Road Rash II

As a young child of only seven years, I wasn't really in a position to buy or rent games on my own. Since I relied heavily on my parents, my experiences with my first system, the Sega Genesis, were relegated to Blockbuster rentals or games my father bought for us both to enjoy.

You advance from level to level racing against a field of bikers
The Graduated Gamer

This was my first racing game ever, for up to that point I had only played Sonic, NHL '94, and ToeJam & Earl with my dad.

This was a huge change of pace and I loved the seemingly open world I was now a part of, with mountains in the distance, trees and wildlife near the track,and cars just waiting to plaster me on their bumper should I fail to avoid them in time.

It was also the first time I got a sense of "real" speed. Sure Sonic was fast, but nothing quite speaks to the human need for speed than riding down a highway on a bike going 100+ mph with the winds in your face.

Eventually I couldn't hide it anymore and begged my dad to rent the game again. I had that game for a solid 3 weeks in a row while I grinded through all the levels to because the ultimate biker champion, making it the very first game I actaully beat on my own.

With the game you advance from level to level racing against a field of bikers. Each level consists of 5 tracks in which you need to place 3rd or better to move on to the next level. The further you progress, the faster the bikes get, the longer the tracks are, and the more money is at stake. You can use earnings to buy better bikes and weapons to use against the competition.

But beware: your opponents are also armed and will try everything they can to knock you off your bike. Oh, and if they don't stop you, there's always the police waiting to prematurely end your joy ride.

I recall that was the year we moved from our home in North Chicago to Michigan, and as a result my copy of ToeJam & Earl got lost in the move. Being only 7 years old, most of my memories from 1993 are of playing games with my dad and leaving all my friends behind to start life in a new state. So I guess you could say 1993 was a bittersweet year for me (although eventually Michigan would become my permanent home and I would grow to love it immensely in almost no time at all).

Review by: Graduated Gamer
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Mega Drive Longplay - Road Rash II
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Road Rash II Music - Main theme