Play Cruis'n USA Online

Summary

Cruis'n USA burst onto the arcade scene as a high‑octane road trip across the United States, born from a Midway‑Nintendo partnership that marketed it as the first "Ultra 64" title even though it ran on Midway’s V‑unit hardware. The game’s 50 MHz TMS32031 CPU and ADSP‑2150 sound chip gave it a punchy feel, and rumors of a hidden hard‑drive boot‑up routine only add to its mystique.

Players pick from seven cars—ranging from a ’63 Corvette to a ’91 Ferrari replica—and can unlock secret rides by holding all three view buttons on the selection screen, revealing a police cruiser, a school bus and even a Jeep. Races zip through loosely‑based U.S. locales, from San Francisco to the Grand Canyon, with up to nine opponents and the option for two linked cabinets to pit friends against each other.

The cabinet lineup was diverse: upright, sit‑down and full‑motion versions, each supporting two‑player linked play, while the sit‑down model let you feel the road’s bumps. Eugene Jarvis, famed for Defender and Robotron, led the design team, bringing his arcade pedigree to a game that prioritized fun over realistic simulation.

Critics and crowds alike embraced the experience—RePlay and Play Meter listed it among the top arcade draws of late 1994, it earned a Diamond Award from the AMAA, and it became the highest‑grossing dedicated cabinet of 1995, often being compared favorably to Sega’s Daytona USA.

Storyline

Cruis'n USA takes players on a cross‑country road trip across the United States. The race begins in San Francisco, then sweeps through California, Arizona and the Grand Canyon before heading east to Iowa, Chicago and Indiana. After traversing the Appalachian region the course ends in Washington, D.C. When all tracks are finished, the game rewards the driver with a congratulatory message from President Bill Clinton.