Cruis'n Exotica - Nintendo - http://maxpages.com/supern/Crusin

By now you're either a fan of the "Cruis'n" series or you're not. It's that simple really. But there are probably some who aren't up to speed on this wacky line of arcade racers from Midway. In that case, prepare to meet Cruis'n Exotica -- heading straight from the arcades and onto your N64. Maybe you just need a little convincing on whether or not to grab this title the next time you're at the software store. Or maybe you hate all N64 racing games and are looking for a good candidate to scorn in disgust. If either of these scenarios is true, then we suggest you keep reading for the full scoop.
This latest effort in the Cruis'n series makes game number three to bear the familiar name, and unfortunately that means it also bears everything else that comes along with it. Exotica features a nearly identical gameplay experience when compared to its previous two versions: Cruis'n USA and Cruis'n World. Not much has changed since the first title was released at the launch of the system back in 1996, and that right there spells certain doom for this latest title. Once again we find only a few extra little touches to help differentiate this sequel as something "new" for gamers. The question is, will that be enough to convince even the biggest of fans to purchase? Let's find out.

The Facts

One to four players simultaneous.
Three modes of play: Cruis'n Challenge (drag-race, time trials), Cruis'n Freestyle (practice), and Cruis'n Exotica (arcade).
Six selectable crazy drivers, including a baby and a clown.
Thirty exotic vehicles including 12 default and 18 secret.
Twelve new tracks with a total of 48 variations.
Tracks ranging from Korea, Atlantis, Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Alaska, India, Holland, Ireland, The Amazon, Tibet and Mars.
Four preset controller settings.
Three difficulties: easy, medium, and hard.
Enter your name and save your progress via in-game EEPROM.
Players can work to unlock new game modes, extra cars, tracks, etc., by earning mileage from driving.
Viewable course records saved directly to the cart.
Rumble Pak support
Gameplay
As mentioned, if you're already familiar with the Cruis'n games, then you have a great understanding of how Cruis'n Exotica plays as well. You already know that it fits right in there with nearly every other Midway racer such as San Francisco Rush 2049 and Stunt Racer 64. Except that for what each of these games does well, Exotica simply does the complete opposite and truly disappoints in comparison.
Of the three modes of play, gamers will spend the majority of their time racing in the arcade mode, which is based on the recent quarter-guzzler of the same name. If you were very bored during recent years and spent a lot of time with this game in the arcade, then you'll be pleased to know that developer Gratuitous Games has decided to mix things up a bit. The game plays very similar to its arcade predecessor, but a few tweaks have been made to things such as course layout and hidden vehicles. If that's enough to earn your gaming buck, then so be it. But honestly, it still doesn't help the fact that the game is ultimately the same mediocre title it has been for so many years.

Play begins with the standard menu options such as "Choose your car" and "Select your transmission." One nice touch is the ability to enter your name in one of eight save spots that will track your progress throughout the course of the game. This includes your course records and total miles that you've raced. As you continue to rack up miles, you'll be awarded things such as bonus cars, hidden game modes, etc. This is really only a function of time -- meaning, the longer you play the game, the more miles you will have, thus the more secrets you will unlock. Not terribly challenging, but it does offer a faint reason to keep playing the game once you get bored of it. And trust us -- unless you are extremely young or easily impressed, you will get bored of it.

The courses are laid out in typical arcade-racing style with long, sweeping turns to the right and left alternating every couple seconds. Throughout the game you'll race by some neat looking (albeit graphically poor) scenery and locales all over the world such as deserts, forests, cities, and even ocean floors. The style of each course is actually a nice touch, and each has a distinct feel too keep things interesting. But without jumping the gun here, lets just say they're not going to impress you with their visuals.

The featured cars are, of course, just as screwy as you might expect. You'll find everything from cop cars, to hippy vans, to forklifts as your choices for hitting the road. All vehicles have a few minor statistics such as acceleration, weight, etc., to help you select your favorite, but there's really no telling them apart once you start the action. The entire game races just as fast and haphazardly if you pick one over the other, so it really comes down to a choice of personality more than anything else.

As far as controlling your hotrod goes, the A button accelerates, B brakes, and honestly there really isn't much else to know. Just grab the control stick and bank it left and right, and you're set. But once you figure out that double tapping the accelerator will give you a never-ending supply of nitro boost, the game pretty much ceases to be a challenge.

And what's even better is when you learn that boosting straight into the back of an opposing car will cause you to do a "Super Flip." One would think that ramming another vehicle might cause you to spin out, but instead this amazing feat will send you hurling through the air and soaring ahead of the pack. And to top it all off, you are even awarded one second of bonus time to your checkpoint total. So basically, gameplay comes down to repeatedly mashing the A button and keeping a steady horizontal thumb on the analog stick. Only a few games that are this basic in design are ever any fun, and sadly Cruis'n Exotica isn't one of them.

Again -- very, very simple gameplay here, so hardcore racing fans should already be slowly backing away. You basically just plow your way through each course, not really caring if you smash into other cars or mow down obstacles since you are hardly penalized for such actions. If you have a younger sibling that is always bugging you to play the old N64, then this title is a safe one that should keep them glued to the screen for quite a while.

Graphics
Yuck. Yuck, yuck, yuck. We have one word to describe these visuals, and you've just heard it four times in a row. Midway claims to have worked very diligently to improve the look of this latest Cruis'n title, but we honestly wouldn't know it from playing it. Perhaps if you sit way back and squint, the game looks stellar. But one good look up close and every grainy texture and simple model will smack you right in the face.

One thing must be said though -- Midway promised an improvement in the framerate department, and they did indeed deliver. The game rarely chops or slows down below 30 frames per second, but at what a price indeed. Cruis'n Exotica rivals some of the worst racers on the system when it comes to the infamous "pop-up." Except in this game, a more appropriate name for it would be "fade-in." Hills, buildings, canyon walls -- you name it, and this game will surprise you by magically popping it onto your screen at the last second, instead of smoothly scrolling into view from afar. The best example is the underwater "Atlantis" stage where giant whales will suddenly "poof" into existence as your race under them. We're not sure if this was intentional or not, but our bet is no.

Sound
If this game is ever going to do anything satisfactory, it will probably be in the sound department. The same great arcade tunes have made it into the home version, complete with nice voice samples such as the Shaft-inspired, "Can you dig it?" and "Right on," looped into the opening theme. The game features some nice sounding instruments for all of its various tunes, but fail to impress to the point of getting stuck in your head once you kill the power. And this game is really more about the music than the sound effects. Engines are barely audible and consist of a "dull moan" more than anything else. And you'll be hard pressed to hear any other effects as you crash through barricades and into other cars. They're there, but the noises won't thrill you, either.

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Page Updated Mon Dec 23, 2002 6:58pm EST