Original Release: Atari, 1999, Arcade
Other Releases: N64 / GBC / Dreamcast (2000), PC (in Midway Arcade Treasures Deluxe – 2006)
The last arcade game that Atari developed moved the Rush racing series to the then-distant future, adding wings that allow for midair maneuvers.
San Francisco Rush 2049 (Dreamcast, Midway, 2000)
Where to Buy: Amazon
How to Emulate: coming soon!
Review by: C. M0use
San Fran Rush 2049 is a nice-looking racer that brings a nice sense of adrenaline when you go over one of its hilly jumps. Aside from that, though, it’s pretty much a dated clunkfest – even the cars with the highest “control” ratings feel like they handle like tanks. Compounding the problem is the fact that one of the four tracks is literally made up of 90 degree turns! Not to mention the cable cars that suddenly pop in and explode you instantly when you touch them.
Apparently a focus of the game is finding hidden routes and shortcuts through the tracks … but with the heavy-handed rubberbanding AI (seemingly a 90s arcade racing staple) it almost seems to not matter. Mess up a little even once and you’re locked in a battle for no better than fifth place after only one lap.
This seems like the sort of game that hyper-focuses on memorization and anticipation, forcing you to tediously replay tracks over and over and over and over and over to get every little nuance. Makes financial sense for a quarter-gobbling arcade machine. Makes no sense whatsoever for a home console game. It probably gets better with hours and hours of dedication, but why the hell bother with all the other racers available?
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