Cruis'n USA
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| Cruis'n USA | |
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 Nintendo 64 cover art for Cruis'n USA |
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| Developer(s) | Midway Games (Arcade) Williams (Nintendo 64) |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Designer(s) | Eugene Jarvis (director) |
| Programmer(s) | Eric Pribyl (lead software) Carl Mey |
| Artist(s) | Xion Cooper Ted Barber |
| Composer(s) | Vince Pontarelli [1] |
| Series | Cruis'n |
| Platform(s) | Arcade Nintendo 64 Virtual Console |
| Release date(s) | Arcade
Virtual Console
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| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Arcade system | Midway V Unit |
| Display | Raster 512 x 400 resolution Horizontal orientation |
Cruis'n USA is an arcade racing game originally released in 1994. It was developed by Midway Games and published and distributed by Nintendo. It is the first game in the Cruis'n series and features locations around the United States.
Although Cruis'n USA was advertised as running on Ultra 64 hardware (based on the Nintendo 64's hardware), it was actually implemented on the Midway V-unit hardware. The hardware consisted of a TMS32031 CPU clocked at 50 MHz, an ADSP-2115 DSP clocked at 10 MHz for sound and a custom 3D chip that could render perspective-correct but unfiltered quads at a high resolution (512 x 400 pixels).
Along with Killer Instinct Gold, it was planned as a launch title for the Nintendo 64. Neither game made it out for Nintendo 64's launch, however, primarily because the arcade versions of both games were done on hardware that was very different and somewhat more powerful than the console. Cruis'n USA, although impressive in arcades in 1994, got panned in 1996 when it was finally released on the Nintendo 64 because the port was less polished than the arcade version and its technology had already been surpassed by other games.
It was released on Wii's Virtual Console in Europe on March 28, 2008, making it the first third party developed Nintendo 64 game to be released on the service. It became available on the Virtual Console in North America on March 31, 2008.
Gameplay
Like in most racing games, players race down one-way courses consisting of streets vaguely based on real-life locations. While racing, they do their best to avoid various road hazards such as oncoming traffic and construction. Players chose between seven different cars to race with. As in most racing games, the car can simulate either an automatic or manual transmission. Automatic increases the speed of gear shifts, while players using the manual transmission must switch during races. Players who reach first place move on to the next track, like in most racing games. Unlike most racing games, there is the option to change the music by pressing the music button. Cruis'n USA's car handling is also very twitchy when compared to other N64 racing games. Whenever you finish the game, you unlock either a new vehicle or a new color.
Cars
The cars in the game are given fictitious names as the developers did not get licenses to use their actual names. The following are the names of cars in the game, and their real-life names.
- Playable Cars
- '63 Muscle Car: 1963 Chevrolet Corvette (C2)
- La Bomba: De Luxe Ford
- Devastator IV: Mitsubishi Eclipse (Modified)
- Italia P69: Ferrari Testarossa
- Secret Cars
- ATV: Jeep Wrangler
- School Bus: GMC B-Series
- Police Car: Chevrolet Caprice
- Traffic
- Pick-Up Truck: Chevrolet C-10
- Big Truck: Kenworth T600
- Minivan: Dodge Caravan
- Car: Ford Mustang (first generation)
- Cruis'n USA Big Bus: MCI MC-9
- Fire Truck: Seagrave M
Courses
| Difficulty | Track Name |
| Easy | Golden Gate Park |
| Easy | US 101 |
| Easy | LA Freeway |
| Easy | Arizona |
| Medium | Beverly Hills |
| Medium | Death Valley |
| Medium | Iowa |
| Medium | Indiana |
| Medium | Appalachia |
| Expert | San Francisco |
| Expert | Redwood Forest |
| Expert | Grand Canyon |
| Expert | Chicago |
| Expert | Washington, D.C. |
Development
Along with Killer Instinct, the arcade original was promoted as running on Ultra 64 hardware, upon which a 64-bit Nintendo console of the same name would be released. However, both games actually ran on different custom hardware platforms. The final version of Nintendo's new console, now renamed the Nintendo 64, was different from and less powerful than the arcade hardware that ran Crus'n USA. As a result, Williams, the developers of the Nintendo 64 version had to downgrade most of the graphics in the home version. Originally announced as a launch title for the Nintendo 64, the game was delayed before the console's release due to the censorship issues.[2] During the last couple of months of development, people sent letters or emails about the censorship.[3]
References
- ^ Vince Pontarelli. "Vince Pontarelli Sound Designer & Composer". Vince Pontarelli. Retrieved 2012-02-16.
- ^ "Nintendo to censor Cruis'n". IGN.
- ^ "Results of Cruis'n USA Poll". IGN.
External links
- Cruis'n USA at the Killer List of Videogames
- Arcade History Database entry
- Cruis'n USA at MobyGames
- An old fan site from the nineties
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