The Nintendo 64 is a console filled with nostalgia for plenty of gamers from that era. One of the series that fans remember fondly in both arcades and on the Nintendo 64 is Cruis'n, starting with Cruis'n USA. With the upcoming release of Cruis'n Blast on the Nintendo Switch, game designer Eugene Jarvis shared his thoughts on bringing back the Nintendo 64 Cruis'n classics.
Cruis'n USA is considered by many to be among the best racing games on the Nintendo 64. The game was released in 1996 on the Nintendo 64 after its arcade launch. Cruis'n World and Cruis'n Exotica would follow up that initial release, creating a trilogy of sorts. And now Eugene Jarvis is thinking about remastering those three games.
While interviewing with NintendoLife about the upcoming Cruis'n Blast, Jarvis revealed his thought process on the concept of bringing back the beloved Nintendo 64 arcade racers. Apparently, the team has workshopped ideas to remaster the original trilogy, specifically for the Switch. The newer games would be in full HD and play at 60 frames per second. The Cruis'n games are atop the list of Nintendo 64 games that deserve a Switch remake according to many, so if these remasters were to be true, plenty of supporters of the series would be excited.
We’ve been tossing around some ideas – one thing I’ve been tossing around is to remaster the classic arcade Cruis’n trilogy especially for the Switch, up-resing the content to full HD and solid 60Hz frame rate!
In terms of a comparison point for what the trilogy remakes might look like, Cruis'n Blast is releasing in just a few weeks on September 14. The game looks like classic Cruis'n fun, but it adds over-the-top insanity that the games evolved into including racetracks escaping giant frozen yetis or prehistoric dinos and the ability to race as a tank, shark, or dinosaur right next to a Nissan 370z. Along with the play style, arcade action, and more, the graphics and art style look like an upgraded version of the old-school games. So Cruis'n Blast could be a nice way to test the waters for an eventual Nintendo 64 Cruis'n remaster.
During the interview, Jarvis waxed poetic about working with Nintendo, saying it has been a joy. Nintendo has grown and evolved into a more professional team in terms of its quality control, assistance, development feedback, and more--which Jarvis seemed to appreciate. And on top of that, Nintendo allowed Jarvis and his team to create the game they wanted, as Nintendo "basically turned us loose to make the best Switch game possible," according to Jarvis. That type of development support and creative freedom from Nintendo would certainly help someone feel more confident in bringing back Nintendo 64 classics via remasters.
Cruis'n Blast releases on September 14 for Nintendo Switch.
Source: NintendoLife