Road Blasters (upright, rev 4) - MAME machine

Arcade Video game published 37 years ago:

Road Blasters © 1987 Atari Games.

Road Blasters is a futuristic driving game in which the player must navigate a sports car through 50 different races without running out of fuel. Extra fuel is collected by driving over the red or green spherical fuel pods that litter the tracks (or is sometimes dropped by destroyed enemy vehicles).

Each race features a midway point, denoted by a road-crossing type pattern. At this point, the amount of fuel in the main tank is restored to what it was at the beginning of the race (the amount of fuel in the main tank given at the start of a race varies 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 and an alarm will sound. Once the main tank is empty the reserve fuel is used. The player's car is armed with a machine gun which can be used to shoot and destroy rival racers, although not all enemy vehicles can be destroyed (the purple car, for example, is indestructible must simply be avoided).

Power-up weapons are occasionally air-lifted in and dropped from above, these must be 'caught' by the player to increase firepower. Collision with enemy vehicles result in the immediate destruction of the player's vehicle, resulting in a loss of fuel as the vehicle is replaced. The roadside is also populated with enemy gun emplacements that shoot at the player, a direct hit from these also results in the loss of a player vehicle, although the turrets themselves can also be destroyed.

The player also encounters numerous indestructible obstacles, including mines, boulders, floating spiker balls and oil slicks, the last of which will cause the player to lose control for a moment if hit. There is no limit to how many times a player can receive a new car to complete a race, as long as they have fuel.

TECHNICAL
[Upright model]
Game ID: 136048

Runs on the "Atari System 1" hardware.

Players: 1
Control: dial
Buttons: 3

TRIVIA
Road Blasters was released in March 1987.

2,906 Upright units were produced in the USA.

Also released as "Road Blasters [Sit-Down model]".

For a limited period after the game's release, players could win a free Atari T-shirt by completing all 50 levels.

Road Blasters was the last of the Atari System 1 games made. The original name of Road Blasters during its design was 'Future Vette'.

This game appears, on the 2012 animation movie "Wreck-It Ralph" from Walt Disney Animation Studios.

TIPS AND TRICKS

• Shoot cars using a single shot instead of holding down the fire button to increase the bonus multiplier.
• Crash into roadside cannons instead of shooting them for 8,000+ points. This will greatly increase reserve fuel, which is awarded at the end of a rally based on score.
• If you crash your car into one of the turrets at the side of the road, you'll get 8-10x the current value of a turret. When your score multiplier is up to 10, this is 16,000 - 20,000 points! Early on, keep your score multiplier high and always crash into at least two of these babies every board and finishing the game (or doing very well at it) is not tough. After a while it gets hard to crash into two turrets every board and still finish the board on time.
• Tip For Strategies On Level 49 and 50: Since level 50 is the last level, and the game gives you a complete recharge at the end of 49, accuracy doesn't count any more. Just keep firing as fast as possible.

STAFF
Tactical Command (Programmers): Bonnie Smithson, David Wiebenson, Robert Weatherby
Camouflage (Graphics): Mark Stephen Pierce, Kris Moser (Kristine Moser)
Communications (Sound Design): Brad Fuller, Earl Vickers
Air Support (Hardware Engineers): Sam Lee (Sam Ly), Don Paauw, Mike Albaugh, Jim Morris
Ground Support (Mechanical Design): Milt Loper, Gerald Lichac, Mike Jang, Dave Cook
Reconnaissance (Marketing Manager): Linda Benzler
Strategic Command (Software Support): Rich Moore, Lyle V. Rains
Team leader: John Ray

PORTS

• CONSOLES:

[EU] Nintendo NES (1990) "RoadBlasters [Model NES-VE]"
[US] Nintendo NES (jan.1990) "RoadBlasters [Model NES-VE]"
[US] Sega Genesis (1991)
[JP] Sega Mega Drive (feb.28, 1992) "RoadBlasters [Model T-48023]"
[US] Sony PlayStation (dec.31, 1997) "Arcade's Greatest Hits - The Atari Collection 2 [Model SLUS-00449]"
[EU] Sony PlayStation (june.1998) "Arcade's Greatest Hits - The Atari Collection 2 [Model SLES-00712]"
[US] Sony PS2 (nov.18, 2003) "Midway Arcade Treasures [Model SLUS-20801]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX (nov.24, 2003) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
[US] Nintendo GameCube (dec.18, 2003) "Midway Arcade Treasures [Model DOL-GAKE-USA]"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX (feb.6, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
[EU] Sony PS2 (feb.6, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures [Model SLES-51927]"

• HANDHELDS:

[US] Atari Lynx (1990) "RoadBlasters [Model PA2036]"

• COMPUTERS:

[US] Commodore C64 [EU] (1988)
[EU] Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1988)
[EU] Amstrad CPC (1988)
[EU] Atari ST (1988)
[EU] Commodore Amiga (1988)
[US] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (jan.1, 1999) "Arcade Greatest Hits - The Atari Collection 2"
[US] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (aug.27, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
[EU] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (nov.23, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures"

CONTRIBUTE
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