Road Rash 3 Sega Genesis / Mega Drive console 1995 Electronic Arts FAQ V1.0 ++++++++ Contents ++++++++ 1. Intro 2. Controls 3. Getting Started 4. Getting Wrecked & Getting Busted 5. Weapons & Fighting 6. Tracks 7. Bikes & Upgrades 8. General Strategies +++++ 1. Intro +++++ Road Rash 3 is the finale of the Genesis trilogy, and probably the least known of the three. It had the same concept as the first two - race a grid of 15 other motorcyclists across windy roads while avoiding the police. You have weapons to your disposal such as clubs and chains that you can defend yourself with. As you progress through the game you win cash prizes after races so you can purchase bike upgrades to compete better in higher level racing heats. If you get busted by the police, or crash your bike by taking too much damage, you lose money. If you lose all your money it's game over. Unlike the first two Road Rash titles, this one used digitized sprites instead of cartoon sprites. This was probably the games downfall, as it made the game much harder to look at. The graphics are actually much improved and the game s presentation is superb, but its difficult to discern objects in the road at times. It's a shame because I feel Road Rash 3 was a much more solid title than the first two. In any case, Road Rash 3 is very similiar to Road Rash 2. You can check out the other guides for Road Rash 2 to get a good idea how to play. I will be listing most of the changes and some of the more critical aspects, but I won't get too indepth. Just general strategies and important things to know, plus weapon and track data. ++++++++ 2. Controls ++++++++ A: Brake B: Accelerate C: Throw a punch / Use weapon B twice: Nitro (nitrous bikes only) C + D-pad Up: Swing Chain or Nunchucks / hold weapon up C + D-pad Down: Kick +++++++++++++++ 3. Getting Started +++++++++++++++ When you first start out you begin with $1000 and the weakest bike possible. You can explore the bike shop to see what you can buy or just to browse. At this point you can upgrade your bike (check Upgrade section for more information) if you want. The game defaults the first race to Brazil, but you can change that by going to Select Track menu in the main menu. In the Select Track menu you get a good idea how long each race is. Check out my Track guide to pick the easiest tracks to beat first. In the main menu, below your cash, it says Level 1. To get to the next level you must qualify in all the races in the level by getting 1st, 2nd or 3rd in a race. The higher you qualify the more you are rewarded. With each passing level the game gets progressivly harder, riskier and more rewarding. Police fines get raised, your opponents get more aggresive and faster, the track themselves get harder and much longer. New parts of the world open up as you go along as well, such as Japan and Australia. I recommend buying the tire upgrade from the bike shop and racing a few races with just that. You'll get the hang of how the game plays, and your bike is powerful enough to qualify without and major upgrades. There is no need to get a new bike until at least level 2. Money is hard to get in this game and in the later levels if you blow your cash early it can cost you lots of time. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 4. Getting Wrecked & Getting Busted ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Whenever your bike takes too much damage or a cop busts you, the race ends and you have to pay a fine. The fine depends on the level you're currently at. Higher the level, the steeper the fine. In general, you take less damage hitting stationary objects or traffic going the same direction as you. Traffic going against you - especially fast sports cars - will cause major damage, sometimes even halving your damage meter. Some stuff such as the chickens in Italy or the kangaroos in Australia can be ran over without damage, but stuff like cows and zebras will cause damage and crash you. When you are knocked down by an opponent you take no damage. When it comes to cops you have two types - ones that will bust you and road blocks. Road blocks are the non-siren cop cars that just idle in the road. If you hit them, they won't arrest you. There are three types of cops that will arrest you if you crash near them: Motorcycle Cops -------------- Easiest threat to avoid. Unlike in the other Road Rash titles they just don't put up a fight like they use to. You see these the most, but they're easy to smoke. They carry clubs you can steal. Cop Car -------------- These cops will be driving in front of you and will try to block you in. Fairly annoying because you typically have to go off road to avoid them sometimes, and if you do crash into them it's an instant bust. Probably the most lethal cops. Cop Helicopter -------------- Really intimidating at first but usually harmless. It'll harass other bikers, but when it comes after you it's lights out if you don't take action fast. It will hover above you, then smash down on you. Instant bust. Also it keeps up way better than cop cars and motorcycle cops so it'll hang around longer than the other cop vehicles. This is the rarest cop vehicle. ++++++++++++++++++ 5. Weapons & Fighting ++++++++++++++++++ Road Rash 3 includes many new and interesting weapons. You start out weaponless, so to get a weapon you must steal one from another biker. To steal one, you have to punch the biker as he tries to hit you with his weapon. Be careful when attacking guys that are using their fists because they can steal your weapon as well. Certain bikers will have certain weapons (Sergio has the chain, Lucky Luc has the oil). Some of the new weapons have limited amount of charges per race. Here's the list: Fist -------------- You start out with this. It's actually pretty effective, typically only taking 3 to 4 hits to take down another opponent. You need this to steal another bikers weapon - if you already have a weapon you can't steal another. Effectiveness: 3/5 Kick -------------- Will push a biker aside. Not very useful. You can get the same effect by bumping into another biker. It's OK to use when you're in a crowd or fighting someone who has a better weapon than you. Enemy bikers kick a lot. Effectiveness: 2/5 Club -------------- More powerful than the fist. Takes about 3 hits to down somebody. Gives a little stun when you whack someone with it. Effectiveness: 3/5 Chain -------------- A classic weapon that's probably one of the most reliable. It's faster than the club and does the same amount of damage + stun. Keyword is 'faster', you can knock down people in 3 swift hits. I recommend stealing this one right off the bat, it'll serve you well throughout the entire game. Effectiveness: 4/5 Crowbar -------------- A 3 hit take down weapon that gives a bigger stun than most weapons. It's slow. Effectiveness: 3/5 Oil Can -------------- A unique weapon that has limited amount of charges per race. It does exactly what you think it does - it makes anyone who hits the oil slick you drop slide around. To be blunt it's a pretty dumb weapon, and due to its limited charges it's not effective at all. It does make opponents behind you slide around but it's hard to use correctly because the rear view mirrors aren't detailed. When the enemy uses this against you the AI will get just enough in front of you to use his oil. Incredibly annoying. Effectiveness: 1/5 Mace -------------- Another limited charge per race weapon, it's marginally better than the oil can but still not useful. It'll make the opponent biker cover his eyes and freeze up a bit. It is much more annoying when it's used against you, because a 4 second freeze can crash you. I've never understood how this item works since everyone is wearing a helmet with a visor, but whatever. Effectiveness: 2/5 Cattle Prod -------------- The ultimate of the 'limited charge per race' genre, it'll make the enemy biker freeze up for a long time and take damage. Not only that, but the prod seems to have a really good reach. Pretty useful compared to mace. When the enemy is using this against you, it would be smart not to even bother fighting him because it'll kick your ass if he gets a hit off. Effectiveness: 3/5 Nunchucks -------------- The nuke of Road Rash 3. 2 hit take downs, very fast. You'll know when the enemy uses this against you because you'll be 1/3 health the second he nails you. There doesn't seem to be any stun effects using this weapon however, unlike the chain. Effectiveness: 5/5 ++++++++++ 6. The Tracks ++++++++++ Road Rash 3 has you traveling all over the place. With each new level, the tracks get a little longer in length and more difficult. I have made a convient list of the tracks, plus a track listing from easiest to hardest so you know which ones to complete first: Easiest to Hardest 1. Australia 2. U.K. 3. Brazil 4. Italy 5. Kenya 6. Tokyo 7. Germany Australia -------------- In my opinion the easiest track of all of them. The wildlife can be ran over and there isn't much traffic. There are some pretty annoying turns however, and the terrain feels slick (although I think that's just my imagination). The layout feels tame to me, I always seem to complete this track first. U.K. -------------- Very tame. The traffic drives on the left side of the road. It's a little harder than Australia due to the traffic - it's a little heavier. Brazil -------------- In the same league as the U.K. and Australia. Tame, but the intersections seem abundant. Police roadblocks seem more common here too. Italy -------------- Italy is when the difficulty gets bumped up some. Lots blind hills and windy roads, but the traffic doesn't seem so bad. Italy also has similiar hills to Tokyo, the ones that drop off and give you major air. Italy is tied for Brazil in difficulty because there aren't many obstacles in Italy, just chickens that are easily ran over. Kenya -------------- This track is insane. Constant hills that give you air, blind spots, tight turns, heavier traffic than Tokyo and wildlife that crashes you. The hills give you a huge advantage and allow you to jump over most crap, so the track just isn't as hard as the hardest. It's still difficult though. Tokyo -------------- Tokyo is Kenya without those constant jumps or animals. Fast traffic, MANY intersections (they're all over the place), blind hills everywhere and the cops have road blocks every half mile or so. Almost guaranteed to see 2 cops per race, usually one is a helicopter. Germany -------------- Tied with Tokyo for most difficult. Relatively flat, but many, many hairpin turns. Hairpin turns everywhere - this is one of those tracks where you have to use your brakes a lot. There are ice puddles on the turns and if you don't brake, 90% if the time you'll go offroad and hit something. By the time you race in Germany, one of the top 3 opponents will have an oil can to add insult to your injuries. ++++++++++++++++++ 7. Bikes and Upgrades ++++++++++++++++++ When you buy a new bike, there are a few things to consider. Just because the bike is more expensive does not mean it's faster. Some bikes have the same horse power as another, but are lighter weight, which increases acceleration and turn ability. Be careful when you buy a new ride as to not buy the same bike with minor weight adjustment. Also, some bikes have nitro boosts. It'll tell you when that bike does in the purchase screen. Buying a bike is one of the most critical aspects of the game. You typically want to buy a new bike near the end of each level, and upgrade it if I need to during the next level. I use this strategy often and it prevents me from having to race abunch to get what I want. Don't bother buying bikes every time you get cash for a new one because it's just a waste of time. Only get the bikes that are major improvements. Upgrading your bike is very important. I upgrade the following in order: Tires, Engine, Suspension or Body. Suspension and Body are really optional; I wouldn't buy them unless I was on level 4 or so. Upgrades: Tires -------------- The most important upgrade of them all. When you first get a bike it slides around violently and will make you completely unstable. The heavier and faster the bike the more violent the slide. When you get a tire upgrade it eliminates nearly 75% of this trouble. Engine -------------- A good improvement, boosts speed and acceleration. Suspension -------------- Prevents you from bouncing when you land from a jump. Good for maps like Kenya, or Germany where little rocks make you jump. Keeps you more stable. Body -------------- Body isn't needed for the first 3 levels - once you reach level 4, however, it's an absolute necessity. Makes your bike harder to destroy. In long races when you crash more often it helps a lot. ++++++++++++++++++ 8. General Strategies ++++++++++++++++++ - Always drive in the center of the lane. The only thing that is ever directly in the center of the road are road blocks and sometimes a wandering animal. Adjust your position according to hazards, but the center line is where you should always be. - Fighting dudes that have nunchucks or cattle prods isn't a smart idea. I almost never bother because most likely they're gonna hit you and you're gonna fall. Just kick them and avoid. - Take into consideration how your bike works when you get knocked off by opponent. When an enemy biker hits you off your bike, your bike keeps moving forward but you fall off. Unlike a normal crash - where both you and the bike have the same inertia - the trip back to your bike is twice as long because its further ahead of you. In other words, don't ever get knocked off by another biker. It's actually safer to crash into stuff sometimes. - Road Rash 3 is time consuming sometimes. Don't expect to always win because the game doesn't give you much of a boost. If you're stuck in a high level with a weak bike, just race and try to qualify as high as you can. The AI isn't perfect and will make mistakes, and sometimes this is all you need to gain rank in the race and get money for your purchasing needs. The game can get really discouraging in the higher levels because you need flawless racing skills to get money just to become a decent competitor. - Always buy upgrades in this order: Tires -> Engine -> Suspsension or Body - If your bike is stuck between something and your biker can't get back on, you can use the D-pad to move your biker around. That's it. -jjjjjjjj