Super Runabout: San Francisco Edition

Super runabout is the ideal racing game in every aspect. You can unlock tons of cars and other cool vehicles not to mention new levels and extra features along with VMU games. This game never gets boring because there are so many suprises around the corner if you stick with it. It takes a couple of sessions to get used to way the cars drive. I would say spend a couple of sessions just learning how to drive and adjust your car and then learn the city. Once you do this then start the missions. As you unlock features you will get some really nice cars that handle great and are tons of fun to drive. The Acura NSX is my favorite. The first missions are ok but they get better so hang in there. There are two scenarios to accomplish missions through. I think the cop scenario is a little easier to start with, however the other scenario has a better car to start out with. Don't bother with the motorcycle or the minivan, scooter, or CRX. Just use the cop car and by about the third level you will unlock a nicer car. You acquire points by hitting other cars and mailboxes, outhouses, signs, storage sheds, windows, pier posts, parking cones, barracades, news stands, tables, chairs, turnstyles, and lots of other obstacles. You will drive; through malls full of people, ball parks with games going on, highways full of traffic, piers loaded with seals, boats parked at the docks, parking garages, roofs of buildings, wharehouses, dirt roads, caves, shortcuts, on beaches, across parks, through subways with train cars, unfinished highways, over bridges, etc. IN fact there are no limits to where you can drive. There are no invisable barriers or un-animated portions with little going on. The cities are busy, the traffic gets heavy, the people get upset, the cops chase you, there are helicopters circling the sky, terroists try to stop you, and your missions are creative and they change depending on which difficulty level you are on. Also the city is real. You will drive on the Golden Gate Bridge, down Lumbard Street, through Candlstick Park, through and around Alcatraz, on Fishermans Wharf, on the Pacific Coast Highway (101), on belt routes and inter-city freeways, through the Bay Area Rapd Transport system, you will even drive on an aircraft carrier in one mission. There are probably lots of other places I don't recognize having not lived there. There are twelve original mission and who knows how many to unlock. So far I have found three (you have to beat the game on all difficulty levels). They are fun bonus levels too, not just rehashed old levels. Even if you complete all the missions on Easy you will have a challenge finding out what exactly unlocks other features. For instance, when you jump off a ramp or a steeply inclined street, the game measures your jump in feet and keeps track of it. You can unlock new items if you beat certain records. Also, everything has a point value and if you hit many items such as news stands or mailboxes while completing missions you are shown your money earned for each item.
Any good racing game has either real cars that you can't wreck because of commercial infringments, or has fake cars wich you can wreck. This game has both, however only the models of the cars are revealed so you can figure out the rest. Also when your car is wrecked, it preformance is weaker and weaker until it just can't drive any more. This gives you great motivation to drive carefully and yet quickly.
Even if you don't play one mission, this game is tons of fun because you can watch your replays and even save them. When you do, you will see the whole segment from different camera views such as a helicopter view, a front or rear fender view etc. and its very much like watching a chase seen in a movie except no movie has ever had chases and accidents this good. If you have a wheel and pedal set up, you must try this game. There is a first person view for all those armchair drivers.
However I think the missions are worth attempting. Once you unlock some great cars then it is more fun to just free drive. If you don't complete a mission in time, the game just lets you drive around for as long as you want. The levels are huge. Your VMU keeps track of how many miles you drive and in some levels you will drive 15 or 20 in one direction. There are plenty of shortcuts and hidden routes you can learn and utilize in your game play. One of the best buys I have made for the Dreamcast.

I havent played the actual game but i played the demo version and I thought if it's this much fun, then the full version must be one of the best car-demolition-race games ever. I could play the demo for weeks strate and never get bored or tired of it. I would've bought it, but since it is so close to Christmas I thought I'd just ask for it, since my dad saw how much fun I had with it. I recomend it even to people who don't like car games. Definetly a winner.

I recently purchased this game, because of the demo, and it is more fun than Crazy Taxi. You get to destroy stuff and there is more replay value and different cars! (You can even be a cop and turn your flashers on) Anyways, the downside of this game is the control, you might as well not even try to steer in the right direction because you will slide in a different direction. Anyways the point is ..... buy this game, er I think I hear somebody calling my name.....