Platform: SEGA Mega Drive
Published: 1994
REVIEW BY MARK FOX (Admin)
Notes:
- Skitching - The act of grabbing the back of a moving vehicle whist wearing roller blades.
- Jeff van Dyke is a composer, known for his soundtrack development for hits such as Total War, Need for Speed and various EA Sports titles.
1994 was an interesting year for me; it mainly consisted of the Americanisation of my hobbies, sports, music and the dream of having one of those basement bedrooms with neon lighting. Although I couldn’t convince my parents to build a basement, I did however get the guitar and the grunge. I also got Skitchin’. For a 10 year old, north east lad going through an international identity crisis in 1994, this game epitomised that moment in time.
The Game
As mentioned above, it hit the stores in 1994 and coincided with the fact that aggressive inline skating competitions had risen to notoriety, due to newly acquired TV deals. The game consists of your character contesting in rollerblading races and fighting his way through each course with the hope of progression. Along with its basic plot, it also shares a view and track design similar to that of Road Rash. You can fight the other contestants with punches, kicks and weapons (like Road Rash); perform tricks via skating over fallen signs and ramps, along with the act of skitching itself. In reality, Skitchin’ is an evolution of Road Rash with added angst, which isn’t a bad thing as I also loved Road Rash as a child, almost as much as crisps, and still do. However, Skitchin’ brought a new twist to the tale, a fresh vibe to the scene and a tasty new flavour to the... crisp.
The game starts by gripping your attention with a flashing red warning, informing you that the tricks performed are highly dangerous and that attempting such stunts may cause SERIOUS INJURY. I was hooked by this point. This is followed by an amazing graphic (as shown above), with a beastly grunge riff. Before we explore the game play, we must acknowledge the Seattle & Vancouver inspired sound design. It’s quite simply, a Discman of Jeff van Dyke grunge. You can listen to 16bit classics such as Cheese Grater, Bellybutton Lint, Jerky Curtains and Eat My Junk which would sit happily alongside your Alice in Chains & Dandelion collections. Considering the development limitations, it still sounds great today.
Much like the music, the location is inspired by its grunge roots. It features 12 course/cities including Denver, Seattle, and Vancouver, before finishing in New York. You must progress through each
course by finishing in the top 5. Each race also has an entry fee which needs to be taken in to consideration and funds can be acquired in numerous different ways.
You can receive different cash prizes for your race finishing position, for the tricks you perform and for the knock downs you deliver to battling opponents.
Depending on where you position in a race and the speed at which you complete, bonus rounds are made available. These consist of tricks and speed rounds, each offering cash prizes if you meet the objective set.
You also earn small cash bonuses for every vehicle that you skitch in main races, however, some drivers slow down to a halt on purpose if they catch you, whilst other pop their boots, knocking you to the ground. You can earn $1 for each second that you skitch a cop car, but be warned, if you skitch a cop car for too long, they drag you to jail and impose a fine, which depletes your cash funds.
If you take too much of a kicking from your opponents, you will be carted off to hospital, again costing you your valuable earnings.
You must also visit the man with a van in between races to buy some new gear. You can buy gloves, wrist guards, elbow and knee pads, boots and wheels. You have 5 ranges for each item, from economy, up to professional quality. Each item and range differs in price and offer different life expectancies.
Before entering a race you are warned via visuals about the wear and tear of each of your items, so you know when it’s time to shop. Other than the general level difficulty, this is one of the harder aspects of the game because if you can’t afford new equipment prior to racing, it hinders your chances of race completion, sometimes resulting in your wheels breaking mid race.
Skitchin’ is a brilliant pick up and play game, much like Road Rash is, but this has more depth, style and charisma. The cut scene graphics are great; the general graphics don’t blow you away, but are
more than suitable for a 16 bit racer. The way your character must build up momentum before gaining speed is a neat touch, along with the additional speed garnered when you slingshot from the back of the car. A lot of what you do is based on timing, such as when to skitch by looking behind you at oncoming traffic, when to attack an opponent, when to move between vehicles and when you perform a trick.
What it lacks in its originality, it by far makes up for in its playability, attention to detail and vibe regarding level, character and sound track design. It does stand the test of time, 21 years to be exact and it is overall, quite possibly, the best SEGA game in its field when you take everything in to consideration.
Now excuse me, I’m off to listen to ‘Smells like tuna’, whilst slapping a Vancouverite around on the back of a VW Polo Mk3.
8/10
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