I loved the original SF Rush, and SF Rush The Rock: Alcatraz Edition - the
arcade versions.
Although I was not a huge fan of SF Rush 2049, so I am glad to see the
series return to a modern, less futuristic theme, even though it is no
longer in SF, but instead, in LA.
http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/driving/larush/preview_6128496.html
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox/driving/larush/preview_6128496.html
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"The Rush arcade series has apparently had its fill of Northern California,
as the latest game in the series is abandoning San Francisco and migrating
south, specifically to the City of Angels. LA Rush is currently in
development by the folks at Midway and today we got a chance to get our
dirty little fingers on a recent build to see how the game was shaping up
prior to its October release.
LA landmarks abound in LA Rush, provided you slow down enough to notice.
Our lasting initial impression of this build of the game was the sheer size
of the drivable map, which seemingly recreates Los Angeles in its entirety.
Midway producers told us that, from the start, LA Rush players will be
allowed full access to this huge area--with no load times to suffer through
as you speed through a virtual Los Angeles that will feature, among other
areas, the Hollywood Hills, South Central, downtown, Santa Monica, and
Marina Del Ray. If you happen to slow down in the game long enough to enjoy
the view, you might recognize some LA landmarks, including the Hollywood
sign, the Santa Monica pier, and Long Beach's famous Queen Mary. In our time
with the game, we even sped by a virtual Los Angeles Airport, complete with
the well-known white LAX sign just outside the gates. The open-ended nature
of the environments will mean you have plenty of routes to choose from when
running races or avoiding the cops who will sometimes be on your tail, and
with more than 80 individual race events to choose from, there will be
plenty to keep you happily speeding along.
LA Rush will feature a number of different modes, from traditional circuit
and point-to-point races, to a freestyle roam mode that basically makes the
streets and highways of Los Angeles an open playground for you to experiment
on at your leisure. Winning races will earn you cash which you can use to
enter tournaments to win even more money. We particularly enjoyed the cruise
mode, which plays a lot like the central conceit of the film Speed. During
the race, you'll have a minimum speed you'll need to maintain throughout the
entirety of the race. Dip below that speed, or crash your car altogether,
and your race will be over. What's interesting is that, in cruise mode,
acceleration is taken care of for you--much like Sandra Bullock in the film,
your only concern will be steering the car and doing whatever you can to
avoid oncoming traffic. Furthermore, traffic is highly scripted in cruise
mode, so with enough practice, you can figure out the correct route to your
destination.
Speaking of traffic, while it may be hard to imagine a high-octane racing
game taking place on the jam-packed highways and byways of Los Angeles, a
city renowned for its choking traffic problems, the producers of LA Rush
have been tinkering with just how accurately they wish to model the game's
virtual traffic congestion. In our hands-on time with the game, there were
certain sections we played with very heavy congestion, and our cars suffered
because of it, but there were also roomier sections of road that allowed you
to really cut loose with the gas pedal. In the end, the producers hope to
strike a balance between the challenges of weaving in between other cars on
the road and fulfilling each gamer's need for speed.
After all, in LA Rush your cars will take damage as you smack traffic and
scrape embankments. In fact, you can total your car if it suffers enough
damage, complete with requisite slow-motion crashes. Should you total your
car in a circuit or point-to-point race your race won't be over; your car
will reset and you can continue on. Coupling impressive crash animations
with car models that feature damage modeling and a decent overall sense of
speed you have a graphical package that seems to be coming along nicely.
With 36 licensed cars from makers like Subaru and Saleen, as well as 20
concept cars for your driving (and crashing) pleasure, it's safe to say
you'll have a lot of variety when it comes to the type of ride you wish to
drive. Cars will have different properties, as you might expect--muscle cars
make up for a lack of speed with a tough hide, while concept cars are built
for little more than pure unadulterated quicks. Which car you choose will
have an effect on how you approach the many missions in the game. There will
be two methods for unlocking new rides in the game: either by "reacquiring"
(read: stealing) them by being at the right place at the right time on the
world map, or by successfully completing stunt mode challenges. You enter
stunt modes by collecting stunt coins in the environment, which immediately
transports you into this special mode. In stunt mode, you'll be challenged
to collect a number of coins scattered across the map. Collect them all and
you might unlock a car; fail to do so and all you've lost is a little bit of
pride.
Stunt coins aren't the only thing you can pick up while driving
around--there's also nitro coins, which will give you an impressive boost of
speed when activated. You can only have a maximum of three nitros at any one
time so you'll want to save them for when their most needed, such as for
passing opponents or avoiding the fuzz. Getting busted by the cops will cost
you money. That money could be put to better use by entering tournaments or
upgrading your ride, so you'll want to do your best to stay out of the way
of the police.
You've already heard about how you can get your crash on and leave your
hooptie a flaming, twisted wreck if you like. If you're looking to give your
ride a dash of panache, so to speak, you'll have the skills and
personalities of West Coast Customs (they of MTV's "Pimp My Ride" fame) at
your service. Upgrading your cars seems to be more of a hands-off process in
LA Rush, as the type of upgrades you get will be predetermined in-game.
During one visit you might get upgraded rims; during the next, you might get
a carbon fiber body kit or a fishtank installed in your car. At the very
least, after a few trips to the WCC, your customized ride will be well and
truly your own.
This being an early build, much of LA Rush's interface is scheduled for an
upgrade, particularly with the HUD. That said, we like what we've seen so
far of the game's open-ended nature, speedy pace, and impressive scale. Look
for more coverage of Rush throughout the coming months as we approach the
game's autumn release."
By Brian Ekberg, GameSpot POSTED: 06/30/05 06:47 PM
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new screenshots:
http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/driving/larush/screenindex.html
http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/driving/larush/screenindex.html?page=2
http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/driving/larush/screenindex.html?page=3
http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/driving/larush/screenindex.html?page=4
videos:
http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/driving/larush/media.html
http://media.xbox.ign.com/media/699/699907/vids_1.html?ui=gamefinder_videos
http://media.xbox.ign.com/media/699/699907/vids_2.html
http://media.xbox.ign.com/media/699/699907/vids_3.html
http://media.xbox.ign.com/media/699/699907/vids_4.html
