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DEVELOPER
Midway
PUBLISHER
Midway
AVAILABLE
Now
MEDIUM
Cartridge
PLAYERS
Two
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 he
racing genre is one of the most fundamental to the videogame world. It's
the ultimate virtual reality: driving a car at death defying speeds while
battering against building walls and smashing into unanticipated obstacles
along the way, all in order to make it across that finish line first. It
is a simple concept that, over the years, has been dramatically improved
both in terms of aesthetics and in terms of sheer playability. The simplistic
designs of such games as the original Pole Position and Rad Racer have
now accustomed themselves to the 64-bit age, where polygons rule and sound
effects sway.
Without a doubt the advancements of polygonal technologies have improved
the racing genre. Instead of flat and mundane 2D obstacles such as undefined
trees and bushes on the side of the road, we're now given the ability to
traverse vast landscapes, overflowing with skyscrapers, long bridges, traffic
jams, and spattered with the occasional mob of casual bystanders. Developers
these days can even design massive tracks based on real cities, recognizable
for their tourist rich landmarks and scenic panoramas.
Welcome to San Francisco. A city filled with buildings, hills, bridges,
and thousands of people. What better place to host a bunch of lunatics
racing their cars at top speeds? Sounds fun, huh? Well, it is. You're given
six tracks and eight cars to race till your heart's content. Which sounds
great...if this is your style of racing.
Intensity, raw intensity, is what makes a racing game worth playing.
The dizzying speeds of SF Rush, augmented by the reckless abandon of the
opposing cars, yields an incredible experience that will have you on the
edge of your seat. And this is where I felt SF Rush faltered. See, I prefer
games in the vein of Ridge Racer or Daytona, where the racing is all fast-paced,
but where you're given a great deal of control, and, despite the damage
your car displays, it's all very realistic in design. SF Rush is slower
than the two aforementioned games, the control is quite limited, and having
your car flying in the air off of a sloped hill for 3 or 4 seconds at a
time is commonplace. And while this doesn't exactly suit my style of racing,
I'm aware that a vast majority of Nintendo 64 owners will love it.
The graphics in SF Rush range from very good to outstanding. The roads
and the surrounding scenery all look very clear, and the game makes good
use of vibrant colors on the cars. You will also find that the sky is reflected
off the cars' windows really well, and you'll be hard pressed to find many
instances of pop-up. Of coarse there are the trademark N64 graphical effects
to be found that smooth out the polygons (which to me make all the N64
games look so similar), but SF Rush easily displays the best usage of the
N64 technology in a racer so far. I think the only complaints I had with
the graphics were that some of the buildings looked a little bland and
that the title screen was pure cheese. Other than that I'd say Midway did
an admiral job in converting the arcade game.
The sound is a completely different story. As painful as it may be,
do you remember the grating tunes in Cruis'n USA? Those sound decent compared
to what you have to deal with in SF Rush; 'nuff said. The sound effects
are pretty basic, maybe a little too basic. There are only a few different
effects for your car when smashing into other objects and it would have
been nice to hear a little more variety in them. So if the fancy graphics
can perhaps cause you to overlook the filler background tunes and basic
sounds you'll be all set.
Control-wise the game is fine, although, as I stated earlier, limited.
I found that you really don't end up doing all that much in the course
of a race, except keep steady and take a turn here and there. It does take
a while to make a turn though, when at high speeds, so you really have
to let off gas at times. One of the neat aspects of the game is that often
you will be launched in the air off of hills and you'll have a while to
sit back and enjoy your in-flight complimentary bag of peanuts. It's quite
funny to watch, really. One thing I should mention is that whenever you
really smack an object hard your car will blow up, and it'll place you
(with a new car) back on the track in a similar fashion to Mario Kart.
San Francisco Rush does exactly what it should; it makes for a great
racing experience. And while it won't suit everyone, Midway did a great
job in delivering a translation of the arcade game that would cater to
their audience perfectly. This game will sell millions of copies, and it
will do terrific on the rental charts. I know that, you know that, and
most importantly, Midway knows that. So if you enjoyed the arcade version,
or if you're looking to pick up the best N64 racer to date, as Midway states
on the back of the box, "Feel the Rush!!"
-- Sam Kennedy
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