San Francisco Rush 2049

"THIS is racing?"

There are some amazing racing titles out there. Like the San Fransisco Rush series, by Midway. IMO, this is perhaps the best racing series ever! However, even the best racers can be horrid on a portable. Well, as you can guess, this is TERRIBLE on a portable system, and it really puts a stain on the whole Rush series...

Story 0/10- You race cars.

Graphics 3/10- Not bad, but it could really use an improvement. I've seen plenty of GBC games that outclass this graphically speaking, and for those games, the gameplay was even worse!

Gameplay 1/10- Sadly, the normally solid gameplay of Rush took a trip down the toilet! I can't even begin to tell you how hard the game is to control. For example, if you move the control pad, your car does a complete circle, and never really turns! This makes the game very frustrating, as you always spin out or fall off, etc. Or, if you try to turn, you crash into another car. This doesn't sound too bad, but in the GBC version of the game, once you crash, you virtually lose the race!

Another problem with this game is that there is so few courses. I mean, I understand that this is a GBC game, but there are only 8 small tracks! Also, there is a unforgivable amount of cars. Only 4! This makes the game extremely, extremely limited. Why would you want to race when everything can be played with in less than 20 minutes?

Finally, there is multiplayer, which adds a little bit of fun. But not much. When doing multiplayer, you still have to deal with cars and the horrific control! The turn-out is exactly like the single-player: you almost never finish a race, since you are always crashing!

And one more thing that really makes the game bomb: the three-quarters view. Again, I understand that this is a GBC game, but I have seen many decent GBC racers that are 'behind the racer', so to speak. This view alone causes many of the game's flaws, including the horrific controls. The view alone makes this game, sadly, garbage.

Sound 1/10- The only sounds you hear are the mild screeches of the cars.

Music 2/10- A few tunes are somewhat enjoyable, but overall, this music is as bad as the sound!

Verdict-

Story 0/10
Graphics 3/10
Gameplay 1/10
Sound 1/10
Music 2/10
Multiplayer 2/10
Replay Value 0/10

Pros:
Fairly good graphics.
Music is good at times.

Cons:
No replay value whatsoever.
Controls are straight from... you know where!
Horrific view.

Final Word- I apologize if this review is excessively negative, but there really are not any redeeming qualities to this game. It is terrible as a racer, and it really shouldn't be worthy of the GBC title. If you really, really want a stab at this game, rent it. But overall, it failed; sadly:-(

Reviewer's Score: 1/10, Originally Posted: 11/24/02, Updated 11/24/02