Road Rash is the name of a motorcycle-racing video game
series by Electronic Arts, in which the player participates in violent illegal
street races. The game was originally released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis,
but was ported to several other systems. Six different games were released from
1991 to 1999, and a 2004 licensed port for the Game Boy Advance was released. Road
Rash and two of its sequels later appeared on the EA Replay collection for the
PSP.
The game's title is based on the slang term for the severe
friction burns that can occur in a motorcycling fall where skin comes into
contact with the ground at high speed.
Road Rash has a smoothly-rendered vertical element. In most
traditional older racing games, the player's vehicle remained on the same
horizontal plane, negotiating turns essentially by going right or left (see
Pole Position (video game)). In Road Rash, players had to contend with grade
changes, and the physics—though rudimentary compared to today's games—reflected
the act of going up or down a hill, as well as turning while climbing, etc. This
resulted in the ability to launch one's motorcycle great distances,
resulting
in crash animations. Road Rash also introduced an interactive race environment,
with street signs, trees, poles, and livestock, which could interact with the
player's vehicle.This was also one of the earlier games to feature active
traffic, such as slow moving station wagons and the like while racing against
other bikers. Part of what separated Road Rash from other racing games was its
combat element. The player could fight other bikers with a variety of hand
weapons or kick away other racers. The player would initially start off with
just his or her hands and feet, but if the gamer timed a punch right, he or she
could grab a weapon from another rider. The weapons themselves ranged from
clubs, crowbars, nunchaku, and cattle prods. Fights between riders to knock
each other off the bike would often go on at high speeds through traffic, pedestrians
and roadside obstacles, with the victor gaining place and the loser sustaining
bike damage and losing time.
The motorcycle police officers have dual antagonistic roles.
They fight the player as another opponent, and they also serve as game play
enforcers by policing the back of the pack and culling players who fall too far
behind or choose to explore the world rather than race in it. The stakes are
higher for losing a fight with a police officer than for losing to another
player: Losing a fight with an officer or being caught by an officer while off
one's motorcycle would cause the player to be "Busted" and the race
would end.
In the earlier games, each race locale consisted of a single
road, and as the player progressed through the levels. The finish line would be
placed farther down the road
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