this is hands down my favorite racing game of all time. I stopped playing new video games a while ago because they stopped making the genres that I like. Every game I've tried and hoped to like, the makers tried to make it too realistic. I don't want realism to get in the way of my fun.
Yeah, we would always go to the other person's house to play games on the systems we didn't have. I had the Sega Saturn and my friends had the N64 and PS1 but WE all ENJOYED playing games together and spending time playing something different. We would also go outside and play too.
My daycare had the arcade version as a kid and it was always one of those things that you had to line up for. I was the top highscore holder every time I played it. I had no idea that they made an N64 version. Might have to pick it up and see if I remember all of the shortcuts. I keep getting it mixed up with Exotica, which I kind of suck at and it's not impressing my friends at all. XD
Polar bears, seals, penguins, squids and Patagonian toothfish are all drinking beer right now. They also agree that your video reviews are awesome. Good times!
There was actually a secret track in this game that took place on the Moon, which Mark unfortunately didn't show. That sequence you saw there is what played right before you raced on said Moon track.
It's been a long time so my memory is hazy but I think PAL had more lines on the screen, but refreshed at 50hz rather than 60hz. If the game was converted properly it'd run fine (the Dreamcast was the 1st time we started getting a lot of proper conversions) but the slap dash conversions before that generally ran slower.
For peoples information the N64 wasnt region locked.It just had security tabs in the cartridge port preventing you from playing other region cartridges.PAL games happily worked on a USA and japanese system as well as japanese and USA games worked on the PAL system , once the tabs had been removed.
I'm not sure about PAL games. Like I said I did it with Japanese cartridges and US and Japan are both NTSC. The 50/60 Hz thing might be an issue with Pal games though.
Lest we forget, this game was designed/directed by Eugene Jarvis, best known for his games Defender, Defender II/Stargate, Robotron 2084, NARC, and Smash TV.
I played the American NTSC version on my American N64. I unlocked Power Levels 2-5 in Championship mode as well as Paint Job and Two-Tone. In Cruise The World mode, to advance to the next track you have to finish 3rd or better. Finishing 3rd or better on the Florida track (that being you finishing 3rd or better on the other tracks) unlocks the Moon track. Even if you finish 3rd or better on the Moon track, you've still beaten the game.
No, Techtic, I did not; it'd take me FOREVER to unlock the Speed Demon car, as well as Power Level 6. To get the Speed Demon car and Power Level 6, you have to accumulate 9,999 or more points in Championship mode. The Speed Demon is the fastest car in the game.
Technically, the N64 is region free. The only thing stopping cross region playing are the differently shaped back plates on the cartridges. You can easily swap out the back plates to play imports on US consoles. I did it with a few Japan carts.
I loved this Game! I used to Play it in the Arcade all the time...well...back when we HAD an Arcade :/ I got to say my favorite car in this Game was the 3 Wheeled pick up truck, I loved changing it's Color Scheme to " Rust " XD
I used to stay up all night playing this game with my cousins trying to unlock the speed demon and beating it in general.Now days I catch myself singing the songs more than caring about playing the game lol...Especially the theme song.
Surprised that this isn't simulation racing game since director Eugene Jarvis 4:47 is known for his realistic, deep simulations like his robot apocalypse simulator, Robotron 2084
do german games have an english option? i want to buy doshin the giant in amazon(dot)de but i don't know if there is an english option so can somebody reply please
I looooovvveeee this game!!!!! I hate race car games but this Cruis'N USA, Road Rash 2, Mario kart and a few other older games turned that hate into love lol! Thanx for this CGR
I like Cruis'n series. They are pretty fun games & I like these arcade type of racing games. Hopefully Mark finds/get's more games for N64, so that he could review them. I was suprised how many great games N64 has.
Yes there are... Mass Effect, Skyrim, Minecraft, Skyward Sword, Mario Galaxy, Xenoblade Chronicles, Bioshock, Batman Arkaham City/Asylium, just naming a few from the top of my head... maybe not the best games of all time but hell pretty damn memorable... I am a nostalgia person too, but I try not to be biased with new games comming out just because "they are not like they used to be" :)
The game did get a more cartoon like color palette with very basic and bold colors, but I still think this is my favorite of the series. This is the one I would play forever if I could only play one game in the series till the end of time. I loved USA and World everything since has been a pure betrayal.
I played this and Cruisin' USA in the arcades, and then my roommate got the new Ultra Super Nintendo (as I called it)... and I played these games 'till I had fully upgraded all the cars. I recently got my own N64 (they're cheaper now), and Cruisin' USA was the first cart I got. You don't like the music? It's my second favorite song, after "DAAAY-TONA!!"
You have to review RALLISPORT CHALLENGE 2 on the original Xbox. It's a highly underrated racing title. Great visuals and oddly enough, highly realistic crashes. The first game is good but the second is perfect. Please see if you can get your hands on a copy. I'd buy it for you if I could. Thanks for the great reviews.
Let's not kid ourselves there were plenty crappy generic games back then too, we just have a much better overview of the gems now. I also like how 'indie' games are much easier to access these last couple of years.
Interesting, I recall playing a game that visually looked a lot like this game in the arcade and I wasn’t even born during the time this was made, I suppose it was just an old cabinet at the pizza place.
I think my favorite (western) game of this type is still Cruisin' San Francisco... now that I'm older though, I should have expected entirely different gameplay elements..
Yhea during contests (by my favourite gaming magazine) you'd always see the nstc record and the pal record (nstc always being a lot quicker!) still don't get why it's faster though xD
In answer to your question, Mark, there are indeed elephants roaming loose around Germany. I stayed in Germany a few years back and the elephants were a real nuisance, standing on the local peoples' mullets as they tried to go about their business.
blasphemy, the music in this game was great
The late 90's and early 2000's had some of the best Arcade racers ever made. and the PS1, N64 and Dreamcast had some of the best ever made to date.
CHILDHOOD!!! Who here feels great nostalgia hearing the 'Checkpoint' sound?
My favorite racing game on the 64. God, the memories.
this is hands down my favorite racing game of all time. I stopped playing new video games a while ago because they stopped making the genres that I like. Every game I've tried and hoped to like, the makers tried to make it too realistic. I don't want realism to get in the way of my fun.
Yeah, we would always go to the other person's house to play games on the systems we didn't have. I had the Sega Saturn and my friends had the N64 and PS1 but WE all ENJOYED playing games together and spending time playing something different. We would also go outside and play too.
My daycare had the arcade version as a kid and it was always one of those things that you had to line up for. I was the top highscore holder every time I played it. I had no idea that they made an N64 version. Might have to pick it up and see if I remember all of the shortcuts. I keep getting it mixed up with Exotica, which I kind of suck at and it's not impressing my friends at all. XD
I played the arcade version of this a few months ago was pretty cool but the monitor was kinda dim. Just ordered this online for my N64.
Wow so much nostalgia. I played the shit out of this on my N64 as a kid. Even had a wheel with brake/gas pedals which was pretty badass.
Ah man , I played the Crusin' series throughout my childhood. Exotica and World were my favorites! Thanks for the upload Mark!
Man that song is pretty nostalgic to me now. This and Rush were so much fun on the n64.
Every Laundromat I've ever been to had this arcade cabinet. That Cruis'n theme song is the bane of my existence.
00:42 Massive pun over load. Awesome puns there Lord Karnage.
Fave N64 racer thanks for finally reviewing this game Mark! You rule!!
I used to play this a lot in the arcade near my house. Good times! I played it along Sega Rally, KOF 97 and Time Crisis.
Nostalgia to the max, loved playing this game back in the day!
4:46 The director, Eugene Jarvis, is also the designer of many classic Williams titles including Defender, Robotron 2084, and NARC.
I had a lot of fun playing this and also San Francisco Rush 2 on the N64.
I loved this racing game so much when I was a kid. This and cruising USA
I think this is why I spend more time digging through Pawn and Thrift shops for older Games than I do in Gamestop
man when that intro pops up I get super nostalgic lol
Polar bears, seals, penguins, squids and Patagonian toothfish are all drinking beer right now. They also agree that your video reviews are awesome. Good times!
The car that Mark was using at 3:13, reminded me so much of the Daihatsu Midget.
I wasn't that big on racing games but this was my favorite!
There was actually a secret track in this game that took place on the Moon, which Mark unfortunately didn't show.
That sequence you saw there is what played right before you raced on said Moon track.
It's one of the most unique looking of all time, that's for sure.
It's been a long time so my memory is hazy but I think PAL had more lines on the screen, but refreshed at 50hz rather than 60hz. If the game was converted properly it'd run fine (the Dreamcast was the 1st time we started getting a lot of proper conversions) but the slap dash conversions before that generally ran slower.
The music's not dreadful, the music's Bussin ..
Thank you!!! 🤩
For peoples information the N64 wasnt region locked.It just had security tabs in the cartridge port preventing you from playing other region cartridges.PAL games happily worked on a USA and japanese system as well as japanese and USA games worked on the PAL system , once the tabs had been removed.
That music brings back memories.
Mark! I'm surprised you didn't mention this is a Eugene Jarvis game! You love Robotron!
Hey, I've played the arcade version at Jersey Mikes!
I'm not sure about PAL games. Like I said I did it with Japanese cartridges and US and Japan are both NTSC. The 50/60 Hz thing might be an issue with Pal games though.
Funny how Mark constantly praises how fun this game is, yet he shit all over Cruis'n USA. Was there that much improvement between the two?
Sam x yes, yes it was.
Thank you! There were improvements here and there but the driving was similar.
Sam x Yes. This was massively improved.
I'm curious, do contributors lend you the games/consoles or do they donate them?
lol that wasn't an elephant sound that was a group of singers going ahhhhhhhhh together its in a eurotrance song aswell but i forgot the name of it
Lest we forget, this game was designed/directed by Eugene Jarvis, best known for his games Defender, Defender II/Stargate, Robotron 2084, NARC, and Smash TV.
The Germany level's music gives me goosebumps to this day. I god damn LOVE it :>
Was this the one with the Stonehenge level with UFO's in the background?
So, one of the games I played the most during my childhood and still own gets reviewed and it was sent in from my hometown? Small World.
What a jump from one game to its sequel! Mark hated the first game, but he gushed over this one.
Did you ever play the arcade version. Man, that was a trip!
isnt pal supposed to be abit higher quaility? ive always found it to be abit clearer and usualy abit smoother running
this was my second game for my N64 back in the day, 1st one being super mario 64 ;3 such great memories.....
I played the American NTSC version on my American N64. I unlocked Power Levels 2-5 in Championship mode as well as Paint Job and Two-Tone. In Cruise The World mode, to advance to the next track you have to finish 3rd or better. Finishing 3rd or better on the Florida track (that being you finishing 3rd or better on the other tracks) unlocks the Moon track. Even if you finish 3rd or better on the Moon track, you've still beaten the game.
No, Techtic, I did not; it'd take me FOREVER to unlock the Speed Demon car, as well as Power Level 6. To get the Speed Demon car and Power Level 6, you have to accumulate 9,999 or more points in Championship mode. The Speed Demon is the fastest car in the game.
i have this game for my n64 and i never noticed the supra in this game had a duel rear wind screen. damn it mark!!!
Technically, the N64 is region free. The only thing stopping cross region playing are the differently shaped back plates on the cartridges. You can easily swap out the back plates to play imports on US consoles. I did it with a few Japan carts.
I actually miss crazy games like this they were fun.
I loved this Game! I used to Play it in the Arcade all the time...well...back when we HAD an Arcade :/ I got to say my favorite car in this Game was the 3 Wheeled pick up truck, I loved changing it's Color Scheme to " Rust " XD
I used to stay up all night playing this game with my cousins trying to unlock the speed demon and beating it in general.Now days I catch myself singing the songs more than caring about playing the game lol...Especially the theme song.
i remember playin this at my local movie theater all the time when i was a kid
back then those games were fresh and they weren't shoved down our throats like they are being right now
Surprised that this isn't simulation racing game since director Eugene Jarvis 4:47 is known for his realistic, deep simulations like his robot apocalypse simulator, Robotron 2084
I still have this game :' ) Good Times
This game rocks I still have this game and still love it
I never played the Cruis'n N64 games back in the day because they had terrible reviews in most of the magazines. But now I love them.
Just noticed that the gun metal car looks like a 1st gen Mitsubishi 3000GTO :D
do german games have an english option?
i want to buy doshin the giant in amazon(dot)de but i don't know if there is an english option
so can somebody reply please
Racing on the moon was always fun!
Will you review Crusin Exotica for the N64?
He did. Said the complete opposite of his review here
Hey Mark, just as a curious question, whats your favorite beer?
I looooovvveeee this game!!!!! I hate race car games but this Cruis'N USA, Road Rash 2, Mario kart and a few other older games turned that hate into love lol! Thanx for this CGR
I like Cruis'n series.
They are pretty fun games & I like these arcade type of racing games.
Hopefully Mark finds/get's more games for N64, so that he could review them.
I was suprised how many great games N64 has.
CGR should have its own Local Broadcast channel.
And how did you notice notice the flaming cooling towers in the Russia track?
I love the intro to this game lol
Yes there are... Mass Effect, Skyrim, Minecraft, Skyward Sword, Mario Galaxy, Xenoblade Chronicles, Bioshock, Batman Arkaham City/Asylium, just naming a few from the top of my head... maybe not the best games of all time but hell pretty damn memorable... I am a nostalgia person too, but I try not to be biased with new games comming out just because "they are not like they used to be" :)
awesome review as always :)
The game did get a more cartoon like color palette with very basic and bold colors, but I still think this is my favorite of the series. This is the one I would play forever if I could only play one game in the series till the end of time. I loved USA and World everything since has been a pure betrayal.
I liked the future cruis'n game, they had a stunt mode that my friends and I were addicted to, heavily, withdrawls and all.
+Hijynx87 You might be thinking of Rush 2049
Yup. A lot of Chuck-E-Cheeses had Cruisin' USA, Hydro Thunder, and Star Wars Episode 1: Racer too from what I remember.
I played this and Cruisin' USA in the arcades, and then my roommate got the new Ultra Super Nintendo (as I called it)... and I played these games 'till I had fully upgraded all the cars.
I recently got my own N64 (they're cheaper now), and Cruisin' USA was the first cart I got.
You don't like the music? It's my second favorite song, after "DAAAY-TONA!!"
PS1, PS2, PS3, Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis had the best controllers ever.
You have to drift all the turns in this game, it steers way smooth.
Mark has an amazing voice.
There's a difference - back then they were actually different and had different games... unlike now, where fanboys are fanboys just because.
Yet it's the one I had the most fun playing as a kid. Ah, rose-colored glasses...
jogo fantástico, maravilhoso !!!! saudades do tempo q eu jogava cruis´n usa no fliperama. foi uma tempo de ouro em minha vida !!!!
this music reminds me of sonic racing. i swear that's the same singer!
You have to review RALLISPORT CHALLENGE 2 on the original Xbox. It's a highly underrated racing title. Great visuals and oddly enough, highly realistic crashes. The first game is good but the second is perfect. Please see if you can get your hands on a copy. I'd buy it for you if I could. Thanks for the great reviews.
Played this game in the acrades in the 90's. The N64 port was okay at best. Would love to play the arcade version one day!
Lets hear it for Applied Science Saturdays!!!
we need more n64 games and another themed week :3
Dude, thats a pretty dope doctors office
Did they run in fullscreen and 60Hz?
christmas '98. This was my game!
Let's not kid ourselves there were plenty crappy generic games back then too, we just have a much better overview of the gems now. I also like how 'indie' games are much easier to access these last couple of years.
Wow, directed by the guy who made Defender, the best video game ever kiddies.
Faxanadu for NES. one of the most underrated games of all time. Get your hands on a copy.
I like how ASS is driving through what looks like a colon at 4.01! :)
I like to switch it up here and there. Go from first person shooter to third person shooter. Really changes the gaming experience.
Interesting, I recall playing a game that visually looked a lot like this game in the arcade and I wasn’t even born during the time this was made, I suppose it was just an old cabinet at the pizza place.
I think my favorite (western) game of this type is still Cruisin' San Francisco... now that I'm older though, I should have expected entirely different gameplay elements..
It was great for some genres, bad for others.
I never had a problem with the analog. Very comfortable and it didn´t degrade or broke
Also, you race on the moon! With a tricycle! That does backflips!
Yhea during contests (by my favourite gaming magazine) you'd always see the nstc record and the pal record (nstc always being a lot quicker!) still don't get why it's faster though xD
This looks super fun!
That´s the best region lock protection ever! I wish the 3DS was the same...
In answer to your question, Mark, there are indeed elephants roaming loose around Germany. I stayed in Germany a few years back and the elephants were a real nuisance, standing on the local peoples' mullets as they tried to go about their business.
Is this the game that's always in arcades and chuckie cheese(used to be)