Road Rash 64
- January 01, 2000 00:00 AM PST
Tired of getting beaten in motorcycle racing games? Well, hop onto a bike in THQ's Road Rash 64 where you'll find that if you can't beat a guy in the race, at least you can beat him with a club, chain, or other nasty weapon.
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The Convicts Are Back In Town
Ever since Road Rash debuted on the Sega Genesis, manners in motorcycle racing games have gone downhill. Pick either a big, mean cruiser or a quick and nimble sport bike and hit the road and your opponents, the cops, pedestrians and anything else that gets in your way. Road Rash 64 offers several modes of game play starting with Thrash, the simple one-player, one race version, and Big Game, which is a quest where you open new levels, upgrade your bike, accept or decline gang affiliations, and run from the cops who will arrest and fine you.
But ever since it's first incarnation, Road Rash is at it's best in the multi-player rounds. There are five different multi-player games including the original Thrash, Multi-lap races in small circular tracks, Deathmatch, Tag and the ever-popular Ped Hunt where the rider who knocks out the most pedestrians wins.
Ragin' And Rashin'
The Road Rash 64 graphics are surprisingly not that great, with lots of fog --even the RAM expansion pak doesn't really help. The riders and their bikes look pretty good, except for the nasty colors -- it's surprising how many people wear pastels in this hardcore game. The tracks themselves vary from country roads to city streets with everything in between. The numerous obstacles -- pedestrians, on-coming traffic, construction vehicles and more -- keep you on your toes as much as the opponent swinging the chain at your head. The crash animations are brutally funny, as riders skid, fly, crash, and roll in an endless amount of bone breaking ways. The physics are pretty good on most crashes, although sometimes you will just fly 50 feet straight up in the air.
The soundtrack keeps you appropriately pumped up with tunes by CIV, The Mermen, and Sugar Ray mixing with the grunts and groans of the battling bikers. The tunes can get a little repetitive, but so can the endless hours of police sirens wailing as they chase you down in the Big Game.
Control is very strong and adds to the game's fun. The analog stick and trigger are your handlebars and throttle, so you can race one-handed. The yellow C-buttons control your smackdowns -- one chooses your weapon, one kicks, the other two punch and use your selected weapon. Combine the well-placed, responsive controls with the accurate bike physics and you really feel the road beneath you. The weak rumble pak action is a problem, and you might find yourself checking the batteries because of the lack of response.
Nose To The Pavement Action
Road Rash 64 offers a good chance to cut loose, kick some butt and break the law, all while riding a motorcycle. It's mindless, delinquent gaming� just make sure you have three game-playing miscreants lined up to take a shot at you.
