Cruis'n Exotica

Last updated

Cruis'n Exotica
Cruis'n Exotica Coverart.png
North American arcade flyer
Developer(s) Midway Games (Arcade)
Gratuitous Games (Nintendo 64)
Crawfish Interactive (Game Boy Color)
Publisher(s) Midway Games
Designer(s) Eugene Jarvis
Composer(s) Vince Pontarelli [1]
Series Cruis'n
Platform(s) Arcade
Nintendo 64
Game Boy Color
ReleaseArcade
  • WW: 1999
Nintendo 64
  • NA: October 17, 2000 [2]
Game Boy Color
  • NA: October 31, 2000 [2]
Genre(s) Racing
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer
Arcade system Midway Zeus II

Cruis'n Exotica is a 1999 racing game developed and published by Midway Games for arcades. The game is a sequel to Cruis'n World and is the third entry in Nintendo's Cruis'n series. A port to the Nintendo 64 developed by Gratuitous Games was released in 2000, along with a Game Boy Color version developed by Crawfish Interactive.

Contents

Gameplay

A player racing on the Hong Kong course (Nintendo 64 version) Cruis'n Exotica Gameplay.png
A player racing on the Hong Kong course (Nintendo 64 version)

Cruis'n Exotica plays similarly to the previous games in the series, [3] but it adds a PIN system to track progress like San Francisco Rush 2049 . The levels take place in exotic locations in the universe, such as Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Atlantis, India, Alaska, The Amazon jungle with dinosaurs, Sahara, Tibet, Korea, Ireland, Holland and the surface of Mars. The game also allows a player to choose a driver visible onscreen during races, including a Martian, a baby, a clown, and a cowboy.

The Nintendo 64 version is similar to its arcade counterpart, with changes being made to race track layouts, lack of fully licensed vehicles, and more hidden vehicles. [3]

Reception

The home ports of the game were met with very mixed reception. GameRankings and Metacritic gave it a score of 55.87% and 43 out of 100 for the Nintendo 64 version, [4] [6] and 48% for the Game Boy Color version. [5]

Electronic Gaming Monthly noted that the Nintendo 64 version "runs smoothly, but suffers from a tremendous level of draw-in. This visual hitch can make it difficult to navigate the road, a problem that becomes particularly potent when racing friends in the multiplayer mode. Another concern is replay value: the first 10 minutes or so really hook you in, but when you get the hang of the control, the challenge disappears, and so does the fun". [7]

Brad Shoemaker of GameSpot wrote about the Nintendo 64 version: "The game's graphics run quite smoothly on a platform that's hardly renowned for smooth graphics. Unfortunately, this smoothness comes at a price - Exotica's cars and tracks lack detail. The game looks decent, but it won't blow your mind". Shoemaker also wrote that the game "requires very little skill or finesse, but for the casual gamer who doesn't want to commit lots of time to racing a track, that's not really a bad thing". [9]

Cory D. Lewis of IGN wrote that the Nintendo 64 version featured nearly identical gameplay to its predecessors, writing "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". Lewis wrote the game would become boring "unless you are extremely young or easily impressed". Lewis praised the game's framerate but criticized its graphics, writing: "Yuck. Yuck, yuck, yuck. We have one word to describe these visuals, and you've just heard it four times in a row". Lewis offered some praised for the game's music, but criticized its sound effects, and compared the game to other Midway racing games such as Stunt Racer 64 and San Francisco Rush 2049 : "Except that for what each of these games does well, Exotica simply does the complete opposite and truly disappoints in comparison". [3]

Frank Provo of GameSpot wrote that the Game Boy Color version "bears only a passing resemblance to its arcade and console counterparts". Provo criticized the game's artificial intelligence and its limited sounds, including its "bland" engine effects and "tinny rhythm and blues music" and noted that the game has "a speedy frame rate and obstacle-filled backgrounds, albeit at the cost of an overall grainy veneer and two-tone vehicle sprites". Provo wrote that despite the game's flaws, there "is never any doubt that you're playing a Cruis'n game". [10]

IGN's Craig Harris, who reviewed the Game Boy Color version, wrote that "as impressive as the game engine is, the game is just flat-out bland". Harris criticized the game's artificial intelligence and its Cruis'n Freestyle mode, writing "where's the incentive to play the circuit mode if you can race all the tracks in a separate mode? That's not exactly smart planning. […] the replay factor is destroyed simply by the inclusion of one single mode that really didn't need to be there". [11]

Related Research Articles

<i>Tom Clancys Rainbow Six</i> (video game) 1998 video game

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six is a 1998 tactical shooter video game developed and published by Red Storm Entertainment for Microsoft Windows, with later ports for the Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Mac OS, Game Boy Color, and Dreamcast. It is the first installment in the Rainbow Six series. Based on the Tom Clancy novel of the same name, the game follows Rainbow, a top secret international counterterrorist organization, and the conspiracy they unravel as they handle a seemingly random spike in terrorism.

<i>Mario Tennis</i> 2000 video game

Mario Tennis is a 2000 sports video game developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 (N64). Following Mario's Tennis, it is the second game in the Mario Tennis series. The game is known for being the introduction of Luigi's arch-rival, Waluigi, and the re-introduction of Princess Daisy and Birdo.

<i>Cruisn USA</i> 1994 video game

Cruis'n USA is a racing video game developed by TV Games Inc. and published by Nintendo. It was first released in arcades in 1994 by Midway Games, with a port to the Nintendo 64 developed by Williams Electronics released in 1996. It is the first game in the Cruis'n series and features races set in locations across the Continental United States.

<i>Cruisn World</i> 1996 video game

Cruis'n World is a 1996 racing game developed by Midway Games and published by Nintendo. It is the sequel to the 1994 arcade racer Cruis'n USA. A port for the Nintendo 64 developed by Eurocom was released in 1998, and was the best received of the Cruis'n ports.

<i>San Francisco Rush 2049</i> 1999 video game

San Francisco Rush 2049 is a 1999 futuristic-themed racing video game developed and manufactured by Atari Games for arcades, later ported to home systems. It is the third game in the Rush series as the sequel to San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing and Rush 2: Extreme Racing USA as well as the last to be set in the city of San Francisco. An updated version with fixes and more tracks was later released subtitled Tournament Edition. The game was notably also the last coin-op title rooted to the original Atari arcade business and Atari brand, 27 years after Pong.

<i>NASCAR 2000</i> 1999 video game by EA Sports

NASCAR 2000 is a racing simulator video game developed by Stormfront Studios and published by EA Sports.

<i>Star Wars Episode I: Racer</i> 1999 video game

Star Wars Episode I: Racer is a 1999 racing video game based on the podracing sequence in the film Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. The game features all of the racers and race course on Tatooine from The Phantom Menace. It adds several new courses, on Tatooine and various planets. It has several single player modes, including a tournament mode. The format of multiplayer mode varies by platform. Jake Lloyd and Lewis MacLeod, who portrayed Anakin Skywalker and Sebulba in The Phantom Menace, reprise their film roles in the game.

<i>All-Star Baseball 2001</i> 2000 video game by Acclaim Entertainment

All-Star Baseball 2001 is a video game developed by High Voltage Software and KnowWonder and published by Acclaim Entertainment for the Game Boy Color and the Nintendo 64 in 2000.

<i>BattleTanx</i> 1998 video game

BattleTanx is a 1998 action game released for the Nintendo 64, produced by The 3DO Company. The game was followed by a 1999 sequel, titled BattleTanx: Global Assault.

<i>WCW Mayhem</i> (video game) 1999 video game

WCW Mayhem is a professional wrestling video game published by Electronic Arts (EA), based on the American promotion World Championship Wrestling (WCW). The first WCW game produced by EA, it was released for Nintendo 64 and PlayStation in 1999 and for the Game Boy Color the following year.

<i>Mickeys Speedway USA</i> 2000 racing video game

Mickey's Speedway USA is a kart racing game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color. It features characters from the Mickey Mouse universe racing across the United States. It is Rare and Nintendo's second collaboration with Disney Interactive following Mickey's Racing Adventure (1999) and Rare's second kart racing game after Diddy Kong Racing (1997).

<i>Rugrats in Paris: The Movie</i> (video game) 2000 video game

Rugrats in Paris: The Movie is a video game based on the 2000 animated movie of the same name. The game follows the adventures of the Rugrats in a European theme park. A console version of the game was released in 2000, for the PlayStation, Nintendo 64, and a handheld version for Game Boy Color. A version for Microsoft Windows was later released in 2001. The console version's gameplay is similar to Rugrats: Studio Tour, but Paris’ attractions sometimes have minigames too. The handheld gameplay is a side-scrolling platformer. The Windows version's gameplay is an adventure game in which the player must find Chuckie's Wawa Bear.

<i>Armorines: Project S.W.A.R.M.</i> 1999 video game

Armorines: Project S.W.A.R.M., known as Armorines in Europe, is a 1999 first-person shooter developed by Acclaim Studios London and released for the Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color and PlayStation. It is based on the Armorines comic book from Valiant Comics, which was bought by Acclaim Entertainment.

<i>F-1 World Grand Prix</i> 1998 video game

F-1 World Grand Prix, developed by Paradigm Entertainment, is a Formula One racing game/sim first released in 1998 for the Nintendo 64 game console and to later platforms including the Sega Dreamcast, Microsoft Windows, Sony PlayStation, and Game Boy Color. The Nintendo 64 version is based on the 1997 Formula One season, featuring each of the 17 circuits from the season and all 22 drivers, with the exceptions of Jacques Villeneuve and the MasterCard Lola team.

<i>Polaris SnoCross</i> 2000 video game

Polaris SnoCross is a snocross snowmobile racing game for Game Boy Color, PlayStation, Nintendo 64, and later Microsoft Windows. It was released in 2000. French publisher Wanadoo Edition released a budget version of the game for the PC in 2001, called SnowCross.

<i>Jeremy McGrath Supercross 2000</i> 2000 video game

Jeremy McGrath Supercross 2000 is a motocross racing video game developed by Acclaim Studios Salt Lake City and published by Acclaim Entertainment under their Acclaim Sports label for Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color, PlayStation and Dreamcast. It features eight stadium tracks, eight outdoor tracks, and an option for players to create their own custom tracks. In addition to having a racing game mode, players could perform dirt bike tricks in a stunt mode.

<i>Roadsters</i> (video game) 1999 video game

Roadsters is a racing game released by Titus Software for Nintendo 64 in 1999, and for PlayStation, Dreamcast and Game Boy Color in 2000. It is a car racing game that features both licensed cars from manufacturers and unlicensed cars from imaginary manufacturers that are based on and bear great resemblance to their equivalent, real car models. The game also includes a multi-player mode supports up to 2 human players that can compete in any of the available circuits with 4 more CPU controlled racers. A PlayStation 2 version was originally planned to release on April 11, 2001. Box art for unreleased PS2 game url=https://www.ign.com/games/roadsters

<i>Cruisn</i> Video game series

Cruis'n is a series of racing video games originally developed by Eugene Jarvis for Midway Games and published by Midway and Nintendo. The series distinguishes itself from other racing games with its over-the-top presentation and fast-paced gameplay, featuring a wide variety of vehicles and tracks based on a number of real world locations. The series debuted in North American and European arcades in 1994 with the release of Cruis'n USA, which, along with Killer Instinct, was advertised as running on Nintendo's Ultra 64 hardware. Two sequels followed, Cruis'n World and Cruis'n Exotica, which featured new vehicles and tracks. All three games were released for the Nintendo 64 as well, with Exotica also being released for the handheld Game Boy Color. The next game in the series, Cruis'n Velocity deviated from the traditional arcade gameplay of the series and was released for the Game Boy Advance.

<i>Cruisn Velocity</i> 2001 video game

Cruis'n Velocity is a 2001 racing game developed by Graphic State and published by Midway Games for the Game Boy Advance. It is the fourth installment of Nintendo's Cruis'n series and the only game in the series not to be preceded by an arcade release and features slightly different gameplay from its predecessors. The game uses the same engine as Dark Arena, a first-person shooter game also developed by Graphic State, to achieve a pseudo-3D effect. This approach garnered the game mixed reviews.

<i>NFL Blitz 2001</i> 2000 video game

NFL Blitz 2001 is a video game developed and published by Midway for the Dreamcast, PlayStation, Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color in 2000.

References

  1. ↑ Vince Pontarelli. "Vince Pontarelli Sound Designer & Composer". Vince Pontarelli. Archived from the original on April 26, 2014. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Midway Press Release: PR 2000-10-17 A". November 12, 2006. Archived from the original on November 12, 2006. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Lewis, Cory D. (October 20, 2000). "Cruis'n Exotica (N64)". IGN . Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Cruis'n Exotica for Nintendo 64". GameRankings . Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Cruis'n Exotica for Game Boy Color". GameRankings. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Cruis'n Exotica for Nintendo 64 Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  7. 1 2 "Cruis'n Exotica (N64)". Electronic Gaming Monthly . January 2001. Archived from the original on January 29, 2001. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  8. ↑ "REVIEW for Cruis'n Exotica (N64)". GameFan . October 24, 2000.
  9. 1 2 Shoemaker, Brad (October 27, 2000). "Cruis'n Exotica Review (N64)". GameSpot . Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  10. 1 2 Provo, Frank (November 20, 2000). "Cruis'n Exotica Review (GBC)". GameSpot. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  11. 1 2 Harris, Craig (November 15, 2000). "Cruis'n Exotica (GBC)". IGN. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Cruis'n Exotica (N64)". Nintendo Power . Vol. 138. November 2000. p. 128.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.