One of the best and most overlooked games for the Sony PlayStation.
It's not simply the gameplay that makes you want to keep coming back; it's the whole tone of the game, the whole setting. It's quite unique as people can either love you or hate you depending on how you race, and whichever character you pick has a certain personality - so some characters might like you more than others and encourage you to race better; while some will just tell you to take a hike and shove a boot in your face.
This is not a reality game that proves how many friends you can make, however...that is just one of the many undertones that makes this game so unique. The tone of this game is very brutal, raw, and grungy. People will not hesitate to take you out back and whip the tar out of you, stick their boot in your face, or annhiliate your bike completely without you knowing it. However, if you get on your fellow bikers' good side (mainly by winning races and souping up your ride - showing them who's boss), it can be one of the most warm, enjoyable, campfire-y experiences you will ever have playing a video game.
I rediscovered Road Rash for the first time tonight in over three years. I lended out my copy to a fellow basketball team-mate at a competition; he disappeared and i never got my game back. I forgot about it for awhile until I remembered that I discovered bands like Soundgarden and Paw because of this game. For that, I am eternally grateful.
Which brings me to another point in that the sound category gets a very high ranking because the music on here is just beyond words. Great bands, great songs, from a great era. This was when grunge and alternative rock were at their peak. I discovered great bands like Soundgarden, Paw, Monster Magnet, and Hammerbox from this very game (and believe me, all of these bands are definately worth checking out) which led me on to pick up the guitar - and my life has never been the same since. So to say that this game changed my life is not an understatement; but it seems quite silly to go parading around saying that a video game changed the way I live my life.
If you are a fan of grunge - grunge clothing, grunge music, the grunge era, you will enjoy this game thoroughly. Even your fellow bikemates and fans dress in flannel, ripped jeans, and pearl jam t-shirts. It's something you can't miss.
To me, this game seems like a lost treasure. Hardly a soul knows about it anymore, and yet it was one of the greatest games to come out for the PS1. The poor graphics may be partly to blame for this, as who wants to play a game in this day and age when it (god-forbid) doesn't have "good graphics"? If you check the back of your Road Rash CD case however, you'll find it was made in 1996 or thereabouts...which is only a short year after the PlayStation debuted in the United States. Think about it - games weren't as developed to maximize the full potential the PlayStation could offer at that point and time. So if you're going to complain about graphics, do it somewhere else (like Big Rigs...that game has NO excuse...).
Many will ask about the newer installment, Road Rash 3D. Let me put it on the table for you. Road Rash 3D is a joke...frankly, I've played it quite a few times and I was less than impressed. Less than entertained, even. I hoped for it to be as good as the original and it didn't even come close. 3D? Awful poor 3D. And the circle of friends is not as close - and the feel of the game just doesn't fit. It's cold and feels more like a racing game with several disgruntled, misplaced criminals. With the first Road Rash, you feel part of an elite group of underground racers that race with their whole heart and soul. You can't beat that tone with a simple upgrade to "3D graphics".
All in all, Road Rash is a game you cannot afford to miss. Whether you pick it up in a bargain bin, discover it in a pawn shop, or find it along the road, it's a game that deserves much more recognition and respect than it gets. 10 years later, it's still kicking you in the teeth and leaving tire marks on the pavement.
-Jared Jongeling