See You on the Pavement

Author's Rating:

Pros: The craziest ride you'll ever take!

Cons: It isn't flashy in the tech department

The Bottom Line: 
Road Rash

Author's Review
Road Rash

The epic race...from chariots to bicycles to cars to motorcycles. Somehow, we just get drawn into the danger that is presented as people race at top notch speeds, trying to come in first place. Of course, racing is a lot more fun when you're the racer and not the viewer. After all, not many people grab a bag of popcorn and sit around with friends at a World Bike Tour party. Even mainstream events like NASCAR has it's downs because it is very repetitive...but being in the driver's seat...it would be insanely fun I'd imagine. The ingenious idea of putting you in the race through videogames has long been used, since the first consoles were created. And for years, that's the way it was...high speed clean racing. Until the Road Rash series hit shelves.

While it wasn't the first time that a series had put such a unique spin on a genre that was getting stale, Road Rash really hit the mainstream because of it's preposterous premise. The game in general was a racing game with motorcycles. Except that anything goes. ANYTHING. There were no special tracks, no boosters, no nothing. Racing through crowded residential and business zones was fair game, and the most enticing part of the game was that you could inflict punishment upon opponents who tried to get in front of you. Road Rash became a huge racing title, spawning several sequels on multiple consoles and on the PC (the first one of the PC was classic). When the Nintendo 64 hit shelves, THQ and Pacific Coast & Lighting decided to give the game new life on the new console. While regarded as a purely mediocre racing title by critics, Road Rash is one of the best racing titles for the 64, and one of the most unabashedly fun experiences you will have.

Gameplay

Without a doubt, Road Rash 64's main selling point is it's insane gameplay. The possibilities and things you can do in RR64 are endless. Anything you've wanted to do in a racing game, you can now. First off, there are no circular arena style tracks. Each track has no laps either, it's just one long dash for the finish line through crowded cities, beaches, and possibly anything else that might have innocent civilians walking around. The fun of RR64 is that you now have a sense of danger, racing through suburbs and freeways. While racing, you'll not only have to get first place, but dodge nasty drivers. Also, quite possibly the best part of the game is that you'll have to race while being mercilessly persued by the cops.

Even more enticing than the tracks is the fighting system. In Road Rash, there is no sense of honor among racers, and no code of trust. In each level, you will start off with a select weapon, which ranges from nightsticks to hammers. You can bash your opponent to a pulp if he gets too close, but by the same token they can knock you up as well. Also introduced into the game are "shock" weapons. Shock weapons like the mace and taser don't knock your opponents off their bikes, but give them momentarily loss of control over their biker (which is especially fun near a sharp turn or near an oncoming vehicle). The game's violence isn't meant for younger kids, but for adults it presents a unique and very fun game. After all, haven't you ever got p*ssed off at that hotshot racer who passed you at the last second in GTA? Now you can smack some sense into them through RR64. The great thing about the game is that fighting is as important as racing. In order to win, you have to play dirty. The streets are just too crowded to be nice, and RR64 really follows the saying "Nice guys finish last!". You have to really beat down opponents.

Unlike the PC Road Rash, there is no sense of identity among racers. Your racer has a customizeable name, but the only thing that changes is appearance. There is no personality like in the PC game, which is a bit of a drawback, but not by much. You can still form rivalries in each zone because each racer has a certain name. Usually, you'll know where to find them, and you can form some serious hostility through racing. The only problem with racing is that the AI is quite repetitive and predictable in the racing aspect. You can usually guess which racers are at the front of the pack, and which ones are at the back. It usually never changes, but occasionally does. Still, the AI is saved for fighting, and some of these guys are quite good at it, so watch out.

Road Rash 64 has four different modes to choose from. These include Big Race, Multiplayer, Options, and Cheats. Don't let the small menu fool you, though, because inside other modes (especially multiplayer) there are many more games to be played. Big Race is the career mode of Road Rash. It's a single player affair. You start at Zone 1 (7 in total I believe), where you pick how your rider looks and what bike he wants (there are only two choices at first). You start off as a nobody in this first race, as anyone will try to get a good hit on you. No one likes you, so you can kick some a*s and show them who you are. Each race does not require you to finish in first. After finishing the race, you are awarded money depending on how high you place. If you place below 4th, you get a consolation gift (the gifts are hilarious...you have to see them for yourself). In order to progress to the next zone, you must complete each race, and earn enough money to buy a new bike (suited for the type of racing on the next zone). You don't have to win each race to progress, but gaining funds by not placing in first takes a very long time, so it evens out. Once you've bought a new bike, you're set for the next zone. As you progress in zones, you'll realize that the roads get more congested, the races are longer, and the bikes are faster. You'll also be awarded a new weapon to use. Unlike other games, the tracks in Road Rash 64 are rarely repetitive, and always offer some new kind of challenge.

The coolest thing about advancing to a new zone (specifically the 2nd Zone), is the new alliance system. Basically, there are two types of bikes to choose from, racers (Yamaha like models), which have better control but less speed, and Harleys, which pack some serious speed but may leave you in the dust during sharp turns. Depending on what type of bike you choose, you will be asked to join a certain gang, or go solo. If you do join a gang, you must pay a certain fee. In return, your gang helps you beat down on other adversaries and protects you as well. While the AI does need some work for these gangs, it is still impressive what RR64 does with the alliance stuff. Personally, I ride solo because I like laying the beatdown on everybody.

The racing isn't all milk and cookies though, because you can get thrown out of the race and lose your whole career. First of all, you have a power bar on the HUD to the right of the screen. As you fall off your bike, this bar lowers, and if it completely drains, your bike is totally wrecked. Needless to say, the mechanic is a total ripoff. If you don't have enough money to get your bike repaired, your game is over. While during the first races things go slow, later zones will require smart racing to save your energy. Also, the cops don't like street racers. As each zone progresses, there will be more cops to contend with. Cops will ride cycles as well (although cop cars do like to mess with you), but they have one purpose: to beat you senseless. Using nightsticks, they will attack very quickly near anyone they get close to. Usually, this is where unlikely alliances are formed (I'm a jerk so I usually help the cops out with other racers), but also where you have to save your own a*s. If a cop knocks you off your bike, you are busted, and must pay a fine for bail. If you can't afford it; your racing days are over. This kind of unforgiving career adds a sense of realism to the game.

After each race, you will also get a rap sheet, which gives you a rundown of all the illegal activities you performed during the race. Battery accounts how many times you hit someone. You can also get things on your rap sheet for assualting officers, resisting arrest, hitting vehicles, etc. This is basically just a humorous little statistics rundown. Also, completing each course allows you to race it with customizations. You can change the amount of traffic, pedestrians, and racers on each course. Very cool.

As I said before, there are so many possibilities in RR64. I can remember so many funny things that happen in the game, so many things I did, it's awesome. RR64 is the perfect party game because it's just so crazy. Playing it is insanely fun, no matter what the critics seem to think.

As you buy new bikes in Big Race Mode, you unlock them in multiplayer mode. This means you'll be going through career mode many times to buy each bike. Needless to say, it doesn't get any less fun each time you go through it. The racing is never monotonous, and you can do something new each time (for example, me and my friends usually try to mace someone and make them crash into a house...alot harder than it seems). Most bikes are redundant, except for the the super bikes which top speeds of 300 mph, and get you soaring if you happen to hit something.

Multiplayer mode sounds like the basic 2-4 player affair, with fun racing. Well, it's ten times more than that. The developers went the extra mile to place in extremely fun minigames that even one player can play. The first of these minigames is an arena like mode. This instills the whole laps system and is more like traditional motorcycle. Still, there are loads of insanity in each level (especially when you try racing with super bikes). One arena level gets you racing in a full circle around a pit of sewage. The trick is that you must stay in the very middle of the ring. Too far to the left, and you'll be swimming in sewage. Too far to the right, and you'll be flying face first into the wall. Another arena is a dirt bike arena, except that if your bike goes off of a certain jump too fast, you'll be flying at 100+ mph at around 60 feet in the air right into a wall (with Superbikes, everyone hits the wall). These levels show how much fun Road Rash is even instilling normal rules.

Another mode is pedestrian mode, and as sadisitic as it may be, it's quite a challenge. Basically, you must perform the most hit and runs as you can and finish the race as well. This is hard because pedestrians are tough to hit while going at fast speeds, but finishing the race is tough if you're going slow. This is just a small sample of the insanity that can be found in one mode alone. Playing with your friends that many more times fun. Needless to say, RR64's replayability is off the charts. I still play it today, and I've had it for nearly 4 years. Few games, even Halo get that much playing time from me.

Also, RR64 has excellent secrets. These are unlocked through the Big Race Mode, and they include the ability to use scooters (Mopeds), and play the cop. RR64 adds to it's already high replayability level through it's secret modes.

The controls for RR64 are very, very simplistic. The style is for arcade racing, and this works very well for a fast paced game like Road Rash. The A button, as usual, accelerates, why the C buttons handle hitting and kicking. The thumbstick steers the bike, and the other buttons taunt and do other operations. There is only one combo move, which can really p*ss you friends off, but is fun nonetheless. This is called the spoke jam, which basically places an item inside the bike spokes. You do the thinking about what happens next. The controls are very simplistic, and very responsive. While there isn't anything too advanced to learn, the simple controls help keep the game fast and fun, instead of slow and calculated.

Graphics & Sound

RR64's graphics and sound are the reason why many critics seem to call it a mediocre game. The graphics are admittedly poor, being very polygonal and showing signs of poor development. The character models aren't very well done, and you can see a lot of jaggies and rough edges when you crash or get close to an object. The graphics aren't terrible, but pretty poor. Still, this rarely deters gameplay, because the focus isn't on how pretty you look in the game (it's how ugly you make the other guy look). The game does get points off for the weak graphics, but in terms of fun, the game isn't any less fun because of the graphics.

The game's sound is a mixed bag. The sound effects are repetitive, but on the other hand they are bone crunching and really add effect to the damage you caused. The slamming sound when you hit a wall is quite memorable for example. Too bad that the sound effects are so limited. The music is a high point on the game, yet the music quality is extremely low (considering it's packed onto a cartridge. Songs by Sugar Ray (you won't believe how hard rocking they used to be), The Mermen, and CIV among other bands really add a fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping sound to the game. Some of the songs are very memorable hard rock songs, but the sound quality brings this down. The best thing to do is keep sound effects on while putting on your CD player in the background.

Final Thoughts

Forget Mario Party. If there ever was a game that was meant for parties and for pure enjoyment, it's RR64. While it's presenation is pretty weak, RR64 is the perfect showcase of how a game doesn't need to be flashy to be fun. Mixing a fast-paced theme with truly memorable fighting added in, racing won't quite be the same after you've played RR64. Burning rubber on someone's front lawn, setting your "friends" up to get hit by trucks, flying over cliffs at over 300 mph, it's all possible. While the best RR incarnation belongs to the amazing PC version, it's still crystal clear that Road Rash 64 is in at a close second. It's just a rush playing the game, and despite what critics think of it, it stands as an underappreciated classic, RR64 tops other racing games with pure possibilities and a huge replayability.

...and now for some Road Rash bloopers erm...moments

- when you shock someone with a taser in RR64, their arms are outstretched and wide open as they comically bob their heads until they gain control of their bike. Well, I was playing against my friend and brother one day. My friend shocked my brother, whose arms were wide open. And what should come right for his unguarded chest than a huge truck! Ouch.

- The last level of the last zone is called The Wall. This is one straightaway to the finish line, where you go as fast as you can. Thing is, there is a wall at the end of the race. If you don't slow down before hitting the finish line, you meet the the wall and get flung way over the finish line. I happened to be cruising with a superbike at 300+ mph, so needless to say I went way past the finish line and off the nearby freeway! Now that's 110%!

- During a tight race in the dirt arena with about 10 other racers, all on superbikes, everyone was cocky and went off a huge jump at 300+ mph. We all were smacked face first into a huge wall and flew back many feet...at the same time.

- During a very tight race, I was shoulder to shoulder with my bro on the cycles. As we headed for the finish line (which has two steel flagpoles with the checkered flag on them), I nudged him against the steel pole for a picture perfect finish. Or a really messy one. I'm guessing they had to pick him up off the ground.

- Cops are sadistic...they once sandwiched me and pummeled me to a crisp.

Titan45