| RoadBlasters is a rare accomplishment. It's a good game that was
made for the sole purpose of advertising a toyline. There aren't
many games I can think of that were successful as both a game
*and* a toy commercial. But RB comes through. So what were
RoadBlasters? Think HotWheels with weapons. And what is
RoadBlasters the game? Think OutRun with guns. In fact, you might
confuse the two at first glance. But RB is *so* much better than
OutRun, in terms of replayability *and* graphics. In RB your goals
are simple, destroy as many enemies you can and beat the course in
the time allowed. Destroying baddies ain't a problem. You've got
some impressing-looking cannons bolted to the roof of you equally
stylish car. Beating the time limit *does* get tricky though.
Especially in the longer, later stages. But, for some reason, the
action doesn't seem intense enough. And RB feels more like a racer
than a combat game. Not that it's a bad thing. RoadBlasters is a
solid game, no matter how you look at it.
GRAPHICS: Arcade-perfect. The Lynx powers some heavy stuff.
Your car along takes up a third of the screen! And it's superbly
animated. As are the "laser beams" that your cannons
spew. The sharp resolution makes spotting far off enemies a snap.
And since your going 200 mph...it's good idea to spot stuff down
the road. ****
SOUNDS: Could've been better. Or, more accurately, there
could've been MORE. There's only one theme song in the *whole*
game. And NO music during the stages, just the sounds of roaring
engines and burning lasers. Nice stuff, but the game's just too
quiet for an action racer. **1/2
CONTROL: Good, tight controls are a must for a racer. And RB
comes through. Like OutRun, your control over acceleration and
deceleration are limited. So your main focus is steering left and
right. Of course you don't *have* to steer around most obstacles,
you can blast'em. And aiming your cannon shots are simple, even at
high speeds. ****
OPTIONS: None. Zippo. RoadBlasters as a direct arcade port. So
it's all action baby. *
REPLAY: The combat element in RB is what keeps you coming back.
Even though it's a little too light, there's just enough action to
keep things interesting. Which is good, RoadBlasters would have
*never* made as a stand-alone racer. ***
RoadBlasters was a pleasant surprise. The gamemakers could have
easily spit out a piece of junk. And it would have *still* sold
the toys. But they went to drawing board an produced a game that's
good enough to stand by itself. RoadBlasters boasts great
graphics, good action, and an overall satisfying ride. Today's
toymakers should take note the next time they throw us a sorry
excuse for a game.
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