What a great game … for an arcade … in 1994…
Written: Dec 10 '00 (Updated Dec 10 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Brings back fond memories.
Cons: Not a good game for a home system.
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| ericgreene's Full Review: Cruisn Usa for Nintendo 64 |
There was one game at the bowling lanes that was never free. The NEO-GEO wrestling was never in use; the NHL 1993 playoff pinball game was gathering dust, but the Cruise n’ USA car racing game had a line as far as the eye could see for a chance to play this revolutionary masterpiece.
The idea for the game was simple. Pick a car and a track from the US and race ‘til your heart’s content. If you got in first place … free ride! There would be a kid sitting there all day on his 75 cent game that kept being extended by 1st place finishes … and when you’re a kid, who cares how long the line is behind you; THAT’S YOUR FREE GAME!
In 1996 Nintendo release its N64 with 64 bits of pure gaming power. One of the first releases with this new system was Cruise n’ USA. Could it be the same as the version that kept many a kid dreaming of the next trip to the bowling alley or other arcade? Only time would tell.
The car doesn’t rumble!
The first thing missing for this game was the atmosphere. There was nothing like playing this game while sitting in a car that had force feed back (sorry Rumble Pack but you just don’t cut it … and aren’t even compatible for this game) and there was something about kids watching you drive … on the spot … that added excitement to this game which cannot be replicated at home.
The steering system was also completely different in the arcade. When I realize what a change it was to go from a force-feedback steering wheel to a little controller, I went out and bought a steering wheel from my N64. It just wasn’t the same.
Where’s the incentive?
At the arcade you were playing for free games, at home you were playing for cars that went 5 mph faster than the one you currently had. Big deal! There was no incentive to win, and that took a lot of the fun out of the game.
Is that my car?
Although, theoretically Nintendo should have been able to make the transfer from arcade to the small screen with littler on no loss in quality of graphics, the home version is considerably blurrier. The game was designed in 1994, so the graphics were not so good to begin with. For that time the scenery for this game was unbelievable, but the car’s detail and the towns and tracks your race through and on are not up to par today.
Another obvious fault in this game is that once you get to a certain speed, the ground appears to stop moving in front of your car. Check it out … the patterns fade together at high speeds.
One way road?
No matter how hard you try … you can’t turn around in this game. You can crash but your car will not be damaged and cannot be flipped 180 degrees in order to go the “wrong way”. This may not seem like much, but it really shows how limited this game is.
AHHH!!! SHUT OFF THE MUSIC!
The makers of this game thought that they would be clever by including some of the most annoying music known to man and allowing you to skip from song to song by controlling your own “CD” player. Funny how an analog-based game allows you to change CDs :)
Lack of choice
Without any cheat codes, there are 4 cars available for this game and when codes are applied, that total jumps to a whopping 7 cars. For a game based on pure adrenaline, the selection of cars is pathetic. The game had no plot or reason to explain why these cars were racing … so at least give us a choice in automobiles!
Overall this is one game that should have stayed at the arcade and known when it had run it’s course. From the moment I popped this game into my N64, I knew I was in for a disappointment. It was obvious from the first few seconds of play that this game didn’t live up to its big daddy at the bowling alley.
Overall Summary
Graphics – (in ’94 10/10) – 3/10
Replay value – 3/10
Music/Sound – 3/10
Transition from arcade – N64 – 3/10
12/40 – 2 Stars
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
ericgreene
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Member: Eric Greene
Location: bowling green, ohio
Reviews written: 116
Trusted by: 56 members
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