The Interstate series

Possibly now fading into the distant collective memories of those that have played these games, Interstate 76 and a majority of its sequels and spin-offs definitely deserve a revisit.

This image served as the cover-art of the game
jewel case and  instruction manual.

There are three main games in the Interstate series and one spin-off entitled Vigilante 8 which was developed for the Nintendo 64; Playstation 1 and Gameboy Color. However, the main focus of this post will be the first game: Interstate 76.

 

The genre of the game can be defined as vehicular combat but this classification alone does not do it justice. Yes, ultimately you do drive around in cars attacking other vehicles but the game is so much more than that. Indeed, when one considers that it was released in 1997, the level of interaction with both the environment and the car you drive, combined with a fantastically immersive storyline and sound track make for a truly emotive gameplay experience.

 

Synopsis

The year is 1976 "the economy is in the throes of a deep recession. Flames of riot rule the cities. Gas[oline] is expensive and scarce. Crime is rampant. No one seems to care". No one that is except for you, Groove Champion, a rather apathetic individual it would seem who reluctantly gets involved with a group of vigilantes. Their mission is to prevent various gangs from disrupting the petrol supply and generally terrorising towns in the south-western states of America; yours is to avenge the death of your sister, Jade "Vixen" Champion.

 

The game plays out in a very cinematic way right from the opening credits which look like a cross between Dallas and The A Team backed by a big funk band sound composed and played by (amongst others) Arion Salazar who would later achieve fame in his band Third Eye Blind. Each character (although clearly drawn in a cartoon style) is represented as though they are played (read voiced) by an actor and indeed they are. Also, each mission is preceded by a cut-scene which is equally cinematic in style, often situated in a parking lot outside a truck stop or at the side of a road.  This is by no means a strange thing today. However, for my fifteen year old self this was a mind-blowing concept. Also (and this is something I will keep repeating), this was published in 1997. No "full motion video" was used yet this was a far more realistic and engrossing gameplay experience than anything produced for Sega's MegaCD at the time.

 

So, after watching a cut-scene which provides the back-story and rationale for your character getting involved in the action (your sister has been murdered by a mysterious aviator wearing villain called Carlo DeFungi) you are introduced to your friend Taurus, an afro sporting African-American funk stereotype of the era...think a more philosophical and less volatile Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction and you are there. He tells you that your sister was a vigilante as well as a good amateur racing driver. It is a shock to you that your sister had bolted guns to her Picard Piranha (a fictionalised version of the Plymouth Barracuda) for the purposes of crime fighting and it appears that she has been living somewhat of a double life. At first you don't want to join the cause thus replacing your sister. However, Taurus attempts to convince you by saying that is why on her death Jade gave you her car. In an attempt to get some headspace you say that you "think better on the road" before driving out of the parking lot and along the interstate. Cue a brief cut-scene and you are seamlessly placed into the first scenario which serves as the training mission of the game. 

 

Gameplay

The Plymouth Barracuda: the real world inspiration for the
Pickford Piranha that you drive for most of the game.  

The game plays out from mission to mission in a linear yet immersive story mode in which you engage in various activities including escorting school buses; protecting buildings and civilians and sometimes racing. It is almost certain that at some point in each mission you are going to have to engage in a fire fight with local villains who drive often equally well armed and armoured vehicles as yours. This may sound predictable and samey. However, as discussed above, the storyline, use of in-car equipment (you have a CB which you use to keep in contact with your crew, a damage indicator, weapons selector and radar) and ability to control almost every function of your car as if it were real (for example, you can manually turn headlights on or off, use the ignition and honk the horn amongst many other things) make for a truly atmospheric and immersive experience. Nothing seems rushed. For example, quite often you have to drive from a given point some distance away from where your primary mission is based and use a map to navigate without computer assisted waypoints or indicators. Thus, you often drive for what seems like just the right period of time to get to where you need to be. You find yourself frantically scanning the radar in the top left of your screen and listening out for the crackle of your CB to give you some indication of what is going on. If you couple this game with a steering wheel and pedals, the experience becomes all the more magical.

 

Graphics/presentation

From left to right: Taurus; Groove Champion &
Jade Champion who is murdered before you take to the road
in her car.

Obviously this game is (at the time of writing) seventeen years old. It is not going to look like GTA IV. That said, it plays very well and has an artistic style all of its own. I believe that from a technical standpoint the graphics were not top drawer even back then, the characters are drawn in what I can only describe as an elongated polygon style which for some reason seems to prevent facial features such as mouths being evident on all of the characters. Indeed, sometimes, when the characters are supposedly engaged in dialogue they are expressionless - even Postman Pat had an inane smile on his face when conversing with the characters of Greendale. That said, this does not detract from the overall experience. Yes the characters look unrealistic, but so to is the premise of the game. Everything else about the characters is of the era, sun glasses, open necked shirts and medallions, cigarettes and suits to name but a few.

 

Replayability

Unlike Knightrider (the TV series), this game has aged well and is definitely worth playing again and again, as is its immediate sequel/expansion pack: Interstate 76: Nitro Riders. It is available for download (legally) from a variety of places but it does have graphical glitches when run on modern (XP and above) systems. This is more of an annoyance than something that prevents enjoyment of the game. That said, the best way to experience it is to dust off an old Windows 95 machine, connect up a steering wheel & pedals and hit the road.