After being released on the 3DO and PlayStation
first, Road Rash finally made its way to the
Sega Saturn in 1996.
For many, this 4th installment in the series
was Road Rash's high point, with no game since
capturing the magic that made the game so
special.
For those unfamiliar, Road Rash is a motorcycle
racing game with a mild emphasis on combat.
You, your opponents, and even the cops, all
have a life bar.
You can deplete your opponent's life bar by
punching, kicking, and even hitting them with
weapons.
Once depleted, they fall of their bike.
This emphasis on combat put the Road Rash
series on the map back in the Genesis days,
as there was nothing quite like it at the
time.
The combat in this 32-bit version still feels
pretty good, though the hit detection can
be a bit fussy at times.
The main mode of the Road Rash is a career
of sorts.
Five environments are presented spanning the
great state of California.
The five different environments all have their
own look and feel, some featuring dense urban
jungles with tight turns, and others being
wide open highways with plenty of room to
maneuver.
After placing in the top 3 for each area,
you move onto the second level.
Here, each location is a couple miles longer
than before, and all of your opponents are
sporting faster bikes.
This means it's time to upgrade.
There are 15 bikes to purchase in all, with
more expensive bikes featuring better top
speed and acceleration.
Having to upgrade after each level offers
a nice sense of progression, and gives reason
to keep moving along.
With the faster bikes, the game naturally
becomes a little more difficult.
Turns cannot always be taken flat out, requiring
more finesse with the gas and brakes.
Everything moves faster, requiring better
reaction times.
Things aren't arbitrarily made tougher, it
just happens.
This organic change in difficulty is one of
my favorite aspects of the entire Road Rash
series.
The other great aspect are the controls.
As this installment of Road Rash is still
essentially a 2D line scrolling racing game,
the controls still feel two-dimensional.
This isn't a bad thing, the steering feels
excellent, with light taps allowing for a
slight change in direction, and long presses
allowing for more dramatic changes.
There is a slight learning curve to figuring
out how long to press the directional buttons,
but it is predictable and feels excellent
once you get used to it.
The graphics in Road Rash are rather unusual.
The road surface is actually not made of polygons,
but rather uses lines scrolling effects to
simulate a 3D surface.
This makes them really smooth and sharp, and
has definitely helped the game age rather
well, compared to a fully 3D offering.
Polygons are still featured, but reserved
for filling out the backgrounds, be it mountains,
or the impressive cityscapes.
Of course, it wouldn't be an early CD game
without copious amounts of FMV.
Here, Road Rash absolutely delivers.
Before and after each race is a cut scene
celebrating street racing, drinking, victory,
defeat, and everything in-between.
These are extremely crude and a wonderful
piece of 90's nostalgia.
Another great addition is a licensed soundtrack
from bands like Soundgarden.
Sadly, these don't play during the racing,
and instead, only on the menu screen and cut
scenes.
During the actual racing are generic chip
tunes that are both forgettable, and completely
drown out by the engine notes of the bike.
It's kind of a shame really.
Still, the rock soundtrack and FMV really
put Road Rash's presentation over the top.
Now, while the presentation is top notch,
where Road Rash truly excels is making you
feel like you’re are cruising on a motorcycle
through the back roads of California, fighting
off rival bike gangs, and eluding the police.
It's intoxicating.
The solid controls blend perfectly with the
gentle twists of the different environments,
creating one of those moments where you just
zone out and become completely absorbed in
the experience.
Some racing games just have it, some don't,
and some games are Road Rash.
Road Rash isn't quite perfect, and there will
be moments of frustration.
The city area can often be too dense, with
oncoming traffic coming out of nowhere to
clobber you.
If this happens near the end of the run, you
will definitely miss out on a top 3 finish
and have to redo the race all over again.
Overall, I just can't say enough about Road
Rash.
Whether it's the 3DO, PlayStation, or this
Saturn version, it's honestly one of the finest
driving games of the era.
The blend of 2D sprites and 3D backgrounds
looks terrific, and the controls fit perfectly
with the awesome locations.
The combat is the icing on the cake.
There are few games that offer such a wonderful,
fun, and compelling experience.
Four, out of five.
