race gives a certain amount of money, with higher-level races offering higher payouts. This money allows the player to buy faster bikes and parts, which are needed to stay competitive, pay for repairs if the motorcycle is wrecked, or pay for fines if one is arrested by the police. The game is truly over if the player is unable to pay for these repairs or fines.

In an attempt to improve on the basic Hang-On concept, where the player's vehicle remains on the same horizontal plane and turns are essentially a matter of moving left or right, Road Rash requires that players contend with various grade changes. The physics reflect the act of going up or down a hill, as well as turning while climbing; this results in the ability to launch one's motorcycle great distances, resulting in crashes (and their animations). Aside from this, Road Rash has a standard system of obstacles including street signs, trees, poles, and livestock;[4] and taking from OutRun, active traffic while racing against other bikers.

What Road Rash really brings to the table is "brawling"; the player can fight other bikers with a variety of hand weapons or simple punches and kicks. The player initially starts off with just those basics, but can grab a weapon from another rider by timing a punch correctly. The list of weapons has grown with the games, starting from the clubs in the first Road Rash, and eventually including things like crowbars, nunchaku, and cattle prods. Whatever the weapon, successful attacks damage an opponent's stamina, and depleting this stamina will cause a biker to wipeout which can also damage the bike; this functions much like hitting a car or other major obstacle, and it all applies to you as much as to other racers (though in most of the games, you have more stamina than opponents).

As mentioned before, the last and most major obstacle are cops. The motorcycle police officers fight the player as another opponent and serve as gameplay enforcers by culling players who fall too far behind or choose to explore the world rather than race in it. Losing a fight with an officer or being caught by one while off one's motorcycle causes the player to be Busted, ending the race.

Soundtrack

The 3DO and PC game's soundtracks contained 14 music tracks from A&M Records artists Soundgarden, Paw, Hammerbox, Therapy?, Monster Magnet, and Swervedriver.[5][6] Months before Road Rash was even released, it received 3DO's 1994 "Soundtrack of the Year" award.

Release

It was announced that THQ would publish a Super Nintendo version of Road Rash sometime in 1996,[7] but the release was later cancelled.

Reception

MegaTech magazine said "Lots of races, lots of bikes, and plenty of thrills 'n' spills make this the best racer on the Megadrive!"[15] Computer and Video Games praised it for being like a "beat 'em up on motorbikes" and "Super Hang-On with fists and clubs thrown in".[1] The Mega Drive version received a very favorable review in Mean Machines magazine. It received a final score of 91% and was praised for its music, graphics and gameplay.[14] Mega placed the game at #8 on their Top Mega Drive Games of All Time.[18] Game Informer ranked it as the 88th best game ever made in their 100th issue in 2001. The staff praised its more violent take on motorcycle video games.[19]

The Commodore Amiga release of Road Rash received moderately high ratings, including 84% from Amiga Format[20] and 81% from CU Amiga.[21] The release received a lower score from Amiga Power, who rated the game a 70/100.[22] 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.[23] The PC version was also a top-seller in its first year of release.

GamePro gave the 3DO version a perfect score, citing improvements such as the five new tracks, six lane roads, branching routes, digitized backgrounds, humorous full motion video sequences, and new rock soundtrack. They concluded that "This souped-up Road Rash will knock the socks off experienced rashers and new racers alike." Their one criticism was the lack of a multiplayer option.[24] The two sports reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the 3DO version scores of 83% and 85%, declaring it a vast improvement over the Genesis Road Rash games due to the advanced graphics, high playability, and "the coolest music in gaming". However, one of them also criticized that the gameplay eventually becomes repetitive.[11] GamePro gave the Sega CD version a mostly positive review, remarking that though it is a major letdown compared to the 3DO version, it is impressive compared to other Genesis/Sega CD racers.[25]

The PlayStation version was somewhat less well-received than previous versions. Reviewers for both Electronic Gaming Monthly and Maximum criticized it for being a port of the 3DO version with only minor enhancements to the graphics and sound, with no changes to the gameplay which had become outdated and outclassed by more recent racing games in the four years since Road Rash was first released.[12][16] GamePro, however, felt that the gameplay remained exciting, and though they remarked that the controls are stiffer than on previous versions, they gave the PlayStation version a wholehearted recommendation.[26]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Computer and Video Games Magazine Issue 118". Archive.org. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  2. ^ "Road Rash 1993 Electronic Arts - Probe - U.S. Gold". Internet Archive. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  3. ^ "40 Years of Arcade Games - Part 2(1990-2012)". Arcade Heroes. 2012-06-28. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  4. ^ Road Rash Sega Game Gear Manual. U.S. Gold. 1991. p. 12. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  5. ^ Brown, Matt. "Road Rash: Review by Matt Brown". ibiblio. Retrieved 2007-12-26.
  6. ^ "Electronic Arts and Atlantic Records Sign Licensing Agreement for Road Rash 3D". Business Wire. 1998-03-10. Retrieved 2007-10-12.
  7. ^ "Cart Queries". GamePro (91). IDG: 12. April 1996.
  8. ^ "Road Rash for Genesis". GameRankings. 1992-11-19. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  9. ^ "Road Rash for PC". GameRankings. 1996-09-30. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  10. ^ "Road Rash for Game Boy". GameRankings. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  11. ^ a b "Team EGM: Road Rash". Electronic Gaming Monthly (63). Ziff Davis: 158. October 1994.
  12. ^ a b "Box Score: Road Rash". Electronic Gaming Monthly (80). Ziff Davis: 118. March 1996.
  13. ^ 3DO GAMES CROSS REVIEW: ロードラッシュ. Weekly Famicom Tsūshin. No.330. Pg.77. 14 April 1995.
  14. ^ a b Rignall, Julian (September 1991), "Road Rash Review from Mean Machines", Mean Machines, EMAP
  15. ^ a b MegaTech rating, EMAP, issue 5, May 1992
  16. ^ a b "Road Rash: A Huge Disappointment on PlayStation". Maximum: The Video Game Magazine (4). Emap International Limited: 153. 1996.
  17. ^ "Road Rash (Mega Drive) - N.i.n.Retro (New is not Retro) v3". Ninretro.de. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  18. ^ Mega magazine issue 1, page 76, Future Publishing, Oct 1992
  19. ^ Cork, Jeff (2009-11-16). "Game Informer's Top 100 Games of All Time (Circa Issue 100)". Game Informer. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
  20. ^ "Road Rash Review from Amiga Format author=Jackson, Neil", Amiga Format, Future Publishing, December 1992 {{citation}}: Missing pipe in: |title= (help)
  21. ^ "Road Rash Review from CU Amiga", CU Amiga, EMAP, November 1992
  22. ^ Campbell, Stuart (July 1992), "Road Rash review from Amiga Power", Amiga Power
  23. ^ "Electronic Gaming Monthly's Buyer's Guide". 1995. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help); Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  24. ^ "ProReview: Road Rash". GamePro (64). IDG: 172. November 1994.
  25. ^ "ProReview: Road Rash". GamePro (70). IDG: 54. May 1995.
  26. ^ "ProReview: Road Rash". GamePro (91). IDG: 72. April 1996.
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