''RoadKill'' is an
open world vehicular combat
Vehicular combat games (also known as just vehicular combat or car combat) are a sub-genre of vehicle simulation video games where the primary objectives of gameplay include vehicles armed with weapons attempting to destroy vehicles controlled b ...
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
developed by
Terminal Reality
Terminal Reality is an American video game development and production company based in Lewisville, Texas. Founded in October 1994 by ex-Microsoft employee Mark Randel and former Mallard Software general manager Brett Combs, Terminal Reality deve ...
and published in 2003 by
Midway Games
Midway Games Inc., known previously as Midway Manufacturing and Bally Midway, and commonly known as simply Midway, was an American video game developer and publisher. Midway's franchises included ''Mortal Kombat'', ''Rampage (series), Rampage'' ...
. The game was described by Midway as "the only mission-based combat driving game set in a
post-apocalyptic
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; astro ...
world".
Gameplay
''RoadKill'' is a
vehicular combat
Vehicular combat games (also known as just vehicular combat or car combat) are a sub-genre of vehicle simulation video games where the primary objectives of gameplay include vehicles armed with weapons attempting to destroy vehicles controlled b ...
game, and its gameplay is very similar to ''
Twisted Metal
''Twisted Metal'' is a series of vehicular combat video games published by Sony Computer Entertainment, and developed by various companies. The series has appeared on the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3. As o ...
'', with a mission-based storyline and
open-world elements inspired by ''
Grand Theft Auto III
''Grand Theft Auto III'' is a 2001 action-adventure game developed by DMA Design and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third main entry in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 1999's ''Grand Theft Auto 2'', and the fifth instalment o ...
'' and ''
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City''. Like in ''Twisted Metal'', the player controls a
improvised
Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...
combat vehicle
A combat vehicle, also known as a ground combat vehicle, is a self-propelled, weaponized military vehicle used for combat operations in mechanized warfare. Combat vehicles can be wheeled or tracked.
History Ancient
The chariot is a type of ...
, and in a similar fashion to ''Grand Theft Auto'', the player performs a variety of missions to progress through the game's storyline, has an option for free-roam, and is able to commit certain actions to increase their criminal ranks, such as attacking rival gangs, destroying vehicles, and causing havoc.
The player starts with only one vehicle to choose from, though more vehicles can be unlocked as the game progresses, either by completing certain missions or by collecting "blueprints" scattered across the city. To fit the post-apocalyptic setting, most vehicles are heavily modified and armored classic
muscle car
Muscle car is a description according to ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'' that came to use in 1966 for "a group of American-made two-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." The '' Britannica Dictionary'' ...
s,
SUV
A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive.
There is no commonly agreed-upon definiti ...
s,
pickup truck
A pickup truck or pickup is a light-duty truck that has an enclosed cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (this cargo bed back end sometimes consists of a tailgate and removable covering) ...
s, and
vans, all of which are armed with mounted
machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...
s. Additional weapons, such as
rocket launcher
A rocket launcher is a weapon that launches an unguided, rocket-propelled projectile.
History
The earliest rocket launchers documented in imperial China consisted of arrows modified by the attachment of a rocket motor to the shaft a few in ...
s,
guided missiles
In military terminology, a missile is a guided airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight usually by a jet engine or rocket motor. Missiles are thus also called guided missiles or guided rockets (when a previously unguided rocket i ...
,
sniper rifle
A sniper rifle is a high-precision, long-range rifle. Requirements include accuracy, reliability, mobility, concealment and optics for anti-personnel, anti-materiel and surveillance uses of the military sniper. The modern sniper rifle is a por ...
s, and various
explosives
An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An expl ...
, can be obtained or purchased throughout the game with limited ammunition. In several missions, the player is required to control the
turret gun to attack enemies whilst driven around.
The main goal of the game is to increase the criminal reputation of the player in the form of "ranks", which can be achieved by killing or attacking rival gangs, destroying vehicles, and
street racing
Street racing is typically an unsanctioned and illegal form of auto racing that occurs on a public road. Racing in the streets is considered an ancient hazard, as horse racing occurred on streets for centuries, and street racing in automobiles is ...
.
The game features three different cities. Each city has its own
boss
Boss may refer to:
Occupations
* Supervisor, often referred to as boss
* Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier
* Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization
* Fire boss, a ...
, whom the player engages in a one-on-one battle to unlock the next city and progress through the storyline. In order to confront the boss, the player must complete storyline missions and jobs given by other characters, most of whom are gang leaders. Storyline missions would also unlock various customizations, weapons and vehicles.
Upon completion of certain missions or side jobs, the player is able to purchase upgrades. Upgrades allow any vehicle to have its performance improved, increased ammunition capacity, or added armor for better protection against enemy attacks. Upgrades can be obtained by visiting shop garages in exchange for money.
As the game progresses, the player unlocks and obtains more weapons and vehicles. Unlocked vehicles can be accessed in the player's garage, and new weapons would spawn at various points in the city or in front of the garage. Vehicles come in two types: normal and gang-affiliated. Gang-affiliated cars are mostly distinguished by their brighter colors and appear to be more customized when compared to normal cars. Driving a gang-affiliated vehicle will cause a certain opposing gang to become hostile and attack the player on sight upon entering their territory; likewise, driving a law enforcement vehicle will cause all gangs to attack and attempt to kill the protagonist, making the game more challenging. Like other open-world games, the game features a "Riot" mechanic that determines the number of Sentinels (a gang masquerading as
police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
) that chase the player in addition to increasing severity of their crimes. When the Riot level is at maximum, the player automatically enters a "Survival" mission, where the goal is to evade and survive attacks from the Sentinels until the player loses them or collects a
peace sign
A number of peace symbols have been used many ways in various cultures and contexts. The dove and olive branch was used symbolically by early Christians and then eventually became a secular peace symbol, popularized by a ''Dove'' lithograph by ...
.
Plot
After a deadly disease known as "The Rot" causes the collapse of law and order, massive gangs form in every community and engage in constant warfare using weaponized vehicles. One such community is Hell County, United States, which is split into three cities: Lava Falls, Blister Canyon, and Paradise City.
In the aftermath of the chaos, a survivor named Mason Strong, a drifter who joined the Sentinels led by Axl who made Mason his second in command, the Sentinels proceeded to take over Paradise City and became its draconian leader with a bigger goal of eliminating the gangs in the other cities and enslaving survivors in the wastes. However, Axl was too greedy to share his newfound power and noticing Mason's increasing influence. Attempts to have Mason killed only for him to barely survive. Now out for revenge, he washes up on a beach outside Lava Falls and finds work for the Daredevils, a clown-themed
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
gang composed of Scottish and British immigrants led by the psychotic pimp Uncle Woody. After being accused of snitching to a rival Hispanic gang called Gauchos, Mason ends up having to kill Woody and escape his amusement park.
The Gauchos open the way to Blister Canyon and Mason finds a new employer, the flamboyant
Section Eights led by General Warwick, a former military officer along with his right-hand man Gunny. Mason helps Warwick and Gunny in their war against the Talons. After killing Drake, the Talons' head lieutenant, Mason participates in an operation to kill the Talon leader Gordon Grim, making his way through the sewers and into Paradise City to join the South League, a
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
-themed gang. Mason fights their rivals, the Dreg Lords and rescues their leader, Knox, from the Sentinels who then orders Mason to launch an assault against the Dreg Lords.
With the Dreg Lords weakened, South League drives their full attention on to the Sentinels. To weaken their defenses, Mason delivers explosives to the Sentinels' territory, before destroying the generators that power Axl's propaganda broadcasts using bomb-planted
RC cars
''RC Cars'', also known as ''Smash Cars'' for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 versions, is a vehicular combat game developed by Creat Games for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 2 in 2002-2003.
Reception
The game received "mixed or average ...
. Axl starts to loses influence on the city and Mason heads to the city hall to confront Axl personally before engaging in a climactic battle, with Axl using a customized monster truck. Mason wins the battle and destroys Axl's vehicle.
Axl survives the destruction and attempts to kill Mason, only to be run over by a bus. With Axl overthrown and the South League now in control of Paradise City, Mason hears a distress call from another faction of survivors, pleading for help when learning about his reputation for "setting things right". Mason then drives away from Paradise City to points unknown to assist them.
Reception
The game received "mixed or average reviews" on all platforms according to the
review aggregation
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
.
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References
External links
*
{{Terminal Reality
2003 video games
GameCube games
Midway video games
Open-world video games
PlayStation 2 games
Post-apocalyptic video games
Racing video games
Vehicular combat games
Video games developed in the United States
Xbox games
Multiplayer and single-player video games
Terminal Reality games