Road Rash II
Encyclopedia
Road Rash II is the second game in a series
of motorcycle
-racing video games
by Electronic Arts
. It was released in 1993
for the Sega Mega Drive. It is based heavily on the engine and sprites of the first game. Road Rash II introduced several new features to the series, including bikes with nitrous oxide injection
and varied weapons. It is hailed as the greatest of the Road Rash series by many.
s of Alaska
, Hawaii
, Tennessee
, Arizona
, and Vermont
, on progressively longer two-lane roads
. Races would be won by placing first, second, or third in each of the five tracks (as opposed to the first game, which would allow a victory by placing fourth as well). After all five tracks were won, the player would advance to the next level, where the track would be longer, the opponents faster, and much more money at stake for a victory or a loss.
The second Road Rash game introduced two major features to gameplay. One is the fighting system and the addition of a second weapon—the chain. Where in the first game one strong hit would deplete the opponent's life bar, in this game each weapon's attacks dealt a set amount of damage. The other main addition to gameplay is of bikes containing nitrous oxide injection
, which allows the user's motorcycle to accelerate beyond its top speed for a short amount of time. This addition would continue throughout several games later in the series.
One of the most noticeable differences in the game is the change of the menu screen. Road Rash II made navigation of the menu screens considerably easier, as well as gave the game a password less than half the size of the first game's passwords. Also, several game modes were introduced; alongside the two modes from the first Road Rash were a true two-player game called "Split Screen" where the 14th and 15th players are replaced by human players, and a duel mode called "Mano a Mano" where the two human players can select any bike, weapon, and length of track they wish before racing each other.
Road Rash
Road Rash is the name of a motorcycle-racing video game series by Electronic Arts, in which the player participates in violent illegal street races. The game was originally released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, but was ported to several other systems. Six different games were released from...
of motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
-racing video games
Racing game
A racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
by Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
. It was released in 1993
1993 in video gaming
-Events:*March — In Sweden, the Swedish video game magazine Super PLAY starts. The original name is Super Power.*Midway Games embroiled in controversy for its game Mortal Kombat from 1992 when the game is launched for video game consoles in 1993....
for the Sega Mega Drive. It is based heavily on the engine and sprites of the first game. Road Rash II introduced several new features to the series, including bikes with nitrous oxide injection
Nitrous
Nitrous oxide is a chemical compound used as an oxidizing agent to increase an internal combustion engine's power output by allowing more fuel to be burned than would normally be the case.-Nitrous and NOS:...
and varied weapons. It is hailed as the greatest of the Road Rash series by many.
Overview
The races took place in the U.S. stateU.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
s of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, and Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, on progressively longer two-lane roads
Single carriageway
A single carriageway is a road with 1, 2 or more lanes arranged within a single carriageway with no central reservation to separate opposing flows of traffic. Two-lane road or two-lane highway are single carriageway with one lane for each direction...
. Races would be won by placing first, second, or third in each of the five tracks (as opposed to the first game, which would allow a victory by placing fourth as well). After all five tracks were won, the player would advance to the next level, where the track would be longer, the opponents faster, and much more money at stake for a victory or a loss.
The second Road Rash game introduced two major features to gameplay. One is the fighting system and the addition of a second weapon—the chain. Where in the first game one strong hit would deplete the opponent's life bar, in this game each weapon's attacks dealt a set amount of damage. The other main addition to gameplay is of bikes containing nitrous oxide injection
Nitrous
Nitrous oxide is a chemical compound used as an oxidizing agent to increase an internal combustion engine's power output by allowing more fuel to be burned than would normally be the case.-Nitrous and NOS:...
, which allows the user's motorcycle to accelerate beyond its top speed for a short amount of time. This addition would continue throughout several games later in the series.
One of the most noticeable differences in the game is the change of the menu screen. Road Rash II made navigation of the menu screens considerably easier, as well as gave the game a password less than half the size of the first game's passwords. Also, several game modes were introduced; alongside the two modes from the first Road Rash were a true two-player game called "Split Screen" where the 14th and 15th players are replaced by human players, and a duel mode called "Mano a Mano" where the two human players can select any bike, weapon, and length of track they wish before racing each other.