Cruis'n USA (v4.5)

Arcade Video game published 30 years ago:

Cruis'n USA (c) 1994 Midway.

Designed by the legendary Eugene Jarvis (creator of, among other things, "Robotron" and "Defender"), Cruis'n USA is a point-to-point racing game featuring fourteen separate courses set in a number of different US locations.

Each race takes place against nine other rival cars. In addition to the player's opponents, the roads are packed with civilian traffic that must be avoided. Any collision with either other vehicles or with trackside objects will result in lost time as the player races against both the clock and the nine rival racers. On many tracks, collisions can be avoided by driving off-road, although this has as inverse effect on both handling and speed.

The in-game physics are skewed entirely toward arcade-style handling. The aforementioned collisions have vehicles bouncing and spinning as though made of rubber, before righting themselves back on the track.

- TECHNICAL -

Although Cruis'n USA was advertised as running on Ultra 64 hardware (based on the Nintendo 64's hardware), it was actually implemented on the Midway V-unit hardware. The hardware consisted of a TMS32031 CPU clocked at 50 MHz, an ADSP-2115 DSP clocked at 10 MHz for sound and a custom 3D chip that could render perspective-correct but unfiltered quads at a high resolution (512 x 400 pixels).

Players: 2
Control: paddle
Buttons: 6

- TRIVIA -

Released in November 1994. Cruis'n USA was the first game to be released on the Midway V Unit. Cruis'n USA is also the first driving game to feature digitized (taken from actual footage) textures.

Cruis'n USA and "Killer Instinct" were both released as public previews of the upcoming Nintendo Ultra 64 console (later renamed the Nintendo 64).

The Nintendo 64's hardware is totally different from both of the games' hardware (in fact, both games' hardware are also different from each other) and in many ways inferior, so neither game actually represented the Nintendo 64 console system that the games claim to.

The game was released in upright, sit-down, and full motion cabinets. The upright and sit-down machines support linked play, up to a two game maximum.

A Cruis'n USA unit appears in the 2002 movie 'Van Wilder'.

- UPDATES -

REVISION 1:
* Software version: 2.1.
* Build date: WED NOV 09 16:28:10 1994

Revision 2:
* Software version: 4.0.
* Build date: WED FEB 08 10:45:14 1995

Revision 3:
* Software version: 4.1.
* Build date: MON FEB 13 16:53:40 1995

Revision 4:
* Software version: 4.4.

- TIPS AND TRICKS -

* Hidden Cars : Hold View 2 at the car selection screen to unlock the school bus, ATV and police car.

* Golden Gate Park Track : Hold View 1 + View 2 at the track selection screen to turn the U.S. 101 track into the Golden Gate Park track.

* Indiana Track : Hold View 1 + View 3 at the track selection screen to turn the Beverly Hills track into the Indiana track.

* San Francisco Track : Hold View 2 + View 3 at the track selection screen to turn the Grand Canyon track into the San Francisco track.

* Free Game : Win two races, then press Accelerate+Start after losing the third race.

* View Credits : Press View 1 + View 2 while the game is not in play.

* Alternate Ferrari : Highlight the first car at the car selection screen. Hold View 1 and rotate the steering wheel fully to the Right, fully to the Left, fully to the Right, fully to the Left, fully to the Right, fully to the Left, then press Accelerate. If done correctly, the Ferrari will turn from red to green-blue. The new Ferrari is faster and easier to control than the red Ferrari.

* Wheelie and Turbo Boost : To pop a wheelie and gain some acceleration, double-tap the gas while driving.

- SERIES -

1. Cruis'n USA (1994)
2. Cruis'n World (1996)
3. Cruis'n Exotica (2000)
4. Cruis'n Velocity (2001, Nintendo GameBoy Advance)
5. Cruis'n (2007, Nintendo Wii)

- STAFF -

Director : Eugene Jarvis (EPJ)
Software : Eric Pribyl (ELP)
Hardware designers : Mark Loffredo (ML ), Glen Shipp (Gleen Shipp) (GWS)
3D Graphics : Xion Cooper (SXC), Ted Barber (TED)
Music : Vince Pontarelli
Sound FX : Matt Booty
Additional code : Carl Mey (MEY)
Cabinet art : John Youssi, Linda Deal, Nik Ehrlich, Greg Freres
Additional art : John Watson, Ana Vitek
Mechanical design and motion : Ted Valavanis, Matt Davis, Jim Krol, Tom Sedor, Ray Czajka
Sound system : Ed Keenan
DCS guru : Rich Karstens
Hardware : Ken Williams, Sheridan Oursler, Pat Cox, Al Lasko
PCB designers : Steve Norris, Ray Gay
Art tools : Eric Pribyl (ELP), Warren Davis
Software tools : Eric Pribyl (ELP), Todd Allen, Edwin Reich
Management : Paul Dussault, Cary Mednick, Wally Smolucha
Communications : Monique Jagielnik, Cecilia Rockett, Darlene Crawford, Kathy Kline
Promotional videos : Jim Greene, Art Tianis, Joan Faux, Tal Lekberg
Sales and marketing : Joe Dillon, Roger Sharpe, Barb Rosenthal, Michal Lynn Fuller, Christa Woss, Lenore Sayers, Rachel Davis, Bob Lentz
Ferrets : Kato, Sophi, George Bernstein, Tanzi, Gizmo
Executive producers : Minoru Arakawa, Howard Lincoln, Neil Nicastro, Ken Fedesna, Jel Hochberg, Ken Lobb, Don James
Assistant producer : Debbie Silkwood
Testers : Mike Gottlieb, Darren Walker
Legal : Nate Dardick, Barbara Norman, Katie Czerwinski

* CAST :
Starting girl : Kathryn Garrison
Trophy girl : Anutza Herling
Beefcake boy : Sal Divita
Race anouncer : Gingi Lahera
Cruisn vocals : Jeff Morrow
Prez voice : Paul Heitsch
Saturation agent walker : John Colt
Hot tub babe : Michael Lynn Fuller

- PORTS -

* CONSOLES: