This was the game that introduced me to the concept of grinding; I remember replaying Sierra Nevada on level 1 for hours so that I could immediately afford the Diablo (most expensive bike). Then I promptly crashed out and got a game over for going broke. I don't think my controller survived.

Anyway, the idea behind the game is fantastic; an illegal, no holds barred cross-country bike race which blends racing and fighting. The racing component is surprisingly tight for most of the game. This is actually one of the games where I did a lot better now than back then even though my reflexes have gone to crap; because I actually know how to drive now. I gravitate towards the right lane, I look ahead, I know how to use the brake, and I look out for the road signs. Incidentally, the road signs are a great idea as the road undulates and you often don't have a clear view of what's ahead of you, so the signs will save your skin a lot.

Notice I said "most of the game" above. This is because the fifth level has one of the most ridiculous difficulties in video games. The road snakes and whips around so fast, often without signs. Even if there is a sign and you start turning as soon as you see it, you will end up going off road and crashing. On top of the ridiculously tight turns, there is a lot of traffic on the road, and it's generated specifically to spite you. If there is a car in the right lane and you move to overtake it, you can be absolutely sure that a car will spawn moving the other direction to take you out. I went from breezing through the races in the first four levels to having to literally save state every mile or so, and needing to redo some of those saves like ten times because the game was demanding Cuphead levels of precision.

The fighting is a great idea because it's an effective hook for people who don't generally like racing games like myself. It's not terribly deep, but that's ok - it's still fun and satisfying, and I'm not looking for Street Fighter 2 anyway. However, the game's mechanics and rules actually push the player to play it more like a pure racer, mostly due to the rubberbanding.

The rubberbanding is understandable given the hardware limitations, and actually seems nice; no matter how slow or fast you are, you will always be near another racer which gives you a lot of opportunities for combat. However, while it ensures a lot of combat, it also makes the combat quite inconsequential; knocking another racer off their bike barely seems to make any kind of dent in their race time thanks to the rubberbanding. Thus, the advice that Elvis-lookalike Ikira gives you inbetween races is probably the most useful advice for getting good: "be fast, and let the others fight among themselves." I wish there were something that rewarded you for being good at fighting - perhaps being able to remove opponents from the race if you wiped them out enough, or knocked them down in front of a cop. A reward money bonus for knocking people off their bikes maybe? As it is, the combat is fun, but feels more like an afterthought, and what I was left with was a moderately fun racing game with a nearly impossible final level.