Straight from the arcades roars this home adaptation of the all-time racing classic, San Francisco Rush. Burning rubber and laying down tread, you barrel across the Golden Gate Bridge for the privilege of using the rolling streets of San Francisco as jumping ramps and its freeway off-ramps as race track. A choice of eight different cars, featuring various degrees of speed and handling, allows for a selected degree of difficulty. The fastest of these machines is a rocket of a car, in which only the most skilled of drivers can hope to survive. San Francisco Rush allows for three different racing perspectives, including an adrenaline-pumping first-person view that really delivers the white knuckle experience. Four tracks through and around San Francisco set the scene, while six play modes and weather control allow for some variety. Among these modes is a circuit feature that allows for some extended play and an extreme feature where the other cars can get downright nasty with you. The choice of using a standard or an automatic transmission simplifies things so players can just jump in and enjoy, but if you want to spend a couple of moments, anyone can easily master all of the available options.
Like all racing games,San Francisco Rush would offer a superior experience with a racing wheel, but the standard controller doesn't take anything away from the good time. One drawback to this game is the limited selection of vehicles and the lack of an option to modify the vehicles you drive. This, along with the not-so-realistic handling of the vehicles, may turn off the racing purists.
Although San Francisco Rush doesn't compare graphically to its arcade cousin, it's still a decent ride and a worthy selection for racing junkies. --Joshua B. Coombs
Pros: Uncomplicated gameplay Minimal repercussions from high speed joy riding (you rarely wipe out) Cons: Substandard graphics Little vehicle choice Unrealistic handling Limited number of tracks
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