Classic series of motorbike racing games by
Electronic Arts. Debutted on the
Sega Mega Drive in 1991. Utilised a pseudo-3D effect similar to
Hang On, but with the addition of rolling hills,
traffic, and fairly smooth
scaling. The
gameplay was based around a career mode where you had to enter a series of illegal races, where
punching and
clubbing your opponents was allowed, and hitting the
tarmac could result in the cops catching up with you (cue comedy sequence of running back to your bike and righting it as the sirens gradually get louder...). You could use your prize money to buy new bikes.
The second game was basically a more polished version of the original (typical of EA), but introduced an excellent 2-player mode. The third game arrived on a number of platforms at around the time of the ill-fated first wave of CD-ROM based machines (such as the 3DO and the Philips CD-i). The engine was also used for the inferior skateboarding game Skitchin'. The music was by Rob Hubbard.