San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing

"A real sense of speed"

A game based on the arcade can't be all that worth it, can it? I mean most arcades feature high quality enjoyment, but they aren't meant to last for more than a year. There are a few games that an exception. Rush is one of them. In this game you get twice the number of levels (now 6) and twice the number of cars. Cars include (from my own perception) BMW 7 series, Old Volkswagon Hippie van and beatle, Chevy Camaro, Mitsubishi Eclipse, and 2 exotics that I've never seen before. There was a ''Rush Alcatraz Edition'' Arcade that featured all the same levels as this N64 game with only 1 new car that's unavailable. Yes, you can play the rock on this game, but only with a cheat (a very hard one). Amazing how they can put so much and include it in an arcade. Wow that must be a first! A console game coming out before the arcade version. Now that the features are done, I'm gonna break down this game:

Graphics: 8/10
Hey the colors are a bit washed out and some textures seem more colorful than others. The fog is also a major issue(Why did they put the option of adding more fog?). The cars are well detailed and the windows on the car show whether you're in a tunnel or under the sky. Smoke from tires is extremely well done even though it's exaggerrated. It's hard to notice all the eye candy available when traveling at upwards of about 150mph. The buildings and scenery are nothing short of amazing. All the San Francisco Landmarks can be clearly seen (except for maybe the Golden Gate Bridge.) This game keeps a steady 30fps even in 2 player mode, with little to no slow-down.

Sound: 7/10
From the screech of your tires to the boats in the ferry everything sounds great. All the location specific sounds add great enjoyment. The sound of the cars however are all generally the same with only 2 distinguishing engines. Not that the engines sound bad at all, it just gets old after 50+ hours of game time. The music is catchy but gets old quick. You will find it not as good as the arcade, which gets me thinking why they couldn't have added it.

Gameplay: 10/10
This is one of the biggest highlights of the game. The course layouts are simply amazing and show the work of real talent at its finest. The different slopes from the tracks offer every single steepness and turn imaginable. From tons of shortcuts to rooftop jumps this game has it all. The dramatic air time this game offers is best described as exhilarating. It's almost like jumping off a virtual cliff. The game offers standard checkpoint races, and the inclusion of a circuit mode. In circuit mode you compete for first in all the tracks including mirror and even in different fog levels. You can also compete with a friend. Two-players can race with up to 6 opponents! Not many racing games even give you the option of an opponent. Keys are also located throughout each level which let you unlock stuff. The levels are so big that finding them will be a chore, but still fun. Oh btw, I still haven't found every single key or have gone through all the shortcuts. It's that big!

Control: 9/10
The control is dead on. It may seem as if the cars tend to be poor handlers, but that's only because of its arcade counterpart. With some practice executing moves will be as easy as pressing the throttle. The rumble pack also allows for the ''feeling'' of the car. Unlike most games, instead of just rumbling during crashes, the car lets you feel every turn and landing, which is great.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/15/02, Updated 06/15/02