Getting behind the wheel of a car after a prolonged period away from driving requires a bit of adjustment. Remembering how to drive isn't a problem, it's getting a feel for the vehicle that takes some time.
Returning to crazed 1985 arcade racer Road Blaster is much the same. It's easy to dig this over-the-top thrill ride, but adjusting to the stiff difficulty makes it hard to get a feel for this unique game.
More an interactive anime than full game, Road Blaster puts you behind the wheel of a tricked out sports car in hot pursuit of the biker gang that killed your wife. Viewed in first-person, you zip along at ridiculous speed, weaving through all kinds of obstacles, and executing all kinds of daredevil manoeuvres.
Reckless racingWhat makes the game such a thrill is how often you veer off the highway into buildings, down piers, across beaches, and other off-limit areas where innocent bystanders flee in terror. Nicely drawn cinematics add to the drama, offering third-person snapshots of your illegal driving exploits.
It's fun barreling through a building and watching people dart out of the way or slamming a motorcycle off the side of the road, causing an explosive wreckage that fills the screen with smoke and flames.
As great a job developer Revolutionary Concepts has done remastering the spills and thrills, there's no hiding the weaknesses in the game's original design.
Action, reactionWith automatic acceleration, you're responsible for steering, applying brakes, and triggering boost. Icons flash near the center of the screen informing you when to turn or adjust speed. The problem is the response time required by these prompts is strict - expect frequent crashes as you acclimate to the game's unforgiving timing.
As a result, you end up gluing your eyes to the indicators at the center of the screen. This increases your chance of success, but also hampers your ability to enjoy the action.
It's like looking down at the television remote control to change the channel - you never get to enjoy what's on the screen because you're too involved with the controls.
It makes Road Blaster tough to love, but it's worth pushing through the learning curve to enjoy the anime visuals and outrageous action.
Road Blaster
Road Master dishes out great graphics and more than enough thrills to overcome its steep level of difficulty
Tracy Erickson
Manning our editorial outpost in America, Tracy comes with years of expertise at mashing a keyboard. When he's not out painting the town red, he jets across the home of the brave, covering press events under the Pocket Gamer banner.