Source: Electronic Gaming Monthly – April 1998
The Road Rash series of games was initially released for the Sega Genesis and were quite popular. There were at least six different Road Rash games released between 1991 and 2000. The formula remained pretty much the same throughout all of them. Essentially, Road Rash is a motorcycle racing game played from a 3rd person point of view. The object is to win races and by doing so, win cash. Various weapons and combat moves can be used to slow opponents. Coming in last results in no cash winnings and getting caught by the police causes you to lose money. The first three Road Rash games were released on the Genesis, with a 1994 version of Road Rash being released before Road Rash 3 for CD based systems.
This particular entry in the series, Road Rash 3D, was released in 1998 after Road Rash 3 exclusively for the PlayStation. It was, more or less, similar to previous Road Rash games but only got average reviews. Perhaps the biggest complaint was the fact that it lacked a two player split screen mode that previous Road Rash iterations had. It also de-emphasized combat somewhat and made combat moves more difficult to execute, relying more on precise timing. Having said that, the tracks were good, the graphics decent (if at times glitchy) and the racing aspect pretty solid. Nevertheless, many consider this version to be inferior to the previous version that was released on the 3DO.
Still, if you are a fan of the series, there doesn’t seem to be anything particularly wrong with this version. At least if the lack of multiplayer isn’t a deal breaker for you. If you do want to give it a try, then you’ll have to track down a disc for the PlayStation or use emulation. This one was not released (or re-released) on any other platform. A Windows version was planned at one point but never materialized.
There were a couple of more sequels before the series sort of died out. Road Rash 64 was released in 1999 for the Nintendo 64. It was based on Road Rash 3D but with some major modifications including the addition of various multiplayer modes and bringing back some more of the emphasis on combat. Road Rash: Jailbreak was released in 2000 for the PlayStation (and later ported to the Game Boy Advance). It added a two-player co-op mode with the addition of a side car. Overall, I think the original games on the Genesis were the most fun but if you are a fan of the series, then Road Rash 3D along with the later sequels will still be games you want to try.
The ad at the top is from the April 1998 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly.
