Developer: Electronic Arts Publisher: Electronic Arts Release: 1991 Genre: Racing
The Road Rash series is one of Electronic Arts most beloved titles on the Sega Genesis behind Madden and the Strike games. It was a novel concept at the time, a motorcycle racing game with a touch of illegal street culture behind it. It was edgy and probably contributed heavily to the Sega Genesis’ more “mature” image. But as much as I may like the games it had a rough start. The original Road Rash has its moments but the technology behind it holds it back somewhat.
Road Rash has an interesting history behind it. Initially Electronic Arts titles for the Sega Genesis were ports from the Amiga. They were an esoteric bunch unlike anything else on console like Budokan, Populous, and Starflight. Their initial success gave them the courage to create original titles in house for the system and Road Rash was one of the first. The game was a technical showcase but the subject matter and its violence made executives nervous. Road Rash was a success however and while I have my problems with this first outing it does create a solid base for its much improved sequels.
In Road Rash you participate in a series of illegal street races across California for prize money. You must come in fourth place or higher among a field of fifteen competitors. Your fellow racers are not just faceless drones but members of rival gangs willing to beat your brains in to win. The violence is not illegal but encouraged; anything to win! The cash prizes from winning can be used to purchase new bikes with different stats in terms of weight, speed, and handling. You will need them as the courses get longer and the opponents tougher with each successive level you clear. With five levels you will need the best bikes to hope to see the end of this one.
On a technical level Road Rash is unique for a racing game at the time. Typically console racing games used different sized sprites that would cycle based on distance. Usually this effect is choppy but at least produces the desired result. Road Rash uses real time sprite scaling of objects that was usually reserved for expensive arcade games like Sega’s Super Scaler series. This produces a smoother look and in combination with the elevation changes and physics engine you have a game that that was ahead of its time, at least at home. Unfortunately these techniques were CPU heavy resulting in a subpar framerate that affects gameplay.
The controls are a bit sluggish due to the framerate. When everything works Road Rash is incredibly fun. Taking a hill at top speed will send you flying which is a sight to behold. Bashing your rivals brains in is always fun no matter what. But when the choppy framerate rears its head it puts a damper on the fun. The undulating tracks are cool and better than swerving left to right. But they also frequently obscure incoming traffic. On the later levels one or two crashes is enough to put you out of the race, either due to bike damage or falling out of the top four. The late game is grueling as the tracks are unbearably long making this more of a possibility. This is a case where technical ambition could have been curtailed a bit to make a more playable title.
My main issue with Road Rash is content. There are only five tracks across the game’s five “levels”. Each successive level introduces longer versions of the courses but that is not a good thing. It just means you see the same repetitive trackside objects and hazards ad nauseam. The limitations of the game’s engine also who in that it cannot render complex turns which means the track design is simple. Once you break out of the pack you are left on a lonely journey on a track that feels like it never ends. I wish there were more courses; even adding a new one to each level would have gone a long way toward making them feel fresh. The palette swapped gangs are a poor substitute. By level four you will probably bow out like I did.
In Closing
That being said I did enjoy the time I spent with the game. There is a lot to like in Road Rash. The technology behind it while flawed makes it more visually appealing than most of its racing contemporaries at the time. But the technical performance and low volume of content mean put a damper on the fun. A good first step and fun in short bursts but nothing more.
