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All About...
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| Midway released yet another racing game for the N64, with some disappointing results. |
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| Surprisingly, this solar-powered car is quite speedy. |
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Midway isn't exactly known for its originality when it comes to racing games, yet some of them are instant hits. Take the San Francisco Rush games for example -- fun, quick, with lots of things to find and do. The Cruis'n series of racing games, however, has never really been terribly impressive, and this latest entry is likely the most disappointing yet. It attempts to fool players into thinking it's imaginative by adding some unusual tracks, such as Atlantis and Mars, but the racing engine is a step back in the evolution of such games, and will leave a sour taste in racing fans' mouths. Cars bounce off invisible boundaries, pop-in is abundant and obvious, and touchy controls make this one racing game to avoid at all costs.
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The N64 port of the arcade game does have one thing going for it -- it improves on the arcade version with some modified tracks and secret cars. But that's the only good thing you're going to hear us say about this stinker. Consider, if you will, a racing game in which it's not even necessary to touch the control stick while driving in order to finish a race. This is what we have here, friends, and it's not pretty. The invisible walls placed inches away from the actual racetrack will make sure players stay on course the entire time -- even if they never touch the controller. If the car rams into a wall, don't worry -- the computer will send it spinning and stop it so it's pointing in the proper direction. Don't even think about trying to turn around -- you can't.
At least there's a variety of cars -- 12 to start with, and players can unlock more as they race. The cars range from speedy sports cars to hippie vans. The cars handle slightly differently, with some having better acceleration -- but that's about the only difference you can detect. While some supposedly have better handling, they all feel pretty much the same once you get up to speed.
Speed is pretty much the name of the game. While the framerates are much better than in previous Cruis'n games, there's a huge price to pay, and it all comes out of the graphics. The textures are bland, the sprites pixilated, and pop-in is unforgivable. From jumping whales in Alaska to giant cliffs, everything pops in with alarming frequency.
The game tries to add in a bit of fun with some stunts players can pull off. By double-tapping the A (accelerator) button, players get a short boost of speed that picks up the front two tires of the car. If they take off of a jump with the boost going, they'll flip up in the air and gain a second of time. Also, if players push the control stick to the side when they double-tap, the car will lift up on two tires -- hitting a jump in that state will send the car corkscrewing around for two points of time. The flip maneuver also works if the player has the boost going while ramming into another car -- either an opponent or a car on the other side of the road. While it makes for an interesting little twist, it's not interesting enough to hold the attention of most players.
Bottom Line: The Cruis'n line of racers has never been great, and the fact that this version isn't that much different than its previous incarnations should tell Midway that it's not worth publishing anymore. This line of racers really must end. Now. Please!
MOVIES (MPG Format)
Underwater Racing (6.8MB)
Enjoy the Pop-In (10.6MB)
The Control Stick was not touched once in the making of this film (15.8MB)
Flipping and Twirling to Victory (20.8MB)
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Michael Wolf
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| "Consider, if you will, a racing game in which it's not even necessary to touch the control stick while driving in order to finish a race." |
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| The fact that you can drive underwater is just...confusing. |
| We especially like how the sharks appear underneath the cars like convertibles driving under the ocean is an everyday occurance. |
| We spend years trying to figure out how to make it not appear in pictures -- and yet we add them to video games. Weird. |
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| Developer |
Gratuitous Games |
| Publisher |
Midway |
| Genre |
Racing |
| Players |
4 |
| Supports |
Rumble Pak |
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| What's with the Apostrophe? |
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We're not really sure what the answer to this question might be. It's not "Cruisin'," it's "Cruis'n." What does that mean? Does the apostrophe contract the word "in," as in "cruise in"? If so, cruising in to what? More likely, the apostrophe contracts the word "cruising" itself, but if that was the case, then it should be "cruisin'." Perhaps we'll just have to accept the fact that the team who thought up the "Cruis'n" series didn't quite graduate with a degree in English.
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