Game:

Enduro Racer (1986)

Duration: 9:54

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"Wild Riders" is a short amalgamation of "Jet Grind Radio", "Crazy Taxi" and "Enduro Racer" presented by Sega and Wow Entertainment in early 2001. Powered by Sega's "NAOMI 2" Arcade hardware, it is one of only about a dozen titles developed for this particular unit, and is one of the most well-known as well. That said, most NAOMI games and their peers (NAOMI 2, Atomiswave, Hikaru) are obscure as a whole and not represented very well due to game scarcity or the lack of remotely proper emulation. It's a pity, as most of them would warrant from some kind of re-release or updated port.

Playing with two leaders of a group of vigilante gangsters who loosely resemble cartoony versions of "Mad Max" characters, your job is to outrun the police and make it across town to the docks where you can hightail it on to a boat and gain amnesty from International waters. As "Keith Raven" or "Trish Moon", you can slide, jump, smash, crash and drift your way to your goal utilizing a unique handle bar and pedal system. Your timing determines how many points you earn as well as how high you will fly when hitting ramps, and you can earn more points by crashing into most small objects (based on your speed and how many you rapidly hit in succession). The coolest mechanic however is the timer which fluctuates depending on how close the cops are to catching you, where successful stunts and limited spills with other vehicles play a major role. There are numerous characters that pop up during the game's short run time, but they don't leave much of an impact during your hi-octane escape. Did I mention the game is short?

How short? You can clear the game in about five minutes or so with a little practice. While there are numerous routes you can take through the humorously labeled "Massive City" which add quite a bit of replayability, the game is still a one trick pony when all is said and done... it's just an extremely stylish and fun pony. The game utilizes its cel shading and comic-like aesthetic to astounding results and has so much going on that it is nothing short of a visual feast and one of the finest looking games of the year. Between the "wild" banter between characters complete with English vocals and various cut-ins (the game features Japanese subtitles), the game has plenty to offer the player as well as spectators who I'm sure ogled this game back in its heyday. The music, what little there is, is also standard Sega / Wow Arcade fare and completely fits the tone of the in-game shenanigans. This is one title where the audio / visuals only add to the experience and it wouldn't be the same otherwise, elevating dopamine levels to great heights and turning an otherwise average game into a memorable one.

This title could've been adapted on the original Xbox while losing little to nothing in the transition, but I think the real reason it never saw a port is the sheer dearth of content; it would've required a significant effort to pad the experience out and make it worthwhile for the home console market, but it's one heck of an Arcade experience while it lasts. This is a videoof the game in action showing different attractions and some of Massive City. Enjoy.

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