Road Rash

Road Rash is a 1994 racing and vehicular combat video game originally published by Electronic Arts (EA) for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer. A version for the Sega CD was developed simultaneously and released in 1995 to act as a “bridge” between the 3DO version and the Sega Genesis title Road Rash 3, and the game was subsequently ported to the PlayStation, Sega Saturn and Microsoft Windows in 1996. The game is the third installment in the Road Rash series, and is centered around a series of motorcycle races throughout California that the player must win to advance to higher-difficulty races, while engaging in unarmed and armed combat to hinder the other racers.

The arrival of fifth-generation game consoles influenced EA to incorporate character sprites digitized from real-life actors, 25 minutes of live-action full-motion video footage and a soundtrack primarily consisting of licensed grunge music courtesy of A&M Records, including Soundgarden, Monster Magnet and Swervedriver. Road Rash was released to critical acclaim and commercial success, with reviewers commending the 3DO version’s advanced visuals and grunge-based soundtrack. Reception to the ports was more middling, as they were considered dated by the time of their release.

Gameplay – Road Rash

Road Rash puts the player in control of a motorcycle racer who must finish in third place or higher among fourteen other racers; the player advances throughout the game’s five levels by winning five races on each level.^[1][2][3] The game’s races take place in a number of Californian settings, including San Francisco, the Sierra Nevada, Napa Valley and the Pacific Coast Highway.^[4] During a race, the racer can brake, accelerate, and attack neighboring opponents. The racer will punch at the nearest opponent with a default input, while holding a directional button during the input will result in either a backhand or a kick. Some opponents wield weapons such as clubs and chains, which can be taken and used by the racer if the opponent is attacked as they are holding the weapon out to strike.

Reception – Road Rash

3DO version

Publication	Score
AllGame	[45]
Computer and Video Games	91%[39]
Electronic Gaming Monthly	84%[40]
Famitsu	27/40[41]
GamePro	20/20[42]
Next Generation	[43]
VideoGames	8.25/10[44]
3DO Magazine	[46]

The 3DO version of Road Rash was met with critical acclaim, and is widely regarded as the pinnacle of the series.^[17] The most common points of praise among critics were the advanced texture-mapped graphics (which Rik Skews of Computer and Video Games described as a more polished Crash ‘n Burn) and the grunge soundtrack (which a reviewer for Next Generation said lent an “in-your-face” attitude to the game).^[b] Additionally, Bacon of GamePro commended the branching routes and humorous full motion video sequences, although he criticized the lack of a multiplayer option.^[42] Iceman of Electronic Gaming Monthly and the Next Generation reviewer both felt that the gameplay eventually became repetitive.^[40][43] While Skews and co-reviewer Deniz Ahmet acknowledged the responsiveness of the controls,^[39] Chris Gore of VideoGames pointed out the inability to configure them as a major flaw.^[44]