Cruis'n World

"THANK GOD IT'S BETTER THAN CRUIS'N USA!!!"

Again Nintendo brought another of the Cruis'n series games home, Cruis'n World, but again the question was how will it be compared to the great arcade version and the horrible (in my opinion) Cruis'n USA for Nintendo 64? There were definitely skeptics and I was one of them!

Game play

Much better than Cruis'n USA! They have added some great stuff to Cruis'n World that wasn't in the original Cruis'n USA and also some things that weren't even in the arcade version! In single player mode you race around the world tracks collecting points. When you win enough races and points you can get new paint jobs, secret cars, upgrades, etc. The great multi-player that made the first Cruis'n awesome is back! Now a four player race to the finish! The control was a little touchy but nothing you couldn't get used to after racing once or twice. They added two new moves with the car. In the original you could give yourself a temporary boost by tapping the gas. That is back plus being able to pop wheelies and drive on two wheels. If you pop a wheelie and go over a jump your car will do a somersault. If you are driving sideways on two wheels and go off a jump your car will do a barrel role. In one player mode this gives you extra points. The new tracks provide a lot of variety with new obstacles and jumps. There are some cool little cheats thrown in also. In this case, the second is better than the first!

Video/Audio

Definitely better than it's predecessor. The graphics are much better. It doesn't have that slopped together over the weekend feel. Better detail on the cars, backgrounds, and people at the end of the race. Cruis'n is known for its backgrounds, because of the great detail and the diversity of them. In the first everything was fuzzy and there was about zero detail. The music is about average. New songs for each track, and some funny sound effects when you hit bugs or cows.

Replay

Nintendo finally got their act together with this one. Four player action always makes you want to play with your friends. The secret cars and new paint jobs should keep you busy as well. Make sure you have a lot of friends lined up and ready! Replay finally comes through on this game!

Buy or rent?

With the new options, much better graphics and sound, and the addition of the four player rumble, this game definitely deserves a look, if not a buy.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/21/00, Updated 11/21/00