Road Rash

"Demonstrating the power of 16 bit"

Electronic Arts is a company known by many for its wide variety of sports games, EA has been around for a long time making games such as Madden Football, and NBA Live games, EA has also made several games that does not involve sports, this review mostly focuses on a game that came out in 1991 for the Sega Genesis called Road Rash.

The game was well received, it is well known for its motorcycle racing and the ability to knock your opponent out of his/her motorcycle and for the use of weaponry, the game mostly received positive reviews from critics, allthough some people will say the early 16 bit Road Rash games are the best in the series.

The game was ported to a variety of other systems and consoles ranging from the Amiga, to the Panasonic 3DO, Saturn, Playstation, and the Nintendo 64, but this review focuses on the first Sega Genesis game.

Road Rash is a racing game which features the player on a motorcycle competing against several computer-controlled players in order to race your way up to number one in the race, the gameplay is simple for anyone to understand and pick up and play, the game has several stages ranging from Redwood Forest, to desert terrain, with objects such as landscape changes, cows, and other vehicles such as cars doing everyday tasks making gameplay different.

Gameplay 8/10 - It's basically just you, your motorcycle, and several other competitors racing to become number one, some courses may have construction lights and bumpy roads along with cows to make your race a little more difficult, the game mostly involves you and your bike steering left and right to dodge terrain and whatever comes across your way, your mostly going up when you race, except when you turn as stated in the above.

Sound/Music 7/10 - Sound effects such as skidding along the road, crashing your bike, running into a car, or the moo from a cow are the games main sound effects, nothing to flashy on the sound effects side, music is mostly 1980's style rock and roll and it sounds pretty good coming from the Genesis' FM Synthesis sound chip, music isn't to atrocious though, and is pleasant to listen to.

Replayability 10/10 - Game is simple and addictive enough to make you come back later for some more Thrashing' after you finished racing the first time, it's simple enough and addictive enough to play over and over again.

Final Score 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/01/08

Game Release: Road Rash (US, 11/19/92)