Super Runabout: San Francisco Edition

"While the game's physics are a huge problem, the gameplay is addictive and will keep you coming back for more."

Super Runabout: San Francisco Edition was developed by Climax and was published by Interplay. SR: SFE was released in mid-to-late 2000 for the Sega Dreamcast. SR: SFE is the sequel to the 1997 PlayStation release, Felony 11-79. The Runabout series, of which both games are a part of, is known for it's zany and off-the-wall gameplay, and this game takes it to a whole new level. SR: SFE gives you a nice variety of options. There are two scenarios in this game: Scenario A and Scenario B. Scenario A places you in the role of evil weapon carriers, while B places you in the role of cops trying to stop all kinds of wrongdoings; it’s a “good guys vs. bad guys” struggle throughout the game.

The gameplay is rather varied for a game of this type. The two scenarios have different missions, whether it's stopping a runaway cable car, collecting bombs for disposal, or delivering hot dog condiments to City Hall. The missions throughout the game are weird, and they get weirder as you progress through the game. SR: SFE features a nice assortment of vehicles for you to play with. SR: SFE gives you the ability to modify parts of each vehicle in your preference of grip, suspension, and brake power. Too bad none of this really matters, since the game's physics are so off-the-wall as to negate any changes you make to them. The off-the-wall physics really hamper the gameplay. Throughout the game you'll smash into tons of various items, such as newspaper stands, and fire hydrants. These small collisions can send your car spinning, once, while in the van, I ran into a newspaper stand, and the van spun out, and proceeded to go up on it's roof, while going at about 10 MPH no less. This kind of thing can happen all the time with the game, and it can really mess up your enjoyment of the game when it happens. it makes it near-to-nigh impossible to enjoy the game. I have no problem with a game defying gravity, as long as it doesn't hamper the gameplay. Too bad that isn't the case with this game. These kinds of problems are really inexcusable, a few more months of development would have been enough to fix all of these problems. Despite all of these problems, the gameplay does have an addictive quality to it. you’ll be cussing the game out one minute, and be glued to the screen the next. It’s this kind of charm that helps to give the game a look and feel all its own.

While the gameplay has its share of problems, SR: SFE does feature some fine control. The button layout makes sense, and the controls are extremely responsive. You’ll never have a problem with the controls in this game, they are intuitive and are one of the few bright spots in the game.

The graphics in the game are, thankfully, better than the graphics.. The game features some sharp texturing, particularly on the game’s many vehicles. Unfortunately, the textures for some of the items in the game, such as the aforementioned newspaper stand, are bland. The frame-rate is solid throughout the game, which is always a good thing, and the car designs are out of this world. There's a moped, van, numerous cop cars, as well as a truck that was seemingly lifted straight out of ''Sanford and Son''; these are, without a doubt, some of the weirdest cars vehicles I've seen in a video game and certainly add a lot of character to the game. However, pop-up is a bit too frequent in the game, especially considering the hilly nature of the game, as it can obstruct your view of upcoming parts of the level. There are some definite collision problems For example, you might be teleported from one area of the level to another upon colliding with an object. Thankfully, problems like this are rare, although when they happen, you’ll be cussing out the game to no end.

The sound, throughout the game is top-notch. The music has a nice, heavy rock beat to it that really helps to emphasize the mayhem happening in the game. You can’t really ask much more from game music. The sound effects are another really high-quality aspect of the sound. There are tons of them, and they all sound clear, and realistic. The sound of glass shattering is particularly well-done, as is the sound of metal crunching. These effects may not sound like much, but considering the fact that most games can’t get either of these two to sound well, make this game’s fine use of them a small blessing. The game also features tons of voices. You see, each character in the game has their own voice, and while there aren’t too many of them, they’re all done well, and they fit the character. For example, the cops’ voices have a serious tone to them. The sound quality in the game is superb.

SR: SFE isn’t exactly the most challenging game ever. The core missions are rather simple, and the game would be a breeze if it wasn’t for the fact that the game’s physics are a tougher challenge to overcome than any of the game’s missions . There are three difficulty levels in the game, but they don’t really affect the game all that much, which is a bit of a letdown, and a blessing at the same time, if the game was any harder, with the physics as screwy as they are, you’d be sure to go nuts.

SR: SFE has tons of replay value to those who are patient enough. You’ll be able to unlock tons of hidden vehicles and levels if you tough it out. I’ll tell you, as irritating as the game, is, and as screwy as the physics are, the game does have a certain charm to it that will keep you coming back for more. The feeling of satisfaction when you unlock everything is just out of this world, this is one game that makes you EARN everything, and I can really dig that.

This sure is one hard game to pin down a score to. On one hand, the physics ravage the game and make it nearly unplayable at times, on the other, the control and sound are top-notch, and the game does have a certain charm to it that will keep you hooked, that is, assuming you don’t use the disc as a frisbie after an hour of playing the game. Well, for all the bad in the game, there’s also a lot of good. You can tell that Climax put a lot of effort into the game, and I can respect that, especially after seeing all the cookie-cutter games out there. This game didn’t try to reinvent the wheel, but it does try something new. Does it succeed? To an extent, yes it does. Is it perfect? No. The game does have one fatal flaw to it, but if you can overcome and look past it, you’ll find a game that rewards you for playing it. You can find it for about $10 now, so you’ve really got nothing to lose, except your mind. Have some fun with it, and as long as you keep an open mind, that shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 10/14/01, Updated 10/14/01