Review Double Header: Road Rash and Road Rash 3D

Game: Road Rash
Console: Sega Mega Drive
Developer: Electronic Arts
Release Date: 19th November 1992

Building on concepts from Super Hang-On and Outrun, Road Rash is a thrillingly violent motorcycle racing game where players attempt to progress through the ranks of 5 race series, upgrading their bikes and winning races as they go. In contrast to other racing games, it's possible to kick, punch or hit your opponent with a club to decrease their stamina and possibly knock them off their bike.

The first area in which the game really shines is in its courses and the handling of its bikes; unlike Hang-On and Outrun where players remain on the same horizontal plane, the roads in Road Rash have gradients and height changes which can launch players into the air for a more extreme experience. Bikes also feel looser and more able to be steered quickly by players at high speeds than in other Mega Drive games.

There are 15 competitors in each race, and players must place 4th or better in all 5 races to advance to the next race series. Unfortunately each race series contains the same tracks, with longer versions after each advancement, so there's only a small range of locations. Winning races can be a little challenging, especially in later series but advancing through the levels of the game is generally pretty easy.

On each track players have to contend not only with other racers, but also with traffic and obstacles at the side of the road. Hitting a car, sign, cow or other obstruction will usually result in players flying off their bike at high speeds and being made to run back and collect it. Skilled players shouldn't have too much trouble avoiding crashes though, as the controls are responsive and intuitive.

Graphically the game looks better than it's counterparts with more detail than Super Hang-On or Turbo Outrun. Although the game is made up of 2D sprites, players can almost get a sense of a 3D racing experience. The music which plays behind races is lively and interesting, although I wish there was a little more selection as each song plays quite a few times even in a short playthrough.

Overall Road Rash is a well executed game with a great concept, good controls and graphics and a decent sense of progression. I would have liked to have seen more than 5 tracks on offer, and perhaps some more bike upgrade options, but on the whole the game is fast and fun. It's a shame there's no 2 player mode though, as it seems like the sort of game that would be a lot of fun against a friend.

Rating: 74/100
Grade: B

Game: Road Rash 3D
Console: Sony Playstation
Developer: Electronic Arts
Release Date: 31st May 1998

Road Rash's journey into the third dimension went almost as predictably as you could expect for a late 90's Playstation game. The first thing players will notice upon loading the game is the "attitude" that's been injected into proceedings. Angry punk-style music accompanies short videos of biker dudes and chicks "playing it cool" before players are given the choice of "Thrash" or "Big Game" modes, which equate to quick race and career mode respectively.

Progression through the game is much the same as the Mega Drive version in career mode; players can move up a level once they've placed 3rd or better in each race. This time though there's a different selection of races for each level of play. The locations and scenery in the races isn't particularly varied across the game, and often it feels like the levels are repeating in all but name.

Controlwise the game is far worse than previous instalments, as anything more than a slight steering input will cause the bike to slide. Whenever there's more than a slight turn, the bike tends to end up bouncing from side to side until the rider falls off or manages to correct their course. Upgrading the bikes doesn't make a huge amount of difference to the handling, but can give players a huge adv
antage until the next level up, if bought soon enough. 

As far as weapons go, there's a couple more than the original game but overall there's far less focus on knocking other riders off their bikes. It's hard to get alongside other racers, and even when you can, they take a good 3 or 4 hits to dislodge. With less violent moments, Road Rash 3D feels far more like a standard motorbike racing game, without any of the tight handling or finesse. 

Graphically the bikes and racers take on a polygonal look, with a lack of real detail. This is shared by the fairly blurry and uninteresting landscapes and locations. The screen layout and HUD isn't too different to the original game, and conveys enough information to help players. The soundtrack consists of licensed music which fits with the general "attitude" theme. It's not unenjoyable, but I would have liked to have seen some remixes of classic tracks, or even some original songs to race to.

Overall Road Rash 3D seems to be a step back from predecessors with poor handling, graphics, progression, tracks and overall gameplay. It's not unplayable by any means but there's far less fun to be had than there could have been with a few small changes. This is the sort of game that can be defined as mediocre.

Rating: 61/100
Grade: D