Cruis'n

"Awful production values, but still really fun."

This past semester at college I sunk many many quarters in the arcade version of this exact game and thought it was one fun racing game. For some reason they took the machine out recently and that left me pretty sad, BUT I got a home version of it.

The arcade version was known as the Fast and The Furious but make no mistake: it IS a Cruis'n game at heart. It feels like they took the Cruis'n game play and feel and slapped the F&tF name on it, put an upgrade system in it and made it more of an urban/street racing theme. They have "Race Wars" level and the LA Ghetto. So it really does feel like a mix in ways and not so much like the old Cruis'n games in theme.

The sad thing about this port is that the production values are AWFUL. Everything loads SO slowly. Each level takes 45 seconds to load (no joke). Everything takes one second to load, change your color: 1 second wait, change the music: one second wait (Even during game play!). There are some obvious glitches etc, but then again this is a $30 budget title and not the $5000 arcade machine. I was a bit disappointed my name doesn't show up as the license plate like in the arcade. This feels more like a side game to the Cruis'n series.

The surprising part is that the graphics ARE really nice. Very clean and crystal clear and in Cruis'n style. Nothing wrong with them at all, they look good. I know that pre-release screen shots made everyone think this game would look bad but that couldn't be further from the truth. It is apparently widescreen and 480p capable and looks almost HD.

The controls are great, they're Wii Remote motion controlled and actually simulate the racing wheel (Can't wait for the Wii Wheel from Mario Kart and this game).

The best part though is that the game is still FUN like the arcade game. I can't seem to get into all those realistic racing games like Gran Turismo but this game is actually FUN. Turbos and flips and stunts are just fun to pull off.
Customizing is also a nice addition albeit pulled from the fast and the furious concept.

All in all this game makes you pay for that extra $20 that you're not paying by long load times and lost production values. You definitely feel like you're playing a Cruis'n game in a Fast and the Furious universe without the characters from the movies. A really addicting game that is worth playing if you are a fan of the series.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/30/07

Game Release: Cruis'n (US, 11/27/07)