Software:Cruis'n Exotica

From HandWiki
Short description: 1999 video game
Cruis'n Exotica
North American arcade flyer
Developer(s)Midway Games (Arcade)
Gratuitous Games (Nintendo 64)
Crawfish Interactive (Game Boy Color)
Publisher(s)Midway/Nintendo
Designer(s)Eugene Jarvis
Composer(s)Vince Pontarelli[1]
SeriesCruis'n
Platform(s)Arcade
Nintendo 64
Game Boy Color
ReleaseArcade
  • WW: 1999
Nintendo 64
Game Boy Color
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player
Multiplayer
Arcade systemMidway Zeus II

Cruis'n Exotica is a 1999 racing game developed for arcades by Midway Games. The game is a sequel to Cruis'n World and is the third entry in the Cruis'n series.

It was ported by Gratuitous Games and released on the Nintendo 64 in 2000, along with a Game Boy Color version developed by Crawfish Interactive.

Gameplay

A player racing on the Hong Kong course (Nintendo 64 version).

Cruis'n Exotica plays similarly to the previous games in the series,[3] but it adds a PIN system to track progress like San Francisco Rush 2049. The levels take place in exotic locations in the universe, such as Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Atlantis, India , Alaska, The Amazon jungle with dinosaurs, Sahara, Tibet, Korea, Ireland, Holland and the surface of Mars. The game also allows a player to choose a driver visible onscreen during races, including a Martian, a baby, a clown, and a cowboy.

The Nintendo 64 version is similar to its arcade counterpart, with changes being made to race track layouts, lack of fully licensed vehicles, and more hidden vehicles.[3]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings(N64) 55.87%[4]
(GBC) 48%[5]
Metacritic(N64) 43/100[6]
Review scores
PublicationScore
EGM6.5/10[7]
GameFan50%[8]
GameSpot(N64) 5.8/10[9]
(GBC) 5.4/10[10]
IGN(N64) 5.7/10[3]
(GBC) 5/10[11]
Nintendo Power6.7/10[12]

The home ports of the game were met with very mixed reception. GameRankings and Metacritic gave it a score of 55.87% and 43 out of 100 for the Nintendo 64 version,[4][6] and 48% for the Game Boy Color version.[5]

Electronic Gaming Monthly noted that the Nintendo 64 version "runs smoothly, but suffers from a tremendous level of draw-in. This visual hitch can make it difficult to navigate the road, a problem that becomes particularly potent when racing friends in the multiplayer mode. Another concern is replay value: the first 10 minutes or so really hook you in, but when you get the hang of the control, the challenge disappears, and so does the fun".[7]

Brad Shoemaker of GameSpot wrote about the Nintendo 64 version: "The game's graphics run quite smoothly on a platform that's hardly renowned for smooth graphics. Unfortunately, this smoothness comes at a price - Exotica's cars and tracks lack detail. The game looks decent, but it won't blow your mind". Shoemaker also wrote that the game "requires very little skill or finesse, but for the casual gamer who doesn't want to commit lots of time to racing a track, that's not really a bad thing".[9]

Cory D. Lewis of IGN wrote that the Nintendo 64 version featured nearly identical gameplay to its predecessors, writing "that right there spells certain doom for this latest title. Once again we find only a few extra little touches to help differentiate this sequel as something 'new' for gamers". Lewis wrote the game would become boring "unless you are extremely young or easily impressed". Lewis praised the game's framerate but criticized its graphics, writing: "Yuck. Yuck, yuck, yuck. We have one word to describe these visuals, and you've just heard it four times in a row". Lewis offered some praised for the game's music, but criticized its sound effects, and compared the game to other Midway racing games such as Stunt Racer 64 and San Francisco Rush 2049: "Except that for what each of these games does well, Exotica simply does the complete opposite and truly disappoints in comparison".[3]

Frank Provo of GameSpot wrote that the Game Boy Color version "bears only a passing resemblance to its arcade and console counterparts". Provo criticized the game's artificial intelligence and its limited sounds, including its "bland" engine effects and "tinny rhythm and blues music" and noted that the game has "a speedy frame rate and obstacle-filled backgrounds, albeit at the cost of an overall grainy veneer and two-tone vehicle sprites". Provo wrote that despite the game's flaws, there "is never any doubt that you're playing a Cruis'n game".[10]

IGN's Craig Harris, who reviewed the Game Boy Color version, wrote that "as impressive as the game engine is, the game is just flat-out bland". Harris criticized the game's artificial intelligence and its Cruis'n Freestyle mode, writing "where's the incentive to play the circuit mode if you can race all the tracks in a separate mode? That's not exactly smart planning. […] the replay factor is destroyed simply by the inclusion of one single mode that really didn't need to be there".[11]

References

  1. ↑ Vince Pontarelli. "Vince Pontarelli Sound Designer & Composer". Vince Pontarelli. http://vincepontarelli.com/VINCEPONTARELLI/HOME.html. Retrieved 2012-02-16. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Midway Press Release: PR 2000-10-17 A". 2006-11-12. http://www.midway.com/rxpage/mpr_1201.html. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Lewis, Cory D. (October 20, 2000). "Cruis'n Exotica (N64)". IGN. http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/10/21/cruisn-exotica-2. Retrieved November 16, 2014. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Cruis'n Exotica for Nintendo 64". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/n64/374847-cruisn-exotica/index.html. Retrieved November 16, 2014. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Cruis'n Exotica for Game Boy Color". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/gbc/445327-cruisn-exotica/index.html. Retrieved November 16, 2014. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Cruis'n Exotica for Nintendo 64 Reviews". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/cruisn-exotica/critic-reviews/?platform=nintendo-64. Retrieved November 16, 2014. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Cruis'n Exotica (N64)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. January 2001. Archived from the original on January 29, 2001. https://web.archive.org/web/20010129063800/http://www.zdnet.com/egm/stories/main/0%2C11589%2C2658653%2C00.html. Retrieved November 16, 2014. 
  8. ↑ "REVIEW for Cruis'n Exotica (N64)". GameFan. October 24, 2000. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Shoemaker, Brad (October 27, 2000). "Cruis'n Exotica Review (N64)". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/cruisn-exotica-review/1900-2646281/. Retrieved November 16, 2014. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Provo, Frank (November 20, 2000). "Cruis'n Exotica Review (GBC)". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/cruisn-exotica-review/1900-2656316/. Retrieved November 16, 2014. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Harris, Craig (November 15, 2000). "Cruis'n Exotica (GBC)". IGN. http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/11/16/cruisn-exotica. Retrieved November 16, 2014. 
  12. ↑ "Cruis'n Exotica (N64)". Nintendo Power 138: 128. November 2000. 

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

Template:Atari




Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Cruis%27n_Exotica&oldid=719161"