| Here's a review I found on www.zerograv.com
(reprinted without permission)
Game - Cruisin' USA
Publisher - Nintendo
Genre - Racer
Rating - 70%
"Coming home in 1995 for the Ultra 64." Well, maybe not. After all the
empty promises and numerous delays one would expect Cruis'n USA to be a
flagship title to help carry the N64 through '96 and early '97.
Afterall, they've had more than enough time to convert this game to the
supposedly more powerful [than arcade] N64 and then some, but the final
product, unfortunately, may surprise you...
After hours of playing I can tell you that the music is horrendous, for
the most part. It's a major letdown, especially after having witnessed
the intense Killer Instinct Gold tunes. There are probably two or three
tracks, at most, that wont have you scurrying for the options screen so
you can tune the music down. The few comments that your passengers yell
and the screams from oncoming cars are clear, or at least as clear as
they were in the arcade. The various sounds such as the engine noises
and skidding tires are decent but the collisions just don't deliver the
sonic impact they did in the arcade. However, the sounds aren't nearly
as disappointing as the music tracks.
Graphics were never Cruis'n USA's most attractive feature either and,
much like the arcade, the same holds true for the N64 version. The
title screen, menus, car select screen and other static screens all
look fine. Everything looks exactly as it does in the aging arcade
version while the backgrounds took a few minor losses. Nothing really
worth mentioning, though. Where the game's visual flair disappears is
when you notice the constantly changing frame rate. Some of the less
detailed stages have decent frame rates and are a pleasure to race
through, but once you hit the more detailed stages like San Francisco
or Chicago you can see the once fluid action drop considerably. The
frame rate doesn't get much better in two player mode either. This
doesn't always detract from the enjoyment of the game, but it can get
quite disturbing when you're in two player mode racing through some
tight streets and notice the action getting choppy.
A problem that plagued Cruis'n in the arcades was also the obscene
amount of "pop-up." The backgrounds would just suddenly appear on
screen in large chunks. The Nintendo 64 version was expected to have
this little problem corrected. While "pop-up" hasn't been eliminated,
it has been scaled down so it isn't as apparent. Now instead of
suddenly having chunks of the scenery appear on screen you have objects
that slowly fade into sight.
The gameplay is still the same as it was at the arcades - zany arcade
racing action through the open streets of the U.S. The control varies
depending how tight or loose you want to set it and you can choose to
use either the digital pad or the analog stick. Sending your opponents
hurling into the air by pushing them into oncoming traffic is what
makes this game fun, especially when that opponent is another human
player. I just love leaving a trail of destruction behind me for my
friend to maneuver through, especially when that trail includes tipped
over busses. The two player split screen view is decent, but you've got
to have a very watchful eye if you're going to avoid getting into
accidents. The collision detection itself doesn't seem to be too bad,
but if you get involved in a crash that sends a car or truck upside
down directly in front of yours, you may find that pushing it out of
the way or maneuvering around it isn't as easy as it should be. Minor
gripe considering it doesn't happen often, but I have lost a few races
because of this, despite having a nice lead over all the other cars.
All things considered, the control is pretty good, not spectacular, but
good.
I still value this game most for its two player mode. Were it not for
that I'm not so sure I would have decided to keep the game. Cruis'n USA
could have been a great conversion of the popular coin-op were it not
for the inconsistant frame rate and annoying music, extra courses or
cars would have been nice, too. It could have definately been much
better, no doubt in my mind, but despite the obvious flaws there still
lies a halfway decent racer here for anyone just looking for a fun
time.
Joe T.
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