The History of Road Blasters - Arcade console documentary
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ต.ค. 2022
- The history of Atari's epic racing shooterThat something is
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Big thanks to Daniel at slopes game room for providing his silky smooth voice - เกม
I laughed when I saw Turbo invade RoadBlasters in Wreck-it Ralph. I was so glad to see someone remembered this game, which I first encountered in my town's grotty mall in the early 90s.
One of my favorite arcade games ever. Road Blasters is as much fun to play today as it was when it first debuted over 30 years ago. Now if I could just find one of those deluxe sit down cabinets to drop a few quarters in.
It's a classic and like you said still fun to play this day
I would literally sell a kidney if that's what it takes to buy a excellent cond sit-down.
If anyone is looking for a full size arcade version of this game go for it!! They have always been readily available and cheap in working condition. One cool thing is that you can swap other system 1 games into this cabinet. Fun fact: The ship that drops power ups was later used as your main ship in Stun runner in 1989
I wasn't aware of that, thanks for the info
Cool info! Didn't know any of that.
I bet the analog steering of the actual arcade wheel gives it such an awesome feel. I've really only played the Genesis version, but it's digital control feels awkward at times with all the tapping on the dpad. As I'm sure it's meant for nice smooth arcade turning.
I adored Stun Runner and got quite good at it a decade after its initial release. I found an old copy at a local arcade I used to "live at" as a teen. I was able to get some massive distance records on that final run. The key was saving up as many shockwaves as possible from the previous levels.
One of my favorite arcade games. Seems like a simple game but the layered risk/reward system makes it addictive. Keeping the score multiplier high becomes a game in and of itself.
It wasn't just in the background of Wreck it Ralph. It was the game thats popularity caused Turbo to lose his mind, and was the game he originally "went Turbo" with.
Right, I should've just dropped the whole cameo word
That's turbotastic
turbotastic turbotastic!😂
I believe the mock game in the series where King Candy originally came from was based on Turbo. Which might make for another good episode.
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries Less 'cameo' and more 'guest star'? :-)
I remember being a kid in the 80s going over the road with my trucker dad. Every truck stop had this, NARC and TMNT. It was literally the best era ever
Taking road trips with my parents and stopping at truck stops which is something my mom always wanted to do because she needed her coffee so the first thing I would do was find the arcade and see what new games were available. Completely forgotten about that until you mentioned it. Thanks
The génesis port of Roadblasters is arcade perfect.
It's pretty close except for the voices
I've had this ridiculous obsession with Roadblasters since I was 8 years old - the year it hit the arcades.
The game over track has been my ringtone for the past 15 years. I also use the goal, stage select & attract tracks as alarm tones. The coin drop "DONG" is my notification tone. Have two T-shirts, same design - one to wear, the other stays sealed up from light & air. (Not the contest shirt, sadly... though I probably spent a year's worth of allowance trying). I've even storyboarded scenes for a saturday-morning style fanfic cartoon I hope to either create or try to pitch someday. Never knew about the comic series, now I'm gonna have to track it down!
So yeah, I freely admit my obsession is way past the "neurotypical" boundary, probably somewhere between unwholesome and unhealthy. But you freakin made my year with this one @PatmanQC thank you so much!!
If you decide to do one for After Burner, that will pretty much complete my youtube bucketlist.
The voice in Road Blasters is the same voice that's in Gauntlet. I was almost expecting him to say "warrior is about to die".
Shots do not hurt other players...yet!
Played it lots on c64 - but remember i was at a theme park in 88/89 and I saw the sit down arcade version; the queue to play it litterally went out the door!
Saw this game for the first time today, thank you!
Loving 80s and racing games. This combines everything. 🙂
Now I need to find a cab in my town and drop quarters in, until I win a t-shirt. Darn, I just read "The promotion ended August 31, 1987" on Wikipedia. 🙄
Another game from my childhood that takes me instantly back to the arcades when you hear those fantastic sound effects :D
The intro/outro tune was nice too.
I love this game so much!!! It was my first favorite video game.
It's also the one game I actually got a high score in.I'm a little surprised they never tried to update it for this era, but maybe that's for the best.
I've been trying to find this game for years. I played it at an A&W in North call in the 90s. A root beer float and this game were heaven.
In the mid 90's when I got MAME32 I played NARC for weeks reliving my arcade days. I found the bootleg CD-ROM at a travelling electronics show at the local convention arena. I say bootleg since it had hundreds of ROMS on the same burnt disc as the emulator which was a violation of the MAME32 TOS.
Always a pleasure to be a part of these videos :D
The pleasure is all mine, thanks for taking the time
I used to play this in a sit-down cabinet in an arcade next to the Glasgow Barrowlands. I still remember the thrill of the music pumping when you completed a level.
This was one of my go to games when I had coins left but not enough for Dragon’s Lair.
It was very difficult!
"Happy Little Games"
Another excellent video sir. I cannot express how much I look forward to your content. You really bring up my day. Thank you and please keep being awesome.
Thanks a lot my friend, I appreciate the nice words
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries I agree with Loki, your videos are awesome!!
@@KepperKleen Thanks a lot
Yes! One of my favorite arcade games of all time! And the RoadBlasters machine was probably the one I pumped the most quarters in. lol I still have never beat the arcade game and would like to someday. I've gotten to level 50 and missed my one shot to beat it.
When I was an art student two fellow students and myself used to go to the arcade and play this in the afternoons instead of going to college. We finished it taking turns to play (and pay) and sent off for the T shirt. We were in the UK and never got the shirt. I suspect they didn't do the deal internationally. Remember having a great time and it was far better than going to boring lectures about the Bauhaus :)
Did you ever eventually graduate?
@@larrydavid6852 Yes. We discovered that the final grade was based on course work and projects and there was to be no test or exam based on the art history lectures contributing to it. So every Wednesday afternoon when the lectures loomed we opted for the arcade and our quest to beat RoadBlasters over hours long slide shows being narrated over in a monotone.
Brad Fuller truly had a way with sounds. It's sad that he passed away so young.
I'm obsessed with the music in this game - like it's a debilitating, unwholesome obsession. Spent many hours trying to regenerate some of the voices he used in this game, several FM synths from retail sw, sound chips, or wavetable generators I coded myself... and I just can't quite match it.
Sound effects and times from that game reverberated through your head, hearing them here was just like I remembered
The Lynx version is indeed that fast on real hardware, it's an amazing port. From what I've read, it was the only one to use the actual arcade game source code, and runs at the Lynx's maximum refresh rate of 70 frames per second.
Pat!!!! Roadblasters rules!! Thanks for this!!! One of my favorites for sure... with a cameo from Slope's Game Room!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I LOVED this game!
BUT...
I totally froggin forgot about it until THIS video lmao... as SOON as I saw the screenshot/thumbnail, my REMINISCENT MIND blasted alllll the way back to my 11 year old self, loving this game... the feel of the two steering, the buttons that shot the weapons, screaming when I got a weapon and then instantly dying lol...
We only had the stand up version, I don't think I've even seen the sit down version...
Wow, thanks for this,..amazing what you can forget over the years, even if you really have good, fond memories
Excellent!
Man I pumped a small fortune into this game! My mom worked the snack bar at a racquet ball club and this was one of only 2 video games in the place. Not complaining, it was a blast!
Same, except mine was at a Gold Mine arcade at the mall. I miss arcades.
Excellent video as usual Pat. I first experienced this game on C64 and your review is pretty spot on, it was a lousy conversion. I happened to see the arcade version of this in a shopping mall in the early 90s and was blown away by how brilliant it was, classic 80s gaming at its best! Thanks for uploading.
Yeah buddy! Discovered this game at my local bowling alley in 1987
*I LOVED this on the Atari Lynx as a teenager*
The local arcade that I went to from around 1988-1992 had the cockpit version of this game, and I used to always save 2 tokens and end the day to play this game. I was never any good but it was fun.
Thanks for this review. I have kept a huge collection of Eagle comics from my younger days - I didn't realise this featured in one of its comic strips, will have to check it out!
Happy to see that you've made another video. Really enjoy your content. I think if we met in person, we'd probably get along. Nice to hear gaming history from someone around my age, instead of these kids who weren't even there.
amen!
I played Road Blasters extensively on the Atari Lynx back in the day and I remember it being fast but not quite as fast as shown here. It has a spooky cheat code where if you hold down button b and crash into the first tree on either side of the road on level one you get a digitised image of who I'm guessing are the programmers with "Ghost in the machine" written next to it. You can press the option one button from there to choose a level.
That's very cool, if I would've known that I would have included. Thanks
Conversations are my favorite part of these videos
I will never forgive Turbo for killing this poor game out of spite in Wreck-It Ralph.
I ❤️ this game on Genny.
I didn't realize it uses a button for gas 😅 .. I keep it on auto acceleration and press down to brake if I need to slow down. But I honestly never want to slow down hehe.
So really I only use the 2 fire buttons.
I love how close it sounds to the arcade "minus the voices"
What a great game and your review has inspired me to play again.
Played the first time this game in a park on an abandoned part of it, and was immediately caught by the smooth scrolling, fast speed and the fact that there was no music during gameplay, which helped wit hthe atmosphere
Road Blasters is STILL a lot of fun to play! I have it for the PS2 on the Midway Treasures and i played it in the arcade when it came out. All i know is that Road Blasters car burns fuel as fast as my Dodge ram and mustang! 😆
LOL
This was my favorite game as a kid. Had it on the C64.
Great game, remember first playing it at an arcade in Ponderosa Park when I was a kid. And who could ever forget how, in Wreck-It Ralph, Turbo (aka King Candy) tried to take it over after abandoning his own game Turbo Time (thus coining the phrase "Going Turbo?)
Man, the Lynx was one thing Atari got right. It was a real powerhouse, and a quality machine. Shame it was never more popular.
The car was drawn off a 3D CG model that Atari artists posed in different angles to get that smooth animation. Huge classic, to me the best thing about it is the sound and the music and though I was never too good at it I always enjoyed playing it at the arcade.
Thanks for the info!
This game was one of my favorites. The bowling alley here in Milwaukee WI had it and it’s where the majority of my “allowance” disappeared into. I can remember playing it and literally breaking a sweat as it would get so intense at times. To this day if I see a unit I’ll drop a couple dollars into it.
I always thought the idea of being able to fire what was obviously meant to be a nuke was a cool idea, and I'd watch people play the game in anticipation of seeing it in action. It was a little deflating that the "firing" of the weapon was basically instantaneous, with the "bullet" basically teleporting to the horizon the moment it was used. I felt that even in the 16-bit era, that could probably have been done better.
A laundromat near me had this sit-down cabinet up through the late 90s. It was a lot of fun. I was never very good at it though.
Love your content Patman keep em coming 😊
I loved this game. I got it for the Nintendo and a lot of the sound FX were not included (like the spoken hints), and the audio itself was stripped back for the 8bit system. I got to the final level (50) but could never complete it. You have to get every fuel globe (red and green) which is really hard to do, and you can't die. Truly a classic racing game to say the least.
Really had a lot of fun with this one even though I never really got that far in it.
Atari’s System 1 had a number of classic titles. Not to mention it was easy on the proprietor since to make it a new game you just had to swap out the eprom, marquee, and game controls.
Another awesome history of one of my favorite arcade games.
Thanks for all the great content!! Super informative and always entertaining!! A+++👍👍👍
So nice of youThank you
Pumped more than a few quarters into this machine too. Great video as always Pat.
Thanks 👍
Love your vids, Patman. I love seeing all those old arcade games.
Thanks a lot
Cool documentary, thanks PatmanQC! Night Driver, that was featured in the mall of the classic 1978 Romero Dawn of the Dead movie, along with Gunfight. I still remember the first time seeing RoadBlasters in my mall arcade near the corner by the window to the mall. It was a sit down interior cabinet, and was really cool. I almost got past the first stage back then. Thanks!
Another excellent episode!
I remember playing the stand-up arcade version. I was too young to get very far, but I have loved the soundtrack ever since.
You and me both
love this game! I remember being 10 years old and seeing a shiny new Roadblasters sit-down unit show up at the Funarama arcade at Hampton Beach NH where my family owned a summer cottage. I wanted that t-shirt so bad I spent the entire summer playing almost exclusively this game. I never did get it but I remember those memories fondly. Another fantastic Video Patman!!!
Omg I forgot about this one!!! Thank you so much for your work!!
You're so welcome!
2000 WCW... You just made my day BRO....
Seriously been waiting for a new vid and this takes me back to pizza, arcades, and being a kid.
BTW don't be mad I'm playing WWE supercard at the same time, have to catch up after losing my day 1 account.
WC4L!
Happy little Games! Love that intro!
Thanks !
I always hated it when arcade games would let you continue as much as you want, then cut you off on the last level. A lot of games did this, and it feels like such a dirty trick! Operation Thunderbolt and Rastan both did this too, and NARC forces you to restart the final boss fight if you continue, even though the entire rest of the game let you restart from exactly where you died. It sucks spending a bunch of quarters only for the machine to kick you off at the very end. Anyway, great video, and I still love Roadblasters! Played it a bunch at my local Walmart as a kid!
I always hated that as well. Thanks
Loved the arcade version as a kid. The 80s and very early 90s were mad…..
Great video. Im glad you mentioned the matchbox toys and the comic books.
Glad you enjoyed!
Great work Sir thank you
Thank you too!
Thanks for the awesome video. I used to play Road Blasters at my local Chuck E Cheese at every opportunity, they had the full size version that You sit inside, I loved it.
Another great one! I was a Hard Drivin' guy myself, but I dropped plenty of quarters into Road Blasters too.
You and me both my friend
Love your videos, thanks!
Thanks for watching!
Awesome stuff Pat.
I love this game - I went to a gaming event recently and they had the arcade cab of Roadblasters and I played on this quite a bit - such a fun game.
I loved this game at the arcade as a kid
Arcade cabinets like this where you could sit in them with the cockpit definitely helped teach me how drive. They gave way more understanding to the process than the laughable simulators they had at my high school. That how part of Driving Ed felt like a massive waste. I am thankful that Atari created games like Pole position and Roadblasters which I spent a fair amount of time playing.
Another quality deep dive Sir !
Much appreciatedThanks
As the story goes, Another Patman upload i'll be watching !
Played the hell outta this game on the sit down version. NEVER passed up a chance to play this when I came upon one unexpectedly.....
There is something so addicting about it in my opinion
I’ve tried to find a port that feels and plays as good as the arcade,the Lynx wins easily by a mile in my opinion. I’ve got every console release as well as many emulator versions but none hold up..the sit down cockpit is the best way to play but nowadays any arcade cabinet will do as I’ve seen virtually no sit downs since the 90’
No disagreement from me here -- I think it can be strongly argued that the Lynx version is the best non-emulated port of RoadBlasters. It plays as well as the arcade game, sports awesome graphics and sound, and it's portable to boot.
Road Blasters is one of my favorite games. I've been playing it on NES and Sega Genesis. I also want to try it on other systems.
I had lunch in Oquawka last week. You were right Patman, that's a weird place. It's got a Deliverance on the Mississippi vibe.
What in the world were you doing down there? The last time I was down there which is probably eight or nine years ago The town didn't even have house numbers and it was a pain trying to find any sort of address.
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries I was driving back to Indiana from the casino in Riverside, IA. I got lunch at a place where I knew the owner but she sold it a month ago to her son. It was a waste of time. It worked out because that place gave me the willies. Those tiny towns on the Mississippi are odd.
Great Extensive Video
I just got the stand up Arcade Version
And didn’t know the history
I love this game, it is a ton of fun with some really great music!
I couldn't play it very well, but I had a lot of fun playing anyhow.
Thanks for the in - depth review~!
One of my favorites from Midway Arcade Treasures 1
I own the Lynx version and I do not remember it running so quickly. Watching your gameplay featured here, such a speed did not seem familiar.
I think it was the emulator he was playing for demo. I played it a lot on lynx and the speed featured in the video isn’t an accurate representation of the game on the lynx console
@@jbweaver4203 Yeah, I just loaded Roadblasters on Retropie and it runs way too fast. I tested out S.T.U.N. Runner and that plays at normal speed. I dunno how I can slow it down in the emulator.
PatMan my freind you have dobe it again, another awesome documentory. I love Roadblasters. Compared to last gen 7 minutes is super fast. LOL. Another magnificent presentation. Thanks PatMan.
My local arcade had a "3D" version of the sit in machine.... It was basically just had one of those fresnel (?) lens behind the glass to bend the image and give the illusion of 3D..... But i still loved it
One thing you didn't mention in the video was the unique steering control for the arcade version. That really made the game unique. I loved that control and it just wasn't quite the same playing without the steering control in other versions.
It's basically the same yoke that was used in Star Wars, wasn't it?
Great game, even greater video! 👍😉Thanks a lot. 🙏
Thanks a lot my friend
Always loved this game in the arcade
I practically wore out my Atari Lynx playing this game. Just superb gameplay. I was a fast-paced version.
This game was hella fun, particularly when you were outfitted with the nuke lol.
For me, it was always a toss-up between Roadblasters, Spy Hunter and Turbo Out Run.
I never knew about the Matchbox cars! Those would be cool to find. I'm almost afraid to look up how much they would cost me 😅.
Also, welcome to TG. That's how I found your channel. As a proud owner of a Cocktpit Roadblasters, you know I love me some Roadblasters!!
Thanks buddy. Never knew about those cars before I did the research for this video so I thought they were really cool. Thanks for the welcome and hope you enjoy the rest of the content
Absolutely loved this game. Had it on the Spectrum and played the tape out of it
It wasn't too bad on the system provided you don't go around any curves :-)
You rock Patman QC…even though you’re probably a Bears fan 😁…seriously, love your vids!
Bug in the game.
If you use the nitro inject while the helicopter is dropping you another weapon and it's still in effect when the new weapon lands on your car, the nitro is permanent until you crash. It was interesting to discover. At least this bug exists on the NES version. I rented this game a few times and on my own discovered this.
I don't know if the NES version has an end.
Thank you very much !!!
You are welcome!
As the story GOES!…well there’s really not a story…so I’ll improvise 😂 that’s great!
I love Atari👍 Even when the 2600 was fading to the NES in the late 80's Atari itself was releasing great games in the Arcade. Paperboy and Gauntlet were 2 classics among the other games this video mentions.
I love the slide at the checkered road finish line. I felt cool... LOL!
You and me both!
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries 😁👍
Fun game. I have an Atari System 1 in my arcade with Roadblasters right now.
Did I hear Daniel? I have RoadBlasters for the Lynx and while it's not slow I don't remember it being as fast as you're experiencing under emulation. I played the original arcade version a lot (upright version) but never won a T-shirt. I also own the NES version, which I completed (skipping no stages), and the Genesis version.
I loved this game 😁...and I was deeply saddened that they removed it (and a few other classics like Paperboy, Stun Runner, Hard Drivin', Stunt Drivin' etc) from the 'Midway Arcade Origins' compilation (it was on the previous 'Midway Arcade Treasures' compilations) 😢.
my first arcade game thx for the docs
Absolutely, thanks for watching