Crusin' game for Wii only

[AtariJr]

http://wii.ign.com/articles/800/800090p1.html

 

last one i got to play was World. I missed Exotica, so this should be nice to see how this game turns out. if there is any genre wii seems to truley accelerate in is racing. so i think this shoudlnt be too hard to get right. im curious how the 3d environments are going to look when in the old days it was pretty flat looking. i wonder how that will translate.

[Tempest]

Meh, I was done after the first one (how many of them did they make anyway?). I'm sure the series still has its fans though.

 

Tempest

[AtariJr]

Meh, I was done after the first one (how many of them did they make anyway?). I'm sure the series still has its fans though.

 

Tempest

 

i only know of USA, World, Exotica, and now this one... idk, i had a lot of late fun nights with these games... and i woudl like to see it translated into a true 3d environment. like the moon level would be really fun with some nice arcady physics and better graphics.

 

theres a reason im a saturn fan.. i just love arcade games, shooters, racers, or fighters .

[Crazy Climber]

I was a big fan of Cruisin' USA. Unless the Wii version just totally sucks balls I will most likely purchase it. I had a crack at 2 actual arcade machines for $2000 (for the set) which really isn't that bad of a price but they would not fit in my house Those would have been the coolest at parties, oh well.

[Flojomojo]

I guess I'm one of those Cruis'n "fans," though that's probably too strong a word for my feelings. I like Eugene Jarvis and I like simple straight-up arcade games.

 

Someone called Midway's arcade racers the "Mortal Kombat of racing games," which is about right: fast, stupid, lots of sequels/spin-offs, and popular for those reasons.

 

I bought the N64 version of Cruis'n USA at launch for $70, mainly because there wasn't much else to buy and I kinda-sorta liked the arcade cabinet. The port was lousy but the game was fun for what it was -- a simple, straightahead racer in the style of another favorite, Sega's "Outrun."

 

I only know of the two sequels World and Exotica, both of which turned up on the N64 in improved form from the original, but still very simple and poorly-received as I remember. Exotica also got a mediocre GBA port.

 

These games have close cousins in these games:

 

-- "California Speed," which is even stupider and less realistic, but has some creative crazy levels -- the Silicon Valley section sends you through the innards of a computer, a la Tron. I remember the designers of the N64 port defending the game in an interview, saying something like, "sometimes you want to play a really casual game. You can play California Speed with one hand while talking on the phone." This is true.

 

-- The Rush series:

San Francisco Rush (arcade, N64, PSX) uses a heavily modified Hard Drivin' physics engine for loony jumps in hilly downtown SF. The 64 port has terrible music, but a good adventure mode, nice effects, the Alcatraz track hidden within. The PSX port is pretty bad, especially compared with the 64 version and other Playstation racing games of the time like the Ridge Racers, Wipeouts, and even the Need for Speed ports. There was supposed to be a GameBoy Color version which looked like a Commodore 64 game (probably like Stunt Racer or Vette) which was never released. I want a ROM.

 

San Francisco Rush Alcatraz Edition (arcade, Midway Arcade Treasures volume 3 on Cube, Xbox, and PS2) is more of the same with the new Alcatraz track. I think there's a mode where you have to drive fast before your engine blows up or something. Or was that in:

 

Rush 2 Extreme USA (N64 exclusive) polished the formula but the tracks aren't as memorable as the SF locale. Ths one added a stunt track which is a lot of fun. I'd like to see this game in particular show up on the Wii's Virtual Console.

 

San Francisco Rush 2049 (arcade, Dreamcast, N64, Midway Treasures 3, and a 2d GBA game by the same name) more of the same craziness, including some of the same tracks and locales, only set in the future. Slick, crisp graphics on this one, with lots of neon effects. I think it holds up pretty well for a ten-year-old racing game, and the stunt track modes on the home versions are very polished and fun for farting around and trying to do lots of jumps and rolls. I mostly played the 64 version because Midway put an aggressive form of region coding on the Dreamcast version, making it unplayable on a modded non-US machine. The Treasures 3 version is a port of the Dreamcast version.

 

-- the "Thunder" games:

Hydro Thunder (Arcade, Playstation, N64, Dreamcast, Midway Treasures 3) is SF Rush in a boat. The home versions are "just" arcade ports without any additions, and the Treasures 3 version is a port of the Dreamcast game, as with SF Rush 2049.

 

Offroad Thunder (arcade, MAT3) is the same thing but in the dirt instead of on the water. Dirt's not my venue of choice so I haven't spent any time with this one.

 

Arctic Thunder (arcade, xbox?) Is the same thing but in the snow instead of in the dirt. I haven't played this one, just seen it.

 

I think those are all the junky Midway arcade racers that I can remember! There are probably more out there, though.

 

There was another similar N64 game that came out very late in the systems life, probably around 2000, called "Stunt Racer 64." I think it had a different publisher and like the N64 title "Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine," was only sold to video stores and direct sales, and is therefore tricky to find (no, you can't have my copy). It has a fast framerate and is reasonably fun, but never got the arcade exposure that Midway's core games did.

[AtariJr]

offroad thunder was fun, i remember that game. i think it was in a gamecube or xbox compilation along with other Rush racers and what not.

 

i remember looking at pics in the Nintendo power at Stunt Racer 64 and Exotica and being very jeolous that i coudlnt buy them. i still have yet to pick them up and i think i might. stunt racer got some decent reviews and im a fan for arcady racers.

[Malc74]

Hmm, another to add to the "possibles" list.

I'll tell you one thing though, it'll have to go some to beat Excite Truck.

[jpfalcon2003]

I have only 9 games for my N64, and three of them were the Cruisin' games. I loved those. Cruisin' Exotica was my favorite of the 3.

[King_Salamon]

Hmm, another to add to the "possibles" list.

I'll tell you one thing though, it'll have to go some to beat Excite Truck.

 

I agree... at $29.99 it may warrant a purchase.. have to see what it looks like and how it plays first.

 

And agreed on the Excite Truck thing... I just picked it up and I'm a few hours into it and it's something great! Very addictive.

[Fighter17]

Meh, I was done after the first one (how many of them did they make anyway?). I'm sure the series still has its fans though.

 

Tempest

 

i only know of USA, World, Exotica, and now this one... idk, i had a lot of late fun nights with these games... and i woudl like to see it translated into a true 3d environment. like the moon level would be really fun with some nice arcady physics and better graphics.

 

theres a reason im a saturn fan.. i just love arcade games, shooters, racers, or fighters .

 

Same here with the Saturn.

 

We had Off-Road Challenge (if that's the real name) at my nearest arcade. I think it runs on the same hardware as the first Crusin' game if I remember correctly.

 

I never played the series, I know I should be shot. I would like to play it on MAME but since the emulator doesn't use video cards the games run so slow!

Edited July 1, 2007 by Fighter17