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San Francisco Rush 2049

Score: 90%
ESRB: Everyone
Publisher: Midway
Developer: Midway
Media: CD/1
Players: 1 - 2
Genre: Racing

Graphics & Sound:

Hmmm. Let's see. It's a racing game and it's on the Dreamcast. Of course, the graphics are terrific! The stunning levels of futuristic San Francisco make me want to move their now. From the beautiful redwood trees in the Haight level to the glittering nightlife of the Metro, you will be impressed with the surroundings in this racer. Add this to the fact that it doesn't skip a beat when it comes to speed and you have a winning combination. The background music is your typical pumping techno beats, and that's a good thing. The sound effects from just driving around are pretty good and your heart will jump every time that streetcar whizzes by you (nearly killing you) and honks. Of special note are the awesome weapon sounds in the multi-player Battle mode. The booms, crunches and explosions are perfectly suited for each weapon and will definitely send you running.

Gameplay:

San Francisco Rush 2049 is a futuristic racer where the player gets to spin his wheels against tough opponents set in the hilly landscapes of San Francisco. But it is fun? The answer is a resounding hell yeah! You get to choose from a number of vehicles, all fully customizable, including the ability to tweak your system's engine, tires, rims, frame and wings. And who could forget the special paint job. You'll need this specialized cruising machine when you hit the Circuit mode to fight your way to the top by earning placement points. Of course, it's wisest to poke around the Practice mode first to learn all the shortcuts and jumps on each level. Flying is required throughout the game (here's where your wings come into play), so it's always a good idea to know the track beforehand, as certain 'shortcuts' can lead to certain death at 100 mph. It's also wise to test the various cars before attempting a race as certain cars are best suited for particular levels, so explore. There is also a Single Race mode if you don't like the committment of the Circuit mode. Another neat feature is the Ghost Race mode, where you can race against your own previous race and try to best your top scores. There's also a website section available where you can upload your own and download others' Ghost Races for variation.

You want multi-player? You got it! Single Race and Practice are open for 1-4 players, but the real fun comes in the Battle and Stunt Modes. In Battle mode, you arm yourself with the scads of groovy weapons you'll find laying about and blast the other player to hell. Over and over until you win. It has a very Twisted Metal feel to it and I absolutely loved it. This mode is, by far, the most fun mode in the game and I burned many hours on it. Fans of combat racing will warm up to it instantly. Then there is Stunt mode, where the object is to rack up points by pulling the wackiest flips and turns you can for mad, crazy points. Think of it as a Tony Hawk for racing cars. You start with one arena open and have to unlock the other 3, but perseverance pays off as earning 1,000,000 points opens up Obstacle mode. More of the same only with rooms containing special challenges. To help you along in the basic races, you'll find a track map and radar on screen (should you desire them to be). The game also allows you to customize your fog and wind effects to up the difficulty level a bit for added replay value. You'll also find gold and silver coins hidden in places throughout the levels, and by collecting these, you can unlock secret cars. San Francisco Rush 2049 is a fun racer with crazy modes and even crazier levels. The fun factor is way up there on this game, and with a nice variety of levels and modes, it's a solid buy for fans of the racing genre.


Difficulty:

You can choose your own difficulty in Circuit mode from Beginner, Intermediate, Advance and Extreme. As mentioned earlier, fog and wind effects can be upped to increase the challenge and you can choose to have up to 5 drones race with you as well. This is not an easy racer. It will take practice to best it, and if you really want to jack the difficulty up, just pop in the cd for the first time, having not read the instructions and not tried the Practice mode first. After your first few sudden brick walls, I think you might see the advantage of the Practice mode. Of course, in multi-player, its only as tough as your opponent. SF Rush 2049 offers a healthy dose of challenge in all its modes.

Game Mechanics:

The basic controls are very easy to master and you quickly can jump right in and start playing. Use the analog button to steer and the L and R trigger buttons for brake and accelerate. Very simple stuff. You can, of course, configure your controller to your liking and saving these options to your VMU by Creating a Player will cost you 17 blocks on your VMU. The good news is that saving a game is only 2 blocks. SF Rush 2049 is also Jump Pack compatible and the rumble feature is utilized very nicely. Especially in the Battle and Stunt modes.

Overall, this is a beautiful game that is also a blast to play. Forget the serious stuff. San Francisco Rush 2049 brings the fun back to arcade gaming.


-Psibabe, GameVortex Communications
AKA Ashley Perkins

Sega Dreamcast Rayman 2 Sega Dreamcast Star Wars Episode 1 Racer

 
Game Vortex :: PSIllustrated