Developer: Data East Publisher: Renovation Released: 1992 Genre: Action
Laserdisc arcade games were always fascinating to watch. The gorgeous animation and sheer spectacle on display were unlike anything else at the time and seemed a generation ahead of what we had at home. Of course once you learn how the games were built some of the magic was lost but they were still impressive. I said watch for a reason earlier; these games usually cost .50 or even a dollar to play and unless you were rich you’d get little play time for your money. The Sega CD became the home for many of these arcade classics, with the conversions varying in quality. Road Avenger is one of the better ports and an all-around great game despite having no replay value.
The story is a 100% 80s action movie in game form. In a post apocalypse United States a man and his newlywed wife end up in a fatal car crash at the hands of a Mad Max style biker gang. With his wife dead the man gets behind the wheel of a souped up sports car to get revenge.
As an FMV title Road Avenger uses hand drawn animation provided by Toei animation. You are essentially getting a thirty minute anime OVA in playable form. And because it is anime there is a level of spectacle that you don’t get with live actors and sets. While that is cool in and of itself the Sega CD/Genesis’ color limitations severely hurt the presentation. The video is incredibly grainy to the point it is often hard to see what is going on. The game is still playable but the awesome presentation is part of what made the laserdisc games great. That unfortunately takes a hit across the board on the Sega CD sadly.
Gameplay in Road Avenger is simple. Each level is one long track and you follow the button prompts; essentially these are the original QTEs. While it sounds easy in practice the game throws a number of curve balls at you. Button prompts come in rapid succession and combinations. The amount of time you have to press each time can vary; sometimes you have a long window while other times you have less than a second. While it can be tricky it isn’t terribly complicated. The game definitely has its choke points that you will replay quite a few times. For the most part most will reach the conclusion in an hour.
FMV games typically offer a brief window to enter their button prompts to trip you up. That is true of Road Avenger also. The difference here is that you can reasonably predict what the next prompt will be since you are in a car. There are numerous times you will swerve to avoid danger and it is obvious you have to press in the opposite direction to regain control. Any time you approach a vehicle from behind Turbo is coming to knock them off the road. The timing windows do get shorter as you progress but overall I found the game less frustrating than something like Dragon’s Lair.
Road Avenger is divided into nine stages, with each comprising one particular location or set piece. The situations you are placed in are a constant series of escalation. One moment you are driving through a series of sewer tunnels than you are thrust into a wheat farm with mad max warriors jumping on your hood and giant wheat shredders threatening to run you down. The constant twists and turns lead to all manner of random situations like taking a detour through a mall or driving along a beach boardwalk, narrowly dodging civilians at every turn. Road Avenger does a great job of creating a never-ending stream of spectacle that distracts from the fact that you are playing one long QTE. The first time through is a memorable experience but it is a thrill you can only get once.
For as much as I enjoy Road Avenger it cannot get away from the fact that it has next to no replay value. This is not like your typical game where there is an element of surprise and skill involved. Once you’ve gone through it once it is exactly the same every time. Sure, on subsequent runs you may notice small details that you missed before. But those will only take you so far. The wonder and spectacle can only surprise you once. This is not exclusive to this game but a criticism of the entire genre.
In Conclusion
Road Avenger has enough fun and excitement to be worth playing through at least once. The thrills might be brief but they are memorable. And for its cheap price it is more than worth it.
