There is always a series that, eventually, makes its way to almost every console available. One such example is Electronic Arts’ Road Rash. Originating on the Sega Genesis, Road Rash has hopped to the 3DO, Sega CD, Saturn, PlayStation, Game Boy and now Nintendo 64. While never being overly successful, the series has lasted for quite a few years and its popularity still stands today. However, Electronic Arts didn’t feel like bringing Road Rash over to the Nintendo 64 themselves and ended up handing over the rights to THQ. Now that I’ve been able to ride through the final, boxed copy of Road Rash 64, I have come out a bit disappointed.
First impressions of the title were not favorable, but, contrary to what I expected, the game began to grow on me little by little.
One would think that because of the Nintendo 64’s increased power over the PlayStation, that the graphics would end up being improved in more than a few areas. Interestingly, this is not the case at all. Road Rash 64’s visuals contain the usual Nintendo 64 ugliness. Examples? Blurryness and lack of texture variety. The character and environment models are incredibly simple, and that famous fog is present, though it is not present in an overpowering form (unlike Turok/Turok 2). There is seemingly a small saving grace to all of this. Road Rash 64 features very little amounts of slowdown and frame rate loss.
If you happen to have the RAM expansion pak, it will help improve the situation. The resolution is bumped up, the fog is pushed back and the frame rate still remains the same. The RAM pak doesn’t fix the lack of complexity or blurryness, but it certainly helps.
Three main modes are found in Road Rash 64; Thrasher, Multiplayer and Big Game. Thrasher is basically a practice mode that allows you to learn the road layout in order to become better in the Big Game mode. Multiplayer is where you and a bunch of friends can get together and bash the hell out of each other on motorcycles. This mode consists of sub-modes such as Thrash (straight racing), 1, 3 and 7 laps (race on arena tracks littered with power ups), Deathmatch (race around a level and earn a point each time you complete a lap. Take a point away from an opponent by knocking them off their bike.), Tag (if you crash, you’re it) and Ped Hunt (hurt as many innocent pedestrians as possible). Thankfully Road Rash 64’s 3d engine holds up, frame rate wise, to the challenges presented by the multiplayer mode.
Big Game is where the heart of the single player game lies. Starting off with a lowly, slow, unreliable bike you, have to place in 1st, 2nd or 3rd to earn money. Smashing competitors off their bikes also helps the cause, as the more hurt you put out, the more money you receive. As you work your way through the Big Game tracks, they can then be practiced in the Thrasher mode and more advanced bikes can be bought. At times, the player even has the option of joining a gang for a nominal fee.
Racing is the central part of the game, but just riding around on motorcycles hasn’t been what has made the series last. Carrying around weapons (chains, clubs, etc.) and being able to bash the other riders into a bloody pulp is what keeps the fun factor up in the Road Rash series. There is almost nothing more exhilarating then being in second place, and nearly one second from finishing the race, when you whip out a club and smash the number one guy out of the way and take the win. If nothing else, this particular aspect is what makes Road Rash 64 entertaining. Playing through the Big Game mode becomes far more intriguing the farther into it you get, when the cooler weapons become available for use. Make it to the third set of races and a taser of sorts can be used. Zappin’ opponents at high speed provides a laugh like no other.
A few annoyances that popped up during play time in Road Rash 64 were that after being kicked off your bike and tumbling onto the ground, the racer stays in the fetal position the entire time. You’d think that having your skull scraped against the ground at 100 mph would cause some type of change in body position. Another complaint is the amount of time it takes to get back on your bike once you’ve fallen off. I can understand having the bike tumble for a second or two, but it can take an excess of five seconds before the player is returned to the track. This can set you back quite a bit from the pack and nearly lose the race for you.
Road Rash 64 is in no way the worst the Nintendo 64 has to offer (a game such as War Gods can claim to hold that title), but it doesn’t give the series the justice it deserves. As it stands, the game is a fairly average racer with a nice dash of fun as well as a bucketload of ugly visuals mixed in. Rent it.
-- Patrick Klepek
