Rally Bike

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Rally Bike
Rally Bike arcade flyer.jpg
Arcade flyer
Developer(s) Toaplan
Visco Corporation (NES)
SPS (X68000)
Publisher(s) Taito
NES
Sharp Corporation (X68000)
Composer(s) Osamu Ōta
Platform(s) Arcade, Nintendo Entertainment System, X68000
ReleaseArcade
  • WW: May 1988 [1]
NES
  • JP: 15 June 1990
  • NA: September 1990
X68000
  • JP: 23 May 1991
Genre(s) Racing
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Rally Bike [lower-alpha 1] is a racing arcade video game originally developed by Toaplan and published by Taito in May 1988. [2] In Rally Bike, players compete against computer-controlled opponents in races across locations in the United States. Initially released in arcades, the game was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System and X68000 by different developers.

Contents

Rally Bike was met with mixed reception from video game magazines and dedicated outlets that reviewed the game when it launched in arcades and its ports. As of 2019, the rights to the title is owned by Tatsujin, a company founded in 2017 by former Toaplan member Masahiro Yuge and now-affiliate of Japanese arcade manufacturer exA-Arcadia alongside many other Toaplan IPs.

Gameplay

Arcade screenshot ARC Rally Bike (Dash Yaro).png
Arcade screenshot

Rally Bike is a top-down motorcycle road racing game where players observe from above and races across six increasingly difficult stages, along with two bonus stages, all taking place in the United States, with the main objective of crossing the finish line and passing an established number of competitors. [3] [4] Along the way, players must also dodge incoming obstacles scattered on the stages to avoid any accident, which causes a great reduction of fuel. [3] [4]

Fuel is a major obstacle of the game as well, as players must refuel their bike by stopping at the filling station, however this will also cause competitors to take advantage, as they never run out of fuel and running out of it results in a game over unless more credits are inserted into the arcade machine to continue playing. [3] [4]

On occasions, a helicopter will come and drop an item to the road during races, ranging from turbo (which can be increased a second time by picking up the turbo item again) to helper bikers that guards the players from crashing against rival racers. [3] [4] In the NES version, a shop mechanic where players can buy new parts to improve their vehicle is introduced after completing each race. [4] The title uses a checkpoint system in which a single player will respawn at the beginning of the checkpoint they managed to reach before crashing.

Release

Rally Bike was released in arcades worldwide in May 1988 by Taito. [1] The soundtrack was composed by Osamu Ōta under the alias "Ree". [5] [6] [7] In June 1989, an album containing music from Rally Bike and other Toaplan games was published exclusively in Japan by Datam Polystar. [6] [7]

Ports

On 15 June 1990, a Nintendo Entertainment System port of Rally Bike developed by Visco Corporation was first released in Japan and later in North America by Romstar on September of the same year. [8] The NES version does not keep the same stages and backgrounds, likely due to hardware limitations. On 23 May 1991, the title later received a faithful conversion to the Sharp X68000 by SPS and only published in Japan by Sharp Corporation, although it contains several minor differences when compared to the original version such as the modified aspect ratio, missing animations, among other changes. [9] [10] A Mega Drive conversion was in development alongside Slap Fight MD by M.N.M Software, but was never released. [11]

Reception and legacy

In Japan, Game Machine listed Rally Bike on their July 1, 1988 issue as being the second most-popular arcade game at the time. [17] The game received mixed response from critics since its release in arcades. [15] Commodore User criticized the controls but praised the graphics. [18] Both Robin Hogg and Cameron Pound from The Games Machine commended the presentation, visuals and gameplay but noted the design in later levels to be one of the game's negative points. [19] Andy Smith of ACE regarded the title as "challenging stuff that's bound to appeal to driving and racing fans". [20] [21] Anthony Baize of AllGame deemed it to be a difficult but enjoyable experience. [12]

Other ports of Rally Bike were met with mixed reception from reviewers. [13] Public reception was also mixed: readers of Famimaga voted to give the Nintendo Entertainment System version a 15.75 out of 30 score in a poll. [22] The X68000 version however proved to be relatively popular. [23]

In more recent years, the rights to the game and many other IPs from Toaplan are now owned by Tatsujin, a company named after Truxton's Japanese title that was founded in 2017 by former Toaplan employee Masahiro Yuge, who are now affiliated with arcade manufacturer exA-Arcadia. [24] [25] [26] [27] [28]

Notes

  1. ↑ Also known as Dash Rascal (Japanese: ダッシュ野郎, Hepburn: Dash Yarō) in Japan.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toaplan</span> Japanese video game developer 1979-1994

Toaplan Co., Ltd. was a Japanese video game developer based in Tokyo responsible for the creation of a wide array of scrolling shooters and other arcade video games. The company was founded in 1979 but its gaming division was established in 1984 by former Orca and Crux employees, who wanted to make games, after both companies declared bankruptcy. Their first shoot 'em up game, Tiger-Heli (1985) on arcades, was a success and helped establish Toaplan as a leading producer of shooting games throughout the 1980s and 1990s that would continue to characterize their output.

<i>Tiger-Heli</i> 1985 video game

Tiger-Heli is a vertically scrolling shooter game developed by Toaplan and released for arcades in 1985. It was published in Japan by Taito and in North America by Romstar. Controlling the titular attack helicopter, the player must fight endless waves of military vehicles while avoiding collision with their projectiles and other obstacles. The Tiger-Heli has a powerful bomb at its disposal that can clear the screen of enemies when fired. It was the first shoot 'em up game from Toaplan, and their third video game overall.

<i>Twin Cobra</i> 1987 video game

Twin Cobra, known as Kyukyoku Tiger in Japan, is a vertically scrolling shooter developed by Toaplan and released for arcades in 1987 by Taito in Japan and Europe, then in North America by Romstar. It is a sequel to the 1985 arcade game Tiger-Heli. Controlling the titular attack helicopter, the players must fight endless waves of military vehicles while avoiding collision with their projectiles and other obstacles. It was the fourth shoot 'em up game from Toaplan, and their tenth video game overall. It was ported to multiple platforms, with each done by different third-party developers that made several changes or additions.

<i>Flying Shark</i> 1987 video game

Flying Shark, known as Sky Shark in North America, is a 1987 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed by Toaplan and published by Taito in Japan, Romstar in North America and Electrocoin in Europe. Controlling the titular biplane, the players must fight endless waves of military vehicles while avoiding collision with their projectiles and other obstacles. The plane has a powerful bomb at its disposal that can clear a portion of the screen of bullets and damage enemies when fired. It was the third shoot 'em up game from Toaplan, and their eighth video game overall.

<i>Truxton</i> (video game) 1988 video game

Truxton is a 1988 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed by Toaplan and published in Japan and Europe by Taito, as well as in North America by Midway. Set in a future where the Gidans alien race led by Dogurava invaded the fictional planet Borogo, players assume the role of fighter pilot Tatsuo taking control of the Super Fighter ship on a last-ditch effort to overthrow the alien invaders.

<i>Demons World</i> 1989 video game

Demon's World is a 1989 run and gun arcade video game originally developed by Toaplan and published in Japan by Taito and in North America by Catalina Games. In the game, players assume the role of two ghost hunters to fight against several ghosts and monsters that were unleashed upon Earth by the titular demon king. Initially launched for the arcades, the title was then ported to the PC Engine Super CD-ROM² by NEC Avenue and published exclusively in Japan on 26 February 1993, featuring various additions and changes compared with the original release.

<i>Hellfire</i> (video game) 1989 video game

Hellfire is a 1989 horizontally scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed by Toaplan and published in Japan by Taito and North America by U.S.A. Games. The first horizontal shoot 'em up title to be created by Toaplan, the game takes place in the year 2998 where a space matter known as Black Nebula created by robot dictator Super Mech spreads and threatens to engulf human-controlled galaxies, as players assume the role of Space Federation member Captain Lancer taking control of the CNCS1 space fighter craft in a surprise attack to overthrow the enemies with the fighter craft's titular weapon.

<i>Wardner</i> (video game) 1987 video game

Wardner is a side-scrolling platform game developed by Toaplan and published in arcades worldwide by Taito in 1987.

<i>Slap Fight</i> 1986 video game

Slap Fight is a 1986 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Toaplan and published by Taito. Set on the colonized fictional planet of Theron in the future, where an alien race led by Gaudy have invaded the human-controlled location, players assume the role of an Allied League of Cosmic Nations (ALCON) fighter pilot taking control of the SW475 space fighter craft in an effort to counterattack the invaders. Initially launched for the arcades, the game was later ported to other microcomputer and console platforms by various third-party developers, with each one featuring several changes or additions compared to the original release.

<i>Fire Shark</i> 1989 video game

Fire Shark is a 1989 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed and published by Toaplan in Japan and Europe, and by Romstar in North America. It is the sequel to Flying Shark, a game released in 1987 on multiple platforms. Set in the year 1991, the game focuses on a mysterious armada launching a worldwide attack from a small island in the Mediterranean Sea. Players take control of the titular biplane to counterattack the enemy forces.

<i>Grind Stormer</i> 1993 video game

Grind Stormer is a 1993 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed and published by Toaplan in Japan and North America. It is considered to be the spiritual successor to Slap Fight. Based around a video game within a video game concept, players assume the role of a young secret agent assigned by the government taking control of the NA-00 space fighter craft in an attempt to defeat the titular virtual reality simulator, rescue the abducted players who lost against it and unveil its true purpose.

<i>Truxton II</i> 1992 video game

Truxton II is a 1992 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed and published by Toaplan in Japan and Europe. It is the sequel to Truxton, which was released earlier on arcades in 1988 and later ported to various platforms.

<i>Vimana</i> (video game) 1991 video game

Vimana is a vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Toaplan and published in Japan by Tecmo and Europe in June 1991. It is notable for being one of the few titles by Toaplan that has not received any official port to home consoles as of date and for its unique combination of science fiction with brief Hindu references. In the game, players assume the role of the titular warriors taking control of powerful ancient space fighter crafts in order to reclaim their home planet by fighting against military machines gone wild. The title received positive reception from critics and reviewers alike after release in regards to the gameplay, but was considered a flop in arcades. As of 2019, its rights are owned by Tatsujin, a company founded in 2017 by former Toaplan member Masahiro Yuge and now-affiliate of Japanese arcade manufacturer exA-Arcadia alongside many other Toaplan IPs.

<i>Knuckle Bash</i> 1993 video game

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<i>Guardian</i> (1986 video game) 1986 video game

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<i>Ghox</i> 1991 video game

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<i>Pipi & Bibis</i> 1991 eroge arcade game by Toaplan

Pipi & Bibi's is a 1991 eroge action-platform arcade video game developed and published by Toaplan in Japan and in Europe by Nova Apparate GMBH & Co. It is notable for being one of the few titles by Toaplan that has not received any official port to home consoles as of date. In the game, players assume the role of Pipi and Bibi attempting to place time bombs in buildings filled with enemies who appear from behind closed doors and escape before the location collapses.

<i>Snow Bros. 2: With New Elves</i> 1994 video game

Snow Bros. 2: With New Elves is a 1994 platform arcade video game developed and published by Toaplan under their Hanafram label. One of the last games to be created by Toaplan, it is the sequel to Snow Bros., which was released earlier in 1990 on multiple platforms. In the game, players assume the role of one of the playable characters to rescue a kidnapped princess from captivity.

<i>Enma Daiō</i> 1993 video game

Enma Daiō is a 1993 hybrid quiz/lie detector arcade video game developed by Toaplan and published exclusively in Japan by Taito. In the game, players answer a number of question. As of 2019, the rights to the title is owned by Tatsujin, a company founded in 2017 by former Toaplan member Masahiro Yuge and now-affiliate of Japanese arcade manufacturer exA-Arcadia alongside many other Toaplan IPs.

<i>Mahjong Sisters</i> 1986 video game

Mahjong Sisters is a 1986 eroge mahjong arcade video game developed and published exclusively in Japan by Toaplan. In the game, the players face off against a group of three sisters in a series of mahjong matches. As of 2019, the rights to the title is owned by Tatsujin, a company founded in 2017 by former Toaplan member Masahiro Yuge and now-affiliate of Japanese arcade manufacturer exA-Arcadia alongside many other Toaplan IPs.

References

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  2. ↑ "東亜プラン". Gamest (in Japanese). No. 49. Shinseisha. September 1990. (Translation by Shmuplations. Archived 2019-11-07 at the Wayback Machine ).
  3. 1 2 3 4 "ダッシュ野郎" (in Japanese). Shooting Star. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Rally Bike instruction booklet (Nintendo Entertainment System, US)
  5. ↑ Abeto, Kobatsu (September 1989). "東亜プランインタビュー". PSG (in Japanese). Vol. 10. F.S.G Club. (Translation by Shmuplations. Archived 2017-05-31 at the Wayback Machine ).
  6. 1 2 "H24X-10005 | TATSUJIN ~TOA PLAN GAME MUSIC SCENE ONE~". vgmdb.net. VGMdb. Archived from the original on 8 May 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  7. 1 2 Kotowski, Don (1 August 2012). "Truxton -Toaplan Game Music Scene-". vgmonline.net. Video Game Music Online. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  8. ↑ "FAMICOM Soft > 1990" (in Japanese). GAME Data Room. Archived from the original on 27 August 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  9. ↑ "The Softouch - Software Information: ダッシュ野郎". Oh!X (in Japanese). No. 110. SoftBank Creative. June 1991. p. 28.
  10. ↑ Matsubara, Keigo (2019). "X680x0ソフトリスト963タイトル" (in Japanese). Video Game Search. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  11. ↑ "「スラップファイト3671」開発日誌 Beep21出張版 #0". Beep21 (in Japanese). note. 28 January 2022. Archived from the original on 29 January 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  12. 1 2 Baize, Anthony (1998). "Rally Bike (Arcade) - Review". AllGame . All Media Network. Archived from the original on 16 November 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  13. 1 2 "NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: ダッシュ野郎 (ファミコン)". Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 103. ASCII. 22 June 1990. p. 17.
  14. ↑ Zenji, Nishikawa (August 1991). "The Softouch - Game Review - ダッシュ野郎". Oh!X (in Japanese). No. 112. SoftBank Creative. p. 37.
  15. 1 2 Lenhardt, Heinrich (April 1989). "Automatenspiele - Rally Bike". Power Play (in German). No. 13. Future Verlag. p. 67.
  16. ↑ "Gaming World - ダッシュ野郎". Technopolis (in Japanese). Vol. 10, no. 107. Tokuma Shoten. July 1991. p. 25.
  17. ↑ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 335. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 July 1988. p. 21.
  18. ↑ "Arcade: Rally Bike - Taito (2 x 10p)". Commodore User . No. 59. EMAP. August 1988. p. 98.
  19. ↑ Hogg, Robin; Pound, Cameron (August 1988). "Confrontation: Coin-Op - Rally Bike". The Games Machine . No. 9. Newsfield Publications. p. 81.
  20. ↑ Smith, Andy (September 1988). "Arcades: Trike Force! - Extended Play... -- Rally Bike". ACE . No. 12. EMAP. p. 27.
  21. ↑ Smith, Andy (June 1989). "Arcade Ace: Extended Play... - Rally Bike". ACE . No. 21. EMAP. p. 23.
  22. ↑ "Famicom ROM Cassette All Catalog '91 全787本 5月10日号特別付録 - ダッシュ野郎". Famimaga (in Japanese). Vol. 7, no. 9. Tokuma Shoten. 10 May 1991. p. 276.
  23. ↑ "The Softouch - Software Information: なんとフアランクスがあのパロに!". Oh!X (in Japanese). No. 113. SoftBank Creative. September 1991. p. 29.
  24. ↑ "ライセンス事業" (in Japanese). TATSUJIN Co., Ltd. 2019. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  25. ↑ Bravo, Roberto (12 September 2018). "Nueva compañía "Tatsujin" asegura tener gran parte de las IPs de la extinta Toaplan" (in Spanish). Gamercafe. Archived from the original on 21 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  26. ↑ "Tatsujin". exA-Arcadia. 2019. Archived from the original on 21 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  27. ↑ Bravo, Roberto (25 January 2019). "Tatsujin, los dueños de Toaplan, anuncian que están trabajando para exA-Arcadia" (in Spanish). Gamercafe. Archived from the original on 21 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  28. ↑ "［JAEPO2019］TATSUJINやナツメアタリの参入が発表されたexA-Arcadia。出展コーナーの模様を紹介". 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). Aetas Inc. 26 January 2019. Archived from the original on 21 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
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