Road Blaster

I played this on the Sega CD, though it was originally an arcade game. I never played that or any other version other than this one. From what I have heard, while this one does not have the best picture, it does have the best music and controls. For some, this will not be their cup of tea, as so many people do want full control; however, I have a special place in my heart for games of this sort starting with playing Dragon's Lair and Space Ace at the arcade. I actually found this one to be quite enjoyable too, though just an illusion, it almost does seem like you have full control in this one as there are prompts all over the place!

The story, a gang has killed your wife! Their mistake? They left you alive! How is one supposed to get their revenge? Get a cool car and start running them off the road, Mad Max style. The only thing missing is the double barrelled shotgun. Of course, this one does not take place in a post apocalyptic future which means we get you driving through some stores and barely missing pedestrians!

The game play is an input appears and you push it in time and correctly or you die. I can understand why one doesn't like this type of game, but I always found them fun. The story is nice in this one too, as I wanted to get revenge! That helps you play through it, but it does get a bit frantic at times as there can be rapid fire prompts in this one!

So, I really enjoyed this one. I am a huge Mad Max fan, so I liked the story. It would have been kind of cool if the character did have a shotgun, but I suppose that would have been a little too much like Mad Max prompting George Miller to call his attorney. So if you like Dragon's Lair and its ilk, then give this one a try, just be prepared for quicker action and longer scenes in this one!

Road Avenger was one of the games Sega used to promote the Sega CD system on its launch. You can see why when looking at clips from the game. The graphics are wonderful and to the naive it would seem looks like a living anime cartoon that you can control. But looks can be deceiving.

The story had you play as an ex-cop who is out to avenge the death of his new wife, who was driven off the road by a gang of Mad Max style bandits. The game is a first person driving game but not in the usual style of Out Run or Formula One or such. In fact, all you were required to do was to push the control pad in the right direction.

As the car you drove would pass through varied territories like urban down town, the forest, desert canyons etc a direction (either up, left, right or brake) would appear on the screen. If you push that direction the car would continue on its rampage, otherwise you would crash with a generic death animation.

It was fun if you got the game right and the car would tear through buildings and stuff, while scared pedestrians would look on in amazement. The music was also cool and I wish Sega released a soundtrack CD as some of the level tunes and the main theme song were great.

Sadly, Road Avenger was about no more than pushing buttons. It was the most linear game I have ever played. Even if you chose what direction the car took it would have been slightly re-playable. But it wasn't.

Graphics A Sound A Gameplay D Lasting Appeal D