Since Interstate '82 is a driving game, control is extremely important. The designers did a pretty good job here as far as arcade fun is concerned. Even the most novice player can pick things up quickly and easily. Sometimes control is difficult at low speed, but if you upgrade your car's suspension and are a bit careful with the wheel, your difficulties should go away. Weapon aiming is a mixture of lining up your car with some slight auto aiming done by the weapons. This method works great because it requires you to have good accuracy with your steering and firing but doesn't require perfection. Overall, Interstate '82's control has a good arcade feel and is plenty of fun in the context of roasting the bad guys alive in their bourgemobiles. Just don't expect the slightest possibility of the barest hint of a teeny tiny bit of realism.
The graphics of Interstate '82 are a mixture of a weak engine and so-so artists. The graphics engine limits the complexity of scenes. Fog distance is absurdly near and makes navigation difficult. Lighting effects are completely uninteresting when they even exist. Explosions remind us a lot of Space Harrier, which had really good graphics for 1986. Does that mean the graphics of Interstate '82 are four years ahead of its time? Texture quality varies from cartoonishly mediocre to the cartoonishly hilarious (like the nun painted on the back of one car), but when compared to other driving games like Midtown Madness, Rollcage, Driver and Re-Volt, they look dated. The only part of the game where the detail and art is good is on the cars. But even then, the cars of many other games are better looking. Overall, Interstate '82 just looks old. There is one saving grace though. Between missions there are some hilarious pre-rendered sequences. While the animation in them is pretty bad, the looks and styles of the characters are awesome. These sequences really save the games graphical gluteus maximus and add a ton to the fun.
The voices of Interstate '82 are where the game really shines. The acting is stylin', the dialogue is witty and the humor is in full effect. Whenever there was talking going on, we were either smiling or laughing. When you get bored of the repetitive game play and when the lack of eye candy lets you down, the snappy hilarious dialogue is what keeps you coming for more. There's even a cool feature where you can have Stampede read you a mediocre poem.
The music of Interstate '82 is just right but lackluster. There are three previously unreleased tracks by Devo to give things that authentic '80s feel as well as several other tracks of similar style. The music fits right in with the settings and adds significantly to immersion and fun. However, you're probably not going to be listening to the game as an audio CD unless you're a Devo addict. The sound effects, explosions, bullets and other car noises are complete yawners. But you really don't care since you're waiting for Stampede to say something witty.
