Cruis'n USA
Cruis'n USA is a 1994 arcade game by Midway Games. It is a racing game running on the Ultra 64 hardware that was supposed to demonstrate the capabilities of Nintendo's yet to be released Nintendo 64. Along with Killer Instinct it was planned as launch titles for the Nintendo 64. Neither game made it out on launch, but they both came pretty close.
Cruis'n USA, although impressive in 1994 (when it was released in the arcade) got panned in 1996 when it was finally released on the Nintendo 64 due to the fact that its technology had already been surpassed by other games.
Cruis'n USA is a part of a series of Cruis'n games. The series consists of Cruis'n USA, Cruis'n World, and Cruis'n Exotica.
The courses in Cruis'n USA
In addition, there is a map displayed between races that tracks your progress. Five routes, including four Interstates, are depicted on the map, and they are (in west-to-east order): US 101, Interstate 40, Interstate 25, Interstate 80 and Interstate 70. Notice that the Interstate routes are not correctly traced, and I-25 is never portrayed in actual gameplay (for example, in the Grand Canyon course, the scenery immediately transforms from the Grand Canyon to Mount Rushmore at one point, and the Rocky Mountains are not at all included in the transformation).
On US 101
- Golden Gate Park - This is where the journey begins! You race across the Golden Gate Bridge into Golden Gate Park.
- San Francisco - In this course, you race down the notorious curves of Lombard Street, known as "the crookedest street in the world."
- US 101 - This is the only course whose name is derived from the feature highway. There are many gorges to jump over, but they'll give you a high-flying feeling, especially at speeds over 120 miles an hour!
- Redwood Forest - This course winds through the famed redwood trees of California, and then ends along a beachfront highway.
- Beverly Hills - This is where the rich and famous live. The course features a street lined with palm trees. Be careful not to hit any of them.
On I-40
- L.A. Freeway - This course has everything you'd expect on a freeway in Los Angeles, only without the traffic jams.
- Death Valley - This course follows a two-lane road through the hottest place in North America (where temperatures can exceed 110 degrees!). It also features a railroad crossing near the end.
- Arizona - Follow the old Route 66 through the Southwestern desert.
- Grand Canyon - This course is a rather strange one. After leaving the Grand Canyon, the scenery transforms into Mount Rushmore, and there's no sign of the Rocky Mountains anywhere in between.
NOTE: In real life, I-40 goes nowhere near Los Angeles (it is accessed there via I-15 and I-10). Although I-40 runs across the Mojave Desert, I-15 runs closer to Death Valley, at the desert's northern end. No interstates touch the Grand Canyon, either.
On I-25
There are no places featured along I-25 that are depicted in this game. Although a course set in Colorado (Denver, perhaps?) was considered at one point, for some unknown reason, it was left off the game's final version. I-25 ends at I-90 in Wyoming.
On I-80
- Iowa - This course rolls past the cornfields of Iowa. You cross several bridges, the last of which features a replica of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis at the end of it.
- Chicago - This is probably the most difficult course to handle. After entering the Windy City, you have to contend with a tunnel and the famous El-Train bridge, both of which have steel supports that you must carefully avoid.
NOTE: To get from Rapid City, South Dakota (the closest city to Mount Rushmore) to Des Moines, Iowa, one would take I-90 east to either I-29 (at Sioux Falls, South Dakota) or I-35 south (at Albert Lea, Minnesota), and then join I-80 at Des Moines. The I-29 route is a lot quicker to take, since it is reached first, and it connects to I-80 east at Omaha. I-80 doesn't actually go into Chicago, although it can be accessed by I-55, I-90 or I-94.
On I-70
- Indiana - You return to the countryside here. This is your last chance to enjoy the fresh air and flat plains of the Midwest.
- Appalachia - This route blasts through the Appalachian Mountains. There's a lot of breathtaking scenery, and hills to contend with, too. You're going mostly downhill in this course.
- Washington, DC - The grand finale: After you conquer the crazy hairpin curves, you enter the Dollar Bill Tunnel (so called because the green paper currency lines the inside of the tunnel) and go on to the White House. Afterwards, your car is put on top of the White House for all to see, and you'll watch its color change. What a great way to end your cross-country trip!
NOTE: I-70 is linked to the Chicago suburbs via I-65, and even its real-life spur in Maryland, I-270, never goes into the nation's capital. Its terminus at the Capital Beltway remains as such. Also, the Dollar Bill Tunnel is fictitious; it was created solely for this game.
