Cruis’n World

Developer: Eurocom (Port), Midway (Arcade Original) Publisher: Nintendo

Released: September 30, 1998 Rated: E 6/10

N64 port specialists Eurocom take the wheel on this second Cruis’n release on the N64. The natural progression of “first the United States, then the world” is no surprise, but with more variety in the tracks, more cars to choose from, and a bit more polish, particularly compared to the oft-derided downgrade Cruis’n USA’s port brought to the system two years prior, Midway’s choice of the path of least resistance can be taken in stride. Like with many titles they’d be credited with both in this book and in general regarding the system, Eurocom themselves are largely just caretakers, and that’s probably as true as ever here, as much of what’s here for this port to be judged on are largely from whatever Midway had come up with for tracks and their accompanying design choices for the arcade machine.

Starting off with the two main game modes available, the arcade’s Cruise the World mode is joined by a console-exclusive Championship mode, with the former delivering the checkpoint-laden, start to finish style racing the Cruis’n games typically use for that “90 seconds of adrenaline” style sprint gameplay. The latter mode redesigns the tracks into a circuit style for more familiar but more competitive multi-race events. This mode is also the key to unlocking the fairly large selection of cars that Cruis’n World has on offer, with some of the more offbeat ones and those inspired by their respective tracks being locked behind challenges in the championship mode. These include a double decker bus in London and a Mini Cooper in Paris, while the full standard mix of sports cars, muscle cars, trucks and more that Midway seems to have ready to go is also on offer with paint options as well. The 1957 Chevy Bel Air can be easily turned into Thumper from Twisted Metal with a nice shade of pink.

The gameplay hasn’t evolved or changed much from what Cruis’n USA felt like, even with a new studio handling the project this time. Lay right into the accelerator for pretty much the whole time, and be careful with the herky-jerky steering that barely acknowledges the minutiae of the analog stick. There are some stunts and boosts this time around, letting players hit jumps or pull off some tight near-misses, but controls are still far from the tightness or depth of something like World Driver Championship or even another arcade racer with better feel like Beetle Adventure Racing. Physics are arguably even sillier than before, which ensures that the action often keeps moving forward, although occasionally you’ll find yourself in a complete pile-up as the slingshot ricochets see several cars bouncing between the barriers and each other until the momentum finally dies off.

Space Truckin’ (easiest caption I’ve ever written)

No, when it comes to Cruis’n World’s improvements and memorable aspects, this is all about the presentation, and while Midway’s scope and interpretation of the locales they’ve chosen is hit-and-miss, the crafted nature of the short but sweet track design often allows for decently specific design in this manner. Sometimes predictable or stereotypical, sometimes not Egypt carries you over sand dunes and past pyramids as you might expect, while Hawaii transitions quickly from a sunny coastal mountainside to a long underwater glass tunnel that gives a lovely view beneath the waves. Vince Pontarelli’s return as composer works hand in hand with this exact design philosophy, which is actually a big highlight of the game. The guitar-laden jams of Cruis’n USA return as a basis for a portion of the soundtrack, but the worldly nature of the environments is reflected in more ethnically-inspired compositions and backing tracks. This doesn’t mean you simply get “Korobeiniki” when you’re racing through Russia, though, as there’s still a very modern, driving backbeat across many of these tracks, even if they attempt for a more subdued, chill vibe. Germany offers up some pretty speedy techno with “Shifter,” while removing the vocals from Egypt’s “Cairo Cruis’n” wouldn’t feel out of place in Paper Mario’s Dry Dry Desert chapter. Certified shredder “Redline Shuffle” from Cruis’n USA even gets a new composition for Italy’s track with “Cruis’n Shuffle,” and overall it’s a very strong, very varied bit of OST composition that serves as a real highlight here, especially when the other sound design like engine noise, collisions, and “ambient” sound effects like squawking birds of paradise in Hawaii are extremely jarring by comparison.

Most of the China track takes place along the Great Wall, a narrow, bumpers-up twisting bowling lane of a track that opens up into statue-lined courtyards and gardens.

A strong middle ground between simply porting the arcade game or repackaging the whole thing to fit the hardware, Cruis’n World is probably the best and fullest package of the three Cruis’n titles, as well as its cousin titles like California Speed and Off Road Challenge. Although I wouldn’t say it’s a must-have collection piece if you already have another title in or related to the series, it’s likely the best option if you don’t, and either way, worth popping over to YouTube to hear the unspoiled music tracks.