RoadBlasters

Not to be confused with the earlier laserdisc arcade game Road Blaster.
RoadBlasters

Arcade flyer
Developer(s) Atari Games
Publisher(s) Atari Games, U.S. Gold (ports)
Composer(s) Brad Fuller (AC), Gavan Anderson & Tania Smith (NES)
Platform(s) Arcade, Mega Drive/Genesis, Atari Lynx, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, NES[1]
Release date(s) June 19, 1987
Genre(s) Racing shoot 'em up
Mode(s) Single-player
Cabinet Upright and sit-down
Arcade system Atari System 1
CPU 7 MHz Motorola 68010
Sound Yamaha YM2151, Atari POKEY, TMS5220
Display Raster, standard resolution, horizontally orientated

RoadBlasters is an arcade game released by Atari Games in 1987.[2] In RoadBlasters, the player must navigate a sports car through 50 different rally races, getting to the finish line before running out of fuel.

Gameplay

The objective of the game is to complete all 50 rallies without running out of fuel. There is no limit to how many vehicles a player can receive to complete a rally, as long as they have fuel. However, the destruction of the vehicle will subtract a small amount from the player's fuel tank. In the arcade, Genesis and Lynx versions, players could start the game at a higher rally, with additional opportunities to jump several levels from time to time. Players can continue their game from where they left off; however, the player has only one chance to complete the 50th and final rally. For completing the final rally the player gets one million points as a bonus. Players can get fuel in four ways: green globes, red globes, a checkpoint, and the rally point.

Each rally features a midway point, denoted by a line on the road which the vehicle crosses. At this point, the amount of fuel in the main tank is restored to what it was at the beginning of the rally (the amount of fuel in the main tank given at the rally's start fluctuates throughout the game). The amount of fuel in the reserve tank, however, is not restored.

When a player gets low on fuel in their main tank, a fuel light will blink on and an alarm will sound on the display. Using up the main tank can mean the vehicle then uses what reserve fuel is stored.

Production

The game's creators originally intended for a digitized version of the 1950s pop song "Mr. Sandman" to play during one of the levels. That was never implemented into the game.

A promotional giveaway was accessible on the original arcade version, where players could send in their name and "personalized secret code" after completing rally 50 and receive a free "RoadBlasters" T-shirt.[3][4] The promotion ended August 31, 1987.[5]

Marketing

The game had a toy tie-in made by Matchbox. The toys were die-cast cars that could be customized with armor, lasers, machine guns, and rocket launchers and jet engines. There were two factions: Turbo Force and The Motor Lords. There also were play sets such as a mobile command base.[6]

Reception and legacy

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
CVG5/10[7]
Crash84%[8]
Sinclair User81%[9]
Your Sinclair8/10[10]
MegaTech72%[11]
ACE654[12]
The Games Machine62%[13]
Zzap!6475%[14]
Power Play (DE)75%[15]
ST/Amiga Format58%[16]
Amiga Action45%[17]

Home conversions

The game was released on a number of home formats at the time, and received mixed acclaim. The arcade version was later released via emulation on consoles in the 1990s. The game appeared on the Sony PlayStation compilation Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 2 in 1998, alongside Paperboy and Gauntlet. A direct port of the game was also released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube and PC as part of the Midway Arcade Treasures arcade game compilation. A direct port can also be played in Lego Dimensions via an Arcade Dock in the level "The Phantom Zone".

References

  1. ↑ "Video Shorts: Road Blasters." Nintendo Power. Vol.10, Pg.83. January/February 1990.
  2. ↑ "RoadBlasters". The International Arcade Museum. Retrieved 4 Oct 2013.
  3. ↑ "arcade game screenshot".
  4. ↑ "arcade game flyer (back)".
  5. ↑ "arcade game promotion card".
  6. ↑ Mad Max Models – RoadBlasters
  7. ↑ http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=C+VG/Issue083/Pages/CVG08300059.jpg
  8. ↑ http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=Crash/Issue55/Pages/Crash5500101.jpg
  9. ↑ http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=SinclairUser/Issue078/Pages/SinclairUser07800034.jpg
  10. ↑ http://www.ysrnry.co.uk/articles/roadblasters.htm
  11. ↑ Smash TV rating, MegaTech issue 12, page 96, December 1992
  12. ↑ http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=ACE/Issue12/Pages/ACE1200046.jpg
  13. ↑ http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=TheGamesMachine/Issue11/Pages/TheGamesMachine1100053.jpg
  14. ↑ Zzap!64 magazine, May 1989, http://amr.abime.net/review_16228
  15. ↑ Atari ST review, Power Play magazine, February 1991, http://amr.abime.net/review_15676
  16. ↑ ST/Amiga Format review, May 1989, http://amr.abime.net/review_33073
  17. ↑ Amiga Action review, April 1991, http://amr.abime.net/review_6052
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