Let's go Cruis'n now, everybody's Learn'n how . . .
At the game's title screen you have two options. First, if you want to adjust the game options, hit the B button. On the ensuing options menu there are a number of game functions that you can alter, including adjusting the Music Volume, adjusting the Sound FX Volume, adjusting the 2-Player Sound function (Split L/R or Combined), adjusting the game's Difficulty (between levels 1-5), toggling Racers on/off, toggling Traffic on/off, toggling Metric on/off, Center Screen, Controller Setup (personalize the controls for both players one and two, toggle between a few presets, and adjust the steering sensitivity), Pak Copy, and Return to Game.
Your other option at the title screen is to press the Start button and get in to the game! After pressing said Start button you'll be asked to create or load a saved game file. Once you've done this you'll then be taken to the main menu of the game, although it's not really a traditional type of main menu. Basically all the game mode options in this title are laid out in graphic form across the screen. In the top middle of the screen you'll find the game's one and only true game mode, represented by the image of a map of the United States. In this mode you are tasked with driving all the way from the San Francisco area on the West Coast, to Washington, D.C. on the East Coast. This long journey breaks down in to 14 separate races, which are titled as follows (in order): Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, U.S. 101, Redwood Forest, Beverly Hills, L.A. Freeway, Death Valley, Arizona, Grand Canyon, Iowa, Chicago, Indiana, Appalachia, and Washington, D.C. To successfully complete each race segment in this journey you must finish in first place, if you finish any lower you are forced to race the same segment again until you win (luckily there are unlimited continues!). When you finally make it all the way across the country and win the race in Washington, you receive your overall cross country time, plus the vehicle you used is given an upgrade, making it a fair amount faster (you can upgrade each vehicle in the game up to three times, by completing this game mode on the easiest, middle, and hardest difficulty levels). And that pretty much sums up this main mode of the game!
Back to the main menu, starting at the top left of the screen and heading towards the bottom, then going across the bottom of the screen left to right, and finally going up to the top of the right side of the screen, you'll see icons representing ten of the various races you take part in during the previous game mode I just described. Here you can simply pick any of these individual races and have a meaningless, one off contest in the area of your choice. Note that these races must first be completed in the previous game mode before they become available for play in this mode. These races include (starting at top left and working way around): Death Valley (Medium), Iowa (Medium), L.A. Freeway (Easy), U.S. 101 (Easy), Arizona (Easy), Chicago (Expert), Grand Canyon (Expert), Redwood Forest (Expert), Appalachia (Medium) and Beverly Hills (Medium).
The third and final icon you'll see on the main menu is a bar of questions marks smack dab in the middle of the screen. When you choose this option all of the race details are determined for you by the game, both your vehicle and the race. This mode is just a randomizer, getting you in to a race in the quickest way possible.
It's important to note at this point that on most game screens in Cruis'n U.S.A. you can press the B button to visit that game options screen, it isn't just accessible from the game's title screen. A lot of the time it's better to access the options once you've loaded your game, as any changes you make will then be recorded to your respective game save file. It's also important to note that these game modes I've summarized work exactly the same with two players. When you do the cross country challenge with two players it's the player with the overall fastest coast to coast time who gets the vehicle upgrade.
There are a few game screens that are worth mentioning, which you'll come across during your time playing Cruis'n U.S.A. First of all, when you select any of these game modes I've discussed the next thing you'll have to do is select what type of transmission you'd like to use, automatic or manual. After making this selection you'll then be taken to a screen that looks like a garage, containing the four vehicles available for play in this game (you won't see this screen on the randomizer mode). Here you can scroll through said vehicles and view their statistics, including their name, top speed, skidpad, aerocoeff, 0-60mph, and power. After selecting a vehicle you are then taken to your race. Now, upon completion of a race a hot chick holding a trophy will appear if you win. After this display you are taken to a screen that has a map of the United States as it's backdrop, displayed will be your final race time compared with that race's ultimate record time. If your finishing time is within the top ten you will then be taken to a screen where you can enter your initials on a license plate, your license plate will be hung on the list of record times. I should probably also take this time to mention the pause screen. If you press the Start button during a race you will freeze the action, bringing up a menu with four options. Those options include Music (adjust music volume), Sound FX (adjust sound effects volume), Quit Game, and Return to Race.
While making your way through Cruis'n U.S.A. there is a lot of stuff to look out for, mostly hazards waiting to get in your way and slow you down. The other racers are of course one of these hazards, but civilian traffic can also prove troublesome, both traffic going with the flow and oncoming. The final hazard you'll find are random objects such as mailboxes, signs, lamp posts, telephone poles, trees, rough shoulders, etc. All of these items can bring you to a screeching halt if you don't avoid them. You also have to be aware of checkpoints that come along at certain points during each race. You are given a time limit within which you need to reach each checkpoint in any given race, if you can't reach any of these checkpoints in time your race is over. And that's about it, there are no pickups or anything of that sort in this game, it's mostly just hazards.
As for the game screen, there is a fair amount of information on display. In the top left corner you'll find the elapsed time of your current race. In the top middle of the screen is the checkpoint timer. In the top right corner your current race position is displayed, directly underneath this display is a crude analog radar showing your position and that of any racers that are close to you. The bottom left corner of the screen holds your speedometer, while in the bottom right is displayed your RPM gauge and your gearshift.
Although there are some preset schemes to choose from when it comes to Cruis'n U.S.A.'s control system, it's probably better to make up your own. When you enter the Controller Setup option from the options menu, you can assign any button on your N64 controller to take over any game command. When you pull up the Controller Setup option the commands you can alter (in order) include: Gas, Brake, Shift-Up, Shift-Down, Display (toggle what HUD elements you would like to appear on the game screen or not), Radio (change music tracks), View (cycle between three different camera angles), and you can also adjust your steering sensitivity from here as well.
Cruis'n U.S.A.'s presentation is certainly pretty good for the time it was released. The graphics are well done, although they can get a bit choppy at high speeds, but remember this game was released during a time when racing games were still in the middle of their evolution to the high standards we see from them today. The environments you get to race in are all very unique, with real life landmarks distinct to your current whereabouts. The game is very colourful and the cars are all well done too, a decent variety of models and colours. I found they also did a great job on sound with this game. The music involved is not just generic video game music, they are real songs and boy are they funny! These aren't songs by real life bands like is the norm in present day video games, but songs designed specifically for this title. Their themes and sounds suit the fun and zany arcade style action this game offers up . . . in the one song I swear the chick is close to orgasming! As for the controls, they are great. There really isn't much to them besides gas and steering, but what controls you do have to use respond just fine.
As for pros and cons, there is mostly good involved with this game! My favourite aspect of this title is the zany, arcade style fun it offers up. Although I love technical racing games, where everything is as realistic as can be, I also love the opposite end of the spectrum as well, when crashes barely affect you and they don't necessarily put you out of the competition . . . no matter how many times you bang your ride up! Games like this offer up so much crazy action, the fun factor is super high. And the rest of the game follows suit, as the visuals are colourful and unique, and the sound track is downright bizarre and catchy. The only con I can think of is how short this game is. Although the cross country race is a great mode with a high replayability factor, having a secondary mode more substantial than just partaking in one off races would have gone a long way towards making this thing close to perfect. But no matter what the good by far outweighs the bad!
There are a few tips and tricks I can give anybody interested in taking this game for a spin. First of all, play with your car's steering sensitivity function when you first start out. The handling in this game is pretty wild and woolly, so getting your car's handling at the point where you are most comfortable is a key to success. Also, when possible try to stay in the right hand lane during a race. Dodging traffic that is going with the flow is a lot easier as it approaches a lot less quickly and gives you more time to react/plan, as opposed to the oncoming traffic on the other side of the road. Finally, if you are having difficulties winning a certain race, just keep at it. It almost seems as if the machine starts taking it easy on you after you've partook in a certain race a few times and not been able to win. The usual leaders suddenly get a lot slower, and the race just seems that little bit easier, usually enough for you to manage a win comfortably.
And what more can I say?! Despite being a fairly simple racing game, Cruis'n U.S.A. is chock full of fun and brings an arcade classic right to your very own living room. This experience makes me want to blow the dust off of Cruis'n World and get that sucker going again!!