Skitchin'
| Skitchin' | |
|---|---|
 European cover of Skitchin | |
| Developer(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Publisher(s) | Electronics Arts |
| Designer(s) | David Warfield |
| Composer(s) | Jeff van Dyck |
| Platform(s) | Sega Genesis |
| Release date(s) |
|
| Genre(s) | Action |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Skitchin' is a video game for the Sega Genesis, developed and published by Electronic Arts in 1993. The game puts the player in control of an inline skater who has to ride his inline skates while holding onto cars, bikes, and trucks (an act called skitching). Players have this character defending and attacking computer-controlled opponents while racing to the finish. Winning races earns the player's character money. The game has a similar design structure to other video games such as Road Rash. Following its release, it received generally negative reception.
Gameplay
The game has a very similar sense of playability to Road Rash and utilizes the same software engine. However, the players are put on violent races involving inline skating, instead of motorbikes.
The player can grab onto (skitch) cars, bikes and trucks to earn speed advantage over the competitors and he can pick up weapons from armed enemies and from the ground. Cash is earned winning races, doing tricks, defeating enemies and skitching cars, and you can spend it on better inline gear (such as more resistant elbow pads to protect the player from his injuries). Players can be forced to withdraw from the event simply by either wearing out his inline skates, accumulating injuries in eventual accidents or having the police catch up to the player and arresting him.
Release
The game was promoted with a magazine advertisement which used the headline "Skatin', Hitchin', Bitchin', Skitchin'". Electronic Arts associate publicist Fiona Murphy recounted, "The American Slang Dictionary defines the word bitchin' as 'good, excellent, superior.' Our use of the word was with this meaning in mind and was not intended as profanity. Skitchin' is an action-packed, hard-core street game, and we felt the word bitchin' in the headline ... reflected the attitude of the game and also conveniently rhymed with 'Skitchin."[1]
Reception
Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the game a 5.8 out of 10, commenting that "The graphics are nice and the game has tons of options (like the nice two-player mode), but play it once and you get the idea."[2]
References
- ↑ "Buyers Beware". GamePro (60) (IDG). July 1994. p. 156.
- ↑ "Review Crew: Skitchin'". Electronic Gaming Monthly (56) (EGM Media, LLC). March 1994. p. 36.