When I hear the name “San Francisco Rush”, I think of one of this game’s sequels, 2049, as it was something N64 Magazine loved. I never saw a lot of discussion of the original. After playing this, I can understand why it got good reviews when it came out, but I can also see why it isn’t talked about too much.

San Francisco Rush still has remnants from the arcade game – such as the annoying checkpoint/timer system, but at least all the other racers start alongside you and feel like opponents. The tracks are quite interesting in this game. There are six of them (plus a hidden one that wasn’t fully finished – but is actually really fun) and can be played mirrored and/or backwards. They’re also not all basic loops, as some have different routes you can take – you can even go in the opposite direction to other racers on some parts.

The tracks also have hidden shortcuts and collectables to find, and even a hidden stunt area. These are best done in “practice” mode where you are given a lot more time. It makes the tracks feel much more real and exploring them is almost great – but the game respawn system is really annoying. When you crash (or don’t move for a few seconds) your car is whisked up and you’re taken to where the game thinks you should be, so if you’re going a different route to what the game intends, it will ignore it and put you on the “proper” one. What’s odd is that I’ve crashed and the respawn system put me in a higher position than I already was. This applies to practice mode, so if your car crashes in the stunt area, you’ll have to drive all the way back.

A lot of the shortcuts are also high risk, and some barely save any time but are just a ton of fun to do, jumping over rooftops and spinning in the process. The game is let down a little bit by the modes, though. The main circuit mode just chooses some random tracks (with backwards/mirror also being random) rather than set cups. There are some extra cars to unlock by winning (and by finding the collectables), but when the game only supports one other person, you expect a bit more.

That said, San Francisco Rush is a very solid foundation to build upon, so I’ll see more as I reach the sequels.

Fun

The handling is too heavy – on every car -never allowing you to confidently manoeuvre through corners and ensuring you come a cropper at important junctures when you can’t afford to. And yet, it is a good game. A very good game. It’s fabulously inventive, for starters.

Tim Weaver, N64 Magazine #11. Review Score: 82%

Remake or remaster?

A new Rush collection would be quite nice – or even a game that combines the features, cars and tracks of the first three games in a new package.

Official ways to get the game.

There is no official way to get San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing

Rereleases

1998: PlayStation. It has fewer tracks but different features.

2005: Midway Arcade Treasures 3 (GameCube, Xbox, PS2). This is based on the expanded arcade version titled “The Rock: Alcatraz Edition”.