San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing

"Zero gravity, zero realism, and, well, a lot of fun!"

In 1997, a totally out of control, gravity-defying, reckless driving game went from arcades to N64. And it was incredible. Totally incredible. Was it really as good as people thought? Let us see if it was great.

Gameplay – It’s a different type of racing. It is one hundred percent arcade racing, because it is absolutely wild. You would think that you were in San Francisco, but you would think that it was impossible because the cars just absolutely violate the very laws of motion. Normally those cars stick to the ground – but not here! The game has six tracks, plus a secret hidden track, not to mention eight cars plus three cars that you can retrieve through collecting six to eight keys in each level.

Graphics – Okay, some of the cars look eerily like actual cars. For example, one of the Extreme cars looks a lot like a Lamborghini Countach. One of the secret cars is even a Formula 1 style car, but that thing does not stick to the ground. And I also have something to say: the graphics look pretty realistic, like the buildings. You’d sort of think that you really were in San Francisco. It’s almost as if Nintendo would say, “We wanted to make everything real, but we wanted to preserve the arcade style.” And I would have believed them.

Sounds – They are good. The engines sound the same, but it’s still pretty good. Unfortunately, I hate that music. I am not a fan of eighties music and this game’s music is not any help. But then again, does that suit the style of this game?

Multiplayer – There is no four-player mode, you are limited to only two players, but you can do every single mode: there is no major change between the one-player and two-player mode, except that the number of rivals decreases by two. Personally, I think that is pretty good. And I am very, very serious. No kidding.

Lasting Appeal – The six to eight keys are a lot of help. And you can definitely find some shortcuts here – but can you get to them without your car exploding? And, well, the lasting appeal in this game is extremely good. Absolutely incredible.

Overall Scores

Gameplay – Very well presented. 9.0
Graphics – Just about at the point of realism. JUST ABOUT. 8.0
Sounds – I hate that stupid music! I despise it! But the sounds are OK. 5.0
Multiplayer – Not much difference between one-player and two-player. 9.0
Lasting Appeal – Decent. But more than decent. 8.0

FINAL SCORE (averaged) – 7.8
What I would say about it - 7.9
Overall score - 7.9

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/07/00, Updated 03/07/00