Winner of several EGM awards, Road Rash is a fast paced motorcycle racer released in 1994 for the 3DO. Combining fluid gameplay and some really endearing attitude, Road Rash is an excellent game worthy of dissection.
I will preface this portion of the review by mentioning that Soundgarden is one of my favourite bands. To hear them in the opening cutscene was absolutely awesome and it really drove home the atmosphere that Road Rash is going for. I want to discuss this briefly as it warrants mention. While it’s a difficult thing to tangibly quanitfy, using games like Doom and Road Rash on 3DO as examples, these games just feel like they have an attitude and a mean spirit and that’s alright because it fits thematically. In Road Rash this is achieved by showing the racers doing what they do: racing hard, kicking each others butts and having a great time. In recent EA games attitude seems really artificial and comes across as really lame as they temper the attitude in their games to clearly avoid offending people too much. In Road Rash they have no reservations about hitting a guy in the face with a pipe until he becomes gravel while heavy metal plays in the background.
The game itself plays really well, and although I’m not a huge fan of the menu system it didn’t really effect my experience. In Road Rash you have the option of playing Thrash or Big Game mode. They are essentially Arcade and Story modes respectively. Thrash allows you to just let loose on the roads and get a feel for the way the game plays and what courses you enjoy. I’d recommend coming to terms with the controls and the feel of the bikes here before taking on Big Game.
Big Game is where things open up. You can hit “Der Panzer Club” to check out races, the latest gossip (which is really just fluff) and use the restroom (the options menu). Also available to you is “Olley’s Skoot-a-Rama” which is the cycle shop. Feeling spendy? Well, luckily there are 15 new bikes to choose from.
When you’re ready, jump back into the club and check the board for new races. Then, you’re off.
When you hit the road you’ll notice how good the control is. Despite the speed you’re traveling your bike remains responsive and although there are other options for bikes it’s not always apparent your investment has made much of a difference. That’s fine though because races are 
insane and you’ll be paying more attention to traffic than your bikes KPH. Races are hectic, chaotic affairs that end up with fists flying everywhere. Actually taking out racers has a tangible benefit as once they’re out, they’re out and there is less competition on the road. You can also be knocked off of your bike, which isn’t a massive impediment as the game is normally pretty fair about not leaving you too far behind.
I found the AI racers in Road Rash to be just challenging enough to feel like I was earning my wins, while not becoming frustrating. It’s a superbly balanced game and one of the best balanced racers I have ever played. Games that are well balanced keep me coming back, and this is no different.
One of the best things you notice about racing in Road Rash is that despite flying down a long stretch of winding road you still have choice about your route. Sometimes roads will branch off allowing to take an alternate route that may be clearer, easier to navigate and feature less severe hazards. Finding these easier routes and making your life easier lends replay value to the game, and it gives you more of a feeling of control.
Road Rash looks beautiful, and although I am not sure about the hideous charicatures that greet you in the front end screens the quality of the FMV is outstanding and environmental graphics look great. Textures are crisp, vivid and clean with the verdant fields of the California countryside rendered in beautiful detail. I cannot emphasise how much I love the look of Road 
Rash. It makes California look like some sort of beautiful, grass covered playground replete with jaywalkers and hot air balloon tours. The draw distance is brilliant, the frame rate always holds up and the loss of detail in the distance is minimal so it looks like the world goes on forever. I cannot fault the graphics bar some jerky sprite movement.
If you’re a player who looks for both high quality, polished front end graphics, FMV and in-game rendering and texturing then Road Rash is a showpiece for the 3DO and something to be proud of as a 3DO collector.
I am aware that this review has essentially just been me gushing about how much I love Road Rash but I cannot properly articulate how good this game is. It’s something you have to sit down and enjoy tangibly. The slick control, smooth gameplay, exciting in-race action, the great music and supremely polished graphics. It’s all a testament to how committed to EA was to providing players with an outstanding experience that would give them something to say: “Here’s why the 3DO is awesome.”
Club 3DO 