Road Rash II (Genesis) -- still fun a decade later!
Written: Aug 03 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Sense of motion comes across well; addictive; innovative concept for Genesis.
Cons: Rotten multiplayer mode; touch controls; tough to beat the snot out of opponents.
The Bottom Line: Why was the Road Rash series so popular for the Genesis? Pick up a copy of this game and find out why!
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| HawgWyld's Full Review: Road Rash II for Sega Genesis |
The long-lived Road Rash series, of course, is little more than a motorcycle racing game with a little extra twist -- the player gets to beat the crud out of other racers. That's right. Smack other riders with a fist, club or chain. Kick riders off their motorcycles. Run folks into oncoming traffic if you want. It's all dandy fun that appeals to the violent little punk that pops up in most folks from time to time.
While this game looks like dog poo when compared with the fantastic Road Rash titles for the Playstation, this is one great little game for the Genesis. Why? The animation is smooth and the illusion of motion comes across well. Sure, that speedometer may say you're going 120 MPH and it looks like you're only doing about 20, but the illusion is there.
In 1992's Road Rash II, the player is given the challenge of going through five levels and qualifying on each track at each level (qualifying = finishing third place or better). The opponents get meaner, the traffic gets worse and the tracks become longer as the levels progress, so winning this game is tough, indeed. The player earns money in the races and can upgrade to faster motorcycles.
So, what we have here is kind of a fighting-racing game that's fairly deep for the Genesis. It's also addictive as heck, even though the graphics look rather crude by today's standards (and, that's being generous).
However, the players are well-detailed as are the cars and other obstacles that have to be avoided (I've hit a moose or something on the Alaska track). Speaking of wrecks, it seems like the player ought to die after hitting the back-end of a car, right? Oddly, no. There's a health meter that recovers quickly and is a good indication of whether someone's about to be whacked off his motorcycle during a fight (i.e., land enough punches on an opponent and send him sprawling to the pavement). What can be destroyed, however, is the motorcycle -- you can only wreck that thing so many times before it's trashed and you have to repair it.
Sadly, the fighting element isn't as good as one might expect. It's rather difficult to "lock up" with other riders and beat the hell out of them. Getting a punch or two in is easy enough, but finishing another opponent is tough -- motorcycles don't travel together at the same speed, after all.
Speaking of fighting, knocking a cop off his motorcycle of kicking him into the back of a car is always good for a chuckle. Careful, though -- Da Man fights back and is always looking to fine your player.
Now, this game features a heat-to-head mode which pits two humans against each other on the track. This mode sucks, frankly. The split-screen mode means you get to try to steer your very small motorcycle. Also, the animation is good and choppy, making the motorcycle a bear to control.
And, the motorcycle is hard to control normally. The term to use hear is "oversteer" because that control pad sure is touchy in this game. However, one can get used to it quickly enough. The touchy control can be a real drag, though, when you're trying to steer a motorcycle around a car on a thin road.
But what about the music? Well, it's decent, not distracting and suited to the track where the race is taking place. For example, race the "Smokin' Mountain, Tennessee" track and you get a song featuring a walking bass line. Head to "Molokai Express, Hawaii" and you're treated to some of that "Aloha and welcome to the islands!" stuff.
It can take quite a bit of time to finish this game, so the password feature is handy for saving your place. While I've been spoiled over the years by consoles with memory cards, the password feature works well enough.
All in all, this is a pretty good title for the Genesis. It's got the familiar Road Rash formula and looks pretty good on the old Genesis. Pick up a copy.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
HawgWyld
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Member: Ethan C. Nobles
Location: Benton, Ark.
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The oxen are slow, but the earth is patient.
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