Cruis'n World
| Industry | Video games |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Cruis'n World |
Cruis'n World is a 1996 racing game developed by Midway Games and published by Nintendo. Serving as the follow-up to the 1994 arcade title Cruis'n USA, it expanded the series' scope. A Nintendo 64 adaptation, created by Eurocom, was launched in 1998 and received the most favorable critiques among all Cruis'n console versions.
This installment offers racing on international circuits with a greater selection of vehicles than the original. It also introduced stunt mechanics to the Cruis'n franchise, enabling players to evade hazards, navigate sharp turns, and earn additional time bonuses.
Gameplay
The fundamental gameplay of Cruis'n World involves competing against a countdown timer, with checkpoint passes extending race duration. Tracks represent diverse global destinations such as Hawaii, Japan, Australia, China, Africa, Egypt, Moscow, Germany, Italy, France, England, Mexico, New York City, and Florida. Players can execute stunts like wheelies that provide speed boosts and airborne flips which decrease total race time, enhancing leaderboard rankings. Completing every stage leads to a final journey to the moon aboard a Space Shuttle.
The Nintendo 64 edition introduces a Moon track unlocked after finishing the "Cruise the World" mode and features an exclusive Championship mode consisting of circuit races. In this mode, participants accumulate points to access vehicle upgrades. The game supports up to four players simultaneously via split-screen functionality.
Development
To authentically depict prominent landmarks, artists were sent on an international tour for digital reference material. Work on the Nintendo 64 port commenced in 1996 following the completion of the Cruis'n USA adaptation. Eugene Jarvis acknowledged the subpar quality of Williams Entertainment's port of Cruis'n USA and committed to delivering an arcade-accurate version. Eurocom secured the rights to develop Cruis'n titles and dedicated more development time compared to their previous effort on Cruis'n USA. Although Nintendo initially announced a fall 1997 release window, the launch was quietly postponed until 1998.
Reception
Unveiled at the 1996 AMOA exhibition, the game earned accolades including Most Innovative New Title and was runner-up for Arcade Game of the Year by Electronic Gaming Monthly. A reviewer from Next Generation commended its arcade-style driving experience and more intricate track layouts relative to its predecessor but pointed out that mastery occurred rapidly and noted ongoing graphical pop-in issues.
The Nintendo 64 version garnered mixed feedback, holding a 63% aggregate rating on GameRankings based on fourteen critiques. Next Generation awarded it two out of five stars, criticizing its simplistic mechanics and low challenge level.
External links
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