Home > RoadBlasters: A History of Atari's Classic

RoadBlasters: A History of Atari's Classic

Your quick guide to Atari's RoadBlasters, from the arcade cabinet to your living room. No quarters needed.
Disclaimer: Images on this page are provided for illustrative and historical context. They represent classic video game themes and eras rather than actual gameplay footage or promotional materials.

So, what's the deal with RoadBlasters ? It's a 1987 Atari classic where you drive a futuristic red car, shoot everything in sight, and pray you don't run out of fuel. Think Mad Max meets a high-speed road rally... with a really demanding gas pedal.

In-game screenshot of RoadBlasters showing the red sports car firing at enemies on a futuristic highway.

The Arcade Original

Back in 1987, arcades were king. Big games like Double Dragon , R-Type , and After Burner II were all battling for quarters. 1 Into this fight, Atari Games unleashed RoadBlasters , a game that mixed the racing of Out Run with the shooting of Spy Hunter .

The team was led by designer Robert Weatherby, with artists Mark Stephen Pierce and Kris Moser, and composer Brad Fuller. 4 They wanted the enemy AI to “psychologically just destroy you”, a tough lesson learned from games like Defender . 5 This meant every moment on the road was dangerous.

The Hardware

The game ran on the Atari System 1 hardware, a modular platform introduced in 1984. 6 Instead of buying a whole new cabinet for each game, arcade operators could just swap in cheaper "cartridge boards". Games on this system included Marble Madness and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom . 7

RoadBlasters was one of the last and most advanced titles for the System 1. 6 The hardware used a Motorola MC68010 CPU and a MOS 6502 for sound. 6 It could display 256 colors on screen at once, which allowed for vibrant cityscapes and smooth animation. 6

The game didn't use true 3D polygons like Hard Drivin' would later. Instead, it created a convincing pseudo-3D effect by rapidly resizing 2D images (sprites) of cars and objects. 8 This sprite-scaling technique gave a great illusion of speed and depth.

A Trick of Perspective: RoadBlasters did not use true 3D graphics. Instead, it used a clever technique called sprite-scaling, where 2D images are rapidly resized to create a convincing illusion of depth and speed, a hallmark of high-end 1980s arcade racers.

The Cabinet

You could play RoadBlasters in a standard upright cabinet or a sit-down cockpit model. 10 The cabinet featured custom side art of the red hero car, a nice touch compared to the generic branding on earlier System 1 games. 10 Instead of a steering wheel, the game used an aircraft-style yoke with two trigger buttons for firing your weapons. 10 This, plus a gas pedal, made for a much more intense connection to the action.

A photograph of the sit-down cockpit version of the RoadBlasters arcade cabinet.

How to Play (and Survive)

At its heart, RoadBlasters is a desperate race against the fuel gauge, not other cars. Your goal is to survive 50 stages before you run out of fuel. 4 A crash doesn't cost you a life, it just costs you fuel, making every collision a serious setback. 4

You get more fuel by picking up glowing globes on the road. Green ones appear at set points, while more valuable red ones are dropped by certain enemies. 4 This forces you to balance attacking enemies with collecting fuel.

Power-Ups

A friendly support jet sometimes flies overhead and drops a special weapon to help you out. 11 These power-ups replace your car's standard Pulse Cannon for a limited time.

A screenshot from RoadBlasters showing the friendly support jet flying overhead to drop a weapon power-up.

The U.Z. Cannon is a rapid-fire machine gun for clearing out weaker cars and turrets. 14 The Cruise Missile is a single-shot weapon that destroys everything in its path, including tough obstacles like landmines. 17 The Nitro Injector gives you a massive speed boost up to 298 mph and, while active, your car uses no fuel. 17, 18

The best defensive item is the Electro Shield. It makes your car temporarily invincible and lets you ram through any enemy. 17 Each power-up solves a different problem, like being outnumbered or running low on fuel, so you have to adapt your strategy on the fly.

Enemies and Obstacles

The highways are full of dangerous opponents. Orange Stingers are common and easy to destroy, and they're your main source of red fuel globes. 17 Armored blue Command Cars are immune to your main cannon, so you need a special weapon to take them out. 17

Rat Jeeps will sneak up behind you, then swerve in front and slam on their brakes to cause a crash. 17 The road is also littered with Gun Turrets, explosive mines, boulders, floating "spiker" balls, and oil slicks that make you spin out. 4

The Score Multiplier

The key to survival is the score multiplier. It starts at x1 and goes up by one (to a max of x10) for every enemy you hit. 4 But if you miss a shot, the multiplier drops by one. This is a big deal.

At the end of each stage, you get a fuel bonus based on your score. 15 A high multiplier means a huge fuel bonus for your reserve tank, which you'll need for later levels. A low multiplier means you get almost nothing.

Pro Tip: Accuracy is everything. A high multiplier is the only way to earn enough bonus fuel to survive the later stages. It is better to fire one precise shot than to spray wildly and lose your multiplier.

This system forces you to be precise. It's better to wait for a guaranteed hit than to spray bullets and lose your multiplier. RoadBlasters is a game of risk versus reward, where accuracy is everything.

Coming to a Living Room Near You

The game's arcade success led to many home versions. These ports are a perfect snapshot of the different computer and console capabilities of the late 80s and early 90s.

The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

The NES version, released in 1990, was developed by Beam Software. 20 It was published by Mindscape (the licensed version) and Atari's own Tengen (the unlicensed version), but both cartridges contain the same game code. 22

Did You Know?: The Tengen NES cartridge was unlicensed by Nintendo and had a unique black shell to bypass the console's lockout chip. Despite the different publisher and look, the game itself was identical to the licensed Mindscape version.

Bringing the game to the 8-bit NES meant big changes. The graphics were simpler and blockier, and the speed felt choppier. 23 The sound was reduced to the classic bleeps and bloops of the NES sound chip. 24

A gameplay screenshot from the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) version of RoadBlasters, showing its 8-bit graphics.

Still, Beam Software did a good job capturing the core gameplay. The controls were tight, and the challenge of managing fuel and weapons was still there. 16 The NES version also added a handy level select feature, letting you practice later stages from the start. 18

The Atari Lynx

The Atari Lynx port was a technical showcase. Released in 1990, it's widely considered the best home version of RoadBlasters . 4 This was thanks to the Lynx's powerful 16-bit hardware and a special graphics chip nicknamed "Suzy," which was built for the kind of sprite-scaling the arcade game used. 28

A gameplay screenshot from the Atari Lynx version of RoadBlasters, showcasing its high-quality sprite-scaling graphics.

The result was an experience almost identical to the arcade original. The scaling was smooth, the action was fast, and the graphics and sound (including voice samples) were ported with amazing accuracy. 30 Its only real flaw was trying to control a high-speed car with a D-pad instead of the arcade's analog flight yoke. 31

Home Computers

The home computer ports were not as successful. Published by U.S. Gold, the versions for the Commodore Amiga and Atari ST were particularly disappointing. 32 Despite being 16-bit machines, both versions suffered from slow, jerky scrolling that was a far cry from the arcade's smooth gameplay. 32

The 8-bit computer ports were even worse. The Commodore 64 version was sluggish with poor controls and a very short draw distance, making it more about memorization than reaction. 37 Reviews were very negative, with Zzap!64 magazine giving it a score of just 59%. 40 The ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC versions were similarly basic. 41

A gameplay screenshot from the Commodore 64 port of RoadBlasters, demonstrating its graphical limitations and short draw distance.
Platform Developer Publisher Year Key Strengths Key Weaknesses/Compromises
Arcade Atari Games Atari Games 1987 Smooth graphics, yoke controls, great sound Designed to be difficult and eat quarters
Atari Lynx Atari Corp. Tengen / Atari 1990 Near-perfect arcade port, fast gameplay D-pad controls less precise than yoke
NES Beam Software Mindscape 1990 Solid gameplay, tight controls, level select Major downgrade in graphics and speed
Sega Genesis Sterling Silver Tengen 1991 Good graphics and speed, close to arcade D-pad controls, some simplified graphics
Amiga U.S. Gold U.S. Gold 1988 - Slow, jerky, poor sound, often called unplayable
Atari ST Probe Software U.S. Gold 1989 Better than the Amiga version Jerky scrolling, less polished than arcade
Commodore 64 U.S. Gold U.S. Gold 1988 - Very slow, poor controls, short draw distance

Tips, Tricks, and Toys

Beyond just surviving, RoadBlasters has a few secrets and a surprising amount of story... if you know where to look.

Cheats and Secrets

The arcade game doesn't seem to have any cheats, but some home ports do. 43 In the Atari Lynx version, if you crash into the first tree on the first stage while holding a button, a secret screen appears. It shows a picture of a programmer and works as a level select, letting you warp to any of the 50 rallies. 44

The NES port had a level select right on the main menu. This feature let you complete the game by playing only about 20 of the 50 total stages. 18

Advanced Strategy

The real secret to beating the game is mastering the multiplier. Don't fire constantly. Only shoot when you know you'll hit something, and get that multiplier up to x10. A high multiplier gives you a massive fuel bonus, which is the only way to survive the later levels. 15

You also have to conserve fuel aggressively. Learn which enemies (usually the orange Stingers) drop red fuel globes. Use the Nitro Injector to cover ground quickly without using any fuel at all. 18

The Backstory (From a Toy Line!)

The game itself has no story, you're just a person in a car on a dangerous road. 4 The only official lore for the RoadBlasters universe comes from a tie-in toy line by Matchbox. 4

A photo of the vintage Matchbox toy line for RoadBlasters, featuring die-cast models of the game's vehicles.

To sell the die-cast cars, Matchbox created a backstory about two warring groups. Your car belongs to the heroic Turbo Force, and the enemies are part of the evil Motor Lords. 48 The toy packaging even gave names to the vehicles, like the Motor Lord leader "Motor Master" and the Turbo Force's "Thunder Gunner". 48

By the way, a few fan myths have popped up over the years. There is no character called the "Master of the Game"; the ending is just a "Congratulations" screen. 4 And the invincibility power-up is officially called the Electro Shield, not "Uchenna's Sphere". 4

Making the Game

The creation and release of RoadBlasters shows Atari Games at its best in the late 80s, with smart development and clever marketing.

Who Built It?

The game was developed at Atari Games under the codename "FutureVette". 49 The main team was Robert Weatherby, Mark Stephen Pierce, Kris Moser, and Brad Fuller. 4 A big focus was programming enemy AI that would flank and surprise the player, making it more than a simple driving game. 5

The ports were handled by different developers. The excellent Atari Lynx version was programmed by D. Scott Williamson. 50 The popular NES version was made by the Australian studio Beam Software, and Probe Software handled the Atari ST port. 21

Selling the Game

Atari promoted RoadBlasters with print ads in gaming magazines. 47 The bigger push was the partnership with Matchbox for the toy line, which put the game's brand in toy stores and gave it a story. 4

The coolest bit of marketing was the "RoadBlasters T-Shirt Giveaway." If you beat all 50 rallies in the arcade, you got a secret code on the screen. Players who mailed the code to Atari before August 31, 1987, received a free, exclusive RoadBlasters T-shirt. 53 This encouraged repeat plays and turned top players into walking advertisements for the game.

A Wearable Trophy: Players who conquered all 50 rallies in the arcade were rewarded with a secret code to mail in for a free, exclusive RoadBlasters T-shirt. This clever promotion turned expert players into walking billboards for the game.

Reviews of the Day

The arcade original was well-received for its fast, addictive action, getting an 8/10 from Commodore User magazine. 54 The home ports got a wide range of reviews. The Atari Lynx version was a huge critical success, often called a near-perfect conversion and one of the best games on the handheld. 4

The NES port got a decent response, seen as a fun but downgraded version of the game. Raze magazine gave it an 80%. 4 The home computer ports were reviewed much more poorly. The Amiga version was panned for bad performance, with CU Amiga giving it a 35%. 4

The Commodore 64 port didn't do much better, scoring 59% from Zzap!64 . 40 This gap in review scores shows the game's split legacy. It was a classic on the right hardware (arcade and Lynx) but a letdown on platforms that couldn't handle it.

The Game's Legacy

RoadBlasters never got a sequel, but it's remembered as an important step in the evolution of car combat games. It proved that fast-paced racing and shooting could be combined successfully from a 3D, behind-the-car view. This set it apart from top-down games like Spy Hunter .

Many see it as a direct influence on the 3D car combat games of the PlayStation era, like Twisted Metal . 14 While it isn't as famous as Pong or Centipede , it's one of Atari's most-loved games from the late 80s. 14

Today, the best way to play the arcade version is through classic game compilations. It was included in Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 2 (PlayStation) and Midway Arcade Treasures (PS2, Xbox, GameCube, PC). 4 The game also had a cameo in the 2012 Disney movie Wreck-It Ralph , introducing it to a whole new generation. 4

Quick Questions

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