Road Rash

For the Sega Mega-CD game, see Road Rash (Mega-CD). For the Sega Saturn game, see Road Rash (Saturn).

n/a

NTSC-U/PAL NTSC-J Master System Game Gear
Road Rash
System(s): Sega Mega Drive, Sega Master System, Sega Game Gear
Publisher: Electronic Arts (US/EU) Electronic Arts Victor (JP) U.S. Gold
Developer: Electronic Arts Probe Software
Supporting companies: Krisalis Software (audio)
Distributor: Ecofilmes (PT) Hent Gruppen (SE rental) Tec Toy (BR)
Sound driver: Electronic Arts/Rob Hubbard
Genre: Action, Racing
Number of players: 1-2 1
Release Date RRP Code JP 1992-11-20 ¥7,800 (8,034)7,800e EM20003 US 1991-09 $49.9949.99 702001 US ▼ (Sega Channel) 199x SUBsub EU 1991-09 E176SMX PT 199x UK 1991-09 £39.9939.99 E176SMX SE (Rental) 199x GR 199x AU 199x BR 199x ZA 199x EU 1994-04 29012-50 EU (Kixx) 199x 29012-50 PT 199x PT (Purple) 1996 4,990$4,990 UK 1994-04 29012-50 AU 199x FROA05SEC BR 199x 028410 US 1994-03 $39.9539.95 T-79108 EU 1994 79108-50 EU (Kixx) 199x 79108-50 PT 199x UK 1994-03 79108-50
Non-Sega versions Amiga Atari ST Game Boy
ESRA

Road Rash (ロードラッシュ) is the first game in the Road Rash series of motorcycle racing games developed by Electronic Arts. Originally released for the Sega Mega Drive in 1991, it was subsequently ported to other consoles, including the Sega Master System and Sega Game Gear.

Gameplay

Mega Drive version

In Road Rash, the player controls a motorcycle racer and competes in illegal street races in California, where competitors are given free will to deliberately injure competitors to get to first place. The player can choose from five courses and must finish in fourth place or higher among fourteen other racers. The bike steers with and . It accelerates with and brakes with . The racer can attack neighboring opponents with . Some opponents wield clubs, which can be taken and used by the racer if the opponent is attacked as they are holding the club out to strike. The racer can backhand opponents with + or kick them with +.

The racer begins the game with $1,000 and earns cash prizes for each successful race. After a race, the player is shown a results screen from which the player can select another course to play with  START  or access a shop with . The shop allows the player to use prize winnings to purchase several bikes of differing weights, speeds and steering capabilities. The player receives a password at the end of a successful race for continuing. The player advances to the next level after winning a race (by finishing in fourth place or better) on all five of the game's courses. Higher levels have longer versions of the same courses and faster, more aggressive opponents. The player wins the game by winning a race on each track in all five levels.

Race courses are littered with everything from hills to traffic to roadside obstacles that can hurt a competitor or the player, and since the races run in real time, crashing is costly. The racer is ejected from the bike after a crash or if the racer runs out of stamina (shown in the bottom-left corner of the screen) from fights with opponents. In this event, the racer automatically runs back toward the bike, though the player can alter their course and avoid incoming traffic with and or stand still by holding . Stamina recovers over time. Opponents are likewise ejected from their bikes if their own stamina is depleted (shown in the bottom-right corner of the screen).

The bike has its own "damage meter" between the racer's and opponents' stamina meters, which decreases every time the racer suffers a crash. The bike is wrecked if the meter fully depletes, which ends the player's participation in the current race and deducts the cost of a repair bill from the racer's balance. Motor officers make sporadic appearances throughout the game's tracks, which can also end the player's participation if they apprehend the racer following a crash, also deducting the cost of a fine from their balance. If the racer lacks the funds to cover either a repair bill or a fine, the game ends.

The game has two-player mode where the players take turns but no simultaneous two-player mode.

Bikes

Shuriken 400

Panda 600

Banzai 750

Kamikaze 750

Shuriken 1000

Ferruci 850

Panda 750

Diablo 1000

Courses

The game has five levels, each containing longer and more dangerous versions of the same courses.

	Sierra Nevada
	Pacific Coast
	Redwood Forest
	Palm Desert
	Grass Valley

Master System and Game Gear versions

The 8-bit versions of the game are very similar to the Mega Drive version, with the same rules, bikes, and courses. The bike is steered with and and accelerates with . There is no dedicated brake button, but the bike decelerates quickly if the player presses after letting off the accelerator. The racer punches with and kicks with +. The player visits the bike shop after every race (rather than having to press a particular button to enter it, as in the Mega Drive version).

The Master System version retains the alternating two-player mode, but the Game Gear version is solely single-player.

Bikes

Shuriken 400

Panda 600

Banzai 750

Kamikaze 750

Shuriken 1000

Ferruci 850

Panda 750

Diablo 1000

Courses

The game has five levels, each containing longer and more dangerous versions of the same courses.

	Sierra Nevada
	Pacific Coast
	Redwood Forest
	Palm Desert
	Grass Valley

History

Legacy

The game inspired a series and was followed by further installments for various platforms, including Road Rash II and Road Rash 3: Tour De Force for the Mega Drive.

All three of the Mega Drive Road Rash games were re-released for the PlayStation Portable as part of the EA Replay compilation in 2006.

Versions

The Master System version of Road Rash retains the vast majority of content over its Mega Drive counterpart, though most of the graphics were re-drawn for the smaller resolution and fewer colours given by the hardware. On the Master System, the top speed is lowered, and much of the road-side scenery has been removed, and there appears to be fewer racers on the track at any given time. While the track layouts are broadly the same, hills are less pronounced on the Master System, and take longer to complete due to the aforementioned speed issues.

All digitised sound has been removed, as has the rev counter in the HUD. The Game Gear port is much the same as the Master System conversion, but has to reduce the size of its HUD further in order to fit all important details onto the screen. This also means less of the road is visible to the player.

Production credits

Mega Drive version

• Programmers: Dan Geisler, Walter Stein
• Art: Arthur Koch, Jeff Fennel, Sheryl Knowles, Cynthia Hamilton, Connie Braat, Paul Vernon, Peggy Brennan
• Sound and Music: Rob Hubbard, Mike Bartlow
• Production: Randy Breen
• Technical Direction: Carl Mey
• Production Assistant: Michael Lubuguin

Source:

In-game credits

---

• Producer: Randy Breen
• Programming: Dan Geisler, Walter Stein, Carl Mey
• Art: Arthur Koch, Jeff Fennel, Cynthia Hamilton, Connie Braat, Paul Vernon, Sheryl Knowles, Peggy Brennen
• Technical Director: Carl Mey
• Sounds and Music: Mike Bartlow, Rob Hubbard
• Assistant Producer: Michael Lubuguin
• Product Management: Lesley Mansford
• Package Design: Arias & Saraille
• Package Photography: Robert Fujioka
• Documentation: Andrea Smith
• Documentation Layout: Jennie Maruyama
• Programming Tools: Dominique Philipine, Sefen Hsu
• Testing: Michael Lubuguin, Mike Wallis, Steve Matulac, Marjorie Martin
• Quality Assurance: Steve Barry

Source:

US manual

Master System and Game Gear versions

• A Conversion By: Gary Priest
• Programming and Graphic Conversion: Gary Priest
• Music and SFX: Krisalis
• Production: Greg Michael, Tony Porter
• Published under license by: U.S.Gold Ltd.
• Licensed by: Sega Enterprises Ltd.

© 1991, 1993 Electronic Arts Inc.

Source:

In-game credits

Magazine articles

Main article: Road Rash/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Main article: Road Rash/Promotional material.

Physical scans

Mega Drive version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

{{{{{icon}}}|L}}
Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 70 ACE (UK) 86 Aktueller Software Markt (DE) 73 Beep! MegaDrive (JP) NTSC-J 70 Console XS (UK) PAL 90 Cool Gamer (RU) 70 Computer & Video Games (UK) PAL 91 Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1 (RU) 70 Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 10 (RU) 80 Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide (UK) 90 Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J 70 Game Power (IT) 84 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 100 Games-X (UK) 90 Game Zone (UK) PAL 90 Hippon Super (JP) NTSC-J 80 Hobby Consolas (ES) 91 Joypad (FR) PAL 84 Joystick (FR) 70 Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) PAL 78 Mega Drive Fan (JP) NTSC-J 67 Mega (UK) 85 Mega Force (FR) PAL 75 MegaTech (UK) 92 Mean Machines (UK) PAL 91 Mean Machines Sega (UK) 92 Player One (FR) 95 Play Time (DE) 85 Power Play (DE) 69 Sega Power (UK) PAL 90 Sega Power (UK) PAL 100 Sega Pro (UK) 91 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 90 Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J 76 Tilt (FR) 85 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 84 User (GR) PAL 84 Video Games (DE) 71

	83
Based on 38 reviews

Road Rash

Mega Drive, JP
Cover
Cart Manual PCB

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, US (Rev A Cart)
Cart

Mega Drive, EU
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, SE (rental; Hent; black)
Cover

Mega Drive, PT
Cover
Cart

Mega Drive, GR (Zegetron)
Cart

Mega Drive, AU

Mega Drive, AU (NTSC)
Cover

Mega Drive, BR
Cover
Cart

Mega Drive, ZA
Cover
Cart

Master System version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

{{{{{icon}}}|L}}
Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average
Publication Version Score Consoles + (FR) 83 Gamers (DE) 73 Megablast (DE) PAL 73 Mega Fun (DE) PAL 75 Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL 88 Player One (FR) 70 Play Time (DE) 78 Sega Magazine (UK) PAL 84 Sega Magazine (UK) PAL 84 Sega Power (UK) PAL 90 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 90 Sonic the Comic (UK) PAL 90 Todo Sega (ES) 69 Video Games (DE) PAL 78

	80
Based on 14 reviews

Road Rash

Master System, EU
Cover
Cart

Master System, EU (Kixx re-release)
Cover
Cart

Master System, AU
Cover
Cart

Master System, PT

Master System, PT (Super Preço)
Cover

Master System, PT (Purple)
Cover

Master System, BR
Cover
Cart Manual

Game Gear version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

{{{{{icon}}}|L}}
Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average
Publication Version Score Aktueller Software Markt (DE) 83 Consoles + (FR) 83 Game Players (US) NTSC-U 78 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 93 Gamers (DE) 73 Mega Force (FR) 89 Mega Fun (DE) PAL 85 Player One (FR) 80 Play Time (DE) 81 Sega Power (UK) PAL 90 Sega Zone (UK) PAL 89 Sonic the Comic (UK) PAL 90 Video Games (DE) PAL 77 VideoGames (US) NTSC-U 70

	83
Based on 14 reviews

Road Rash

Game Gear, US
Cover
Cart Manual

Game Gear, EU
Cover
Cart Manual

Game Gear, EU (Kixx re-release)
Cover
Cart Manual

Game Gear, PT
Cover

Technical information

Main article: Road Rash/Technical information.

References

Road Rash games for Sega systems
	Road Rash (1991) | Road Rash II (1992) | Road Rash 3: Tour De Force (1995)
	Road Rash (1994)
	Road Rash (1994)
	Road Rash (1995)
	Road Rash (1996)
Related games
	Skitchin' (1994) | Face Plant (unreleased)