Road Rash II

About This Game

Gameplay

Road Rash II puts the player in control of a motorcycle racer who must finish in third place or higher among fourteen other racers; the player advances throughout the game's five levels by winning five races on each level. The game's races take place in a number of settings across the United States, consisting of Hawaii, Arizona, Tennessee, Alaska, and Vermont. During a race, the racer can brake, accelerate, and attack neighboring opponents. The racer will punch at the nearest opponent with a default input, while holding a directional button during the input will result in either a backhand or a kick. Some opponents wield weapons such as clubs and chains, which can be taken and used by the racer if the opponent is attacked as they are holding the weapon out to strike. The racer can be ejected from their bike if they crash into an obstacle (such as boulders, cars, deer, and cows) or if they run out of stamina (shown in the bottom-left corner of the screen) due to fights with opponents.

History

Before the conclusion of the 1991 Christmas season, EA decided to create a sequel to Road Rash, and set a deadline for the following Christmas. Although the development team considered the deadline tight given the length of the previous game's development, the established framework given by the preceding title allowed the team to focus on enhancing the gameplay and visuals for the sequel. The development team of Road Rash II consisted of three programmers, five graphic artists, and four track builders. Returning crew members from the previous game include producer and designer Randy Breen, designer and programmer Dan Geisler, programmer Walt Stein, and artists Arthur Koch and Peggy Brennan.