Free roaming and objective-based racers are no longer a rare occurrence on gaming platforms. This is due to the fact that games such as the original Runabout and Driver on the PlayStation as well as Crazy Taxi at the arcade have popularized the genre. Now, a multitude of titles that are available right now or are currently in development on various platforms fit into this category. The game in question here is Super Runabout: San Francisco Edition, which is the third Runabout title to be released but the first on the Dreamcast game console. Aside from Crazy Taxi, it’s also the second free roaming objective based racing title that has yet graced the console.

Unlike the aforementioned Crazy Taxi, Super Runabout actually has a storyline, although it’s a bit shaky and shallow. Depending on which scenario gamers pick upon starting the game, you get two different storylines. One follows the hardships of a struggling courier business while the other follows a pair of officers who, unbeknownst to them, are sent on missions as decoys to lure terrorists away from the real investigation. The starting intros are the only time you actually get a storyline however, since the missions that follow only loosely relate to it. Missions range from likely events, such as trailing a terrorist, to the absolutely fruity, like collecting and delivering hot dog condiments to VIPs at City Hall. Gameplay is similar to Crazy Taxi in that you go from point to point on the map, completing the various objectives before time runs out.

It’s hard to judge graphics in the case of Super Runabout. The engine is obviously lacking sophistication since the draw-in distance and pop-up is somewhat close for a Dreamcast game and there is noticeable slowdown when the action on screen gets a little too intense. The texturing ranges from the functional to the downright ugly, as is the case of grass, mud, and bush textures. It’s also apparent that the game isn’t really pushing all that much geometry that would invite slowdown or such a close draw-in distance. What doesn’t show up on a first glance however, is later revealed after some intensive gaming. Every pedestrian has a finely detailed textured face, every news box you knock over has a very clear “SFC Today” lettering as well as newspaper texturing to show that it actually contains newspapers; water bottles and racks tumble out of trucks when wrecked, fruit gets dumped on the street when stands are hit and trash, such as cola cans and banana peels, spill out of tipped over trash bins. This shows the incredible detail that went into some of the objects in this game and it’s quite a treat once it's noticed. However, during normal and frantic gameplay, those details are virtually lost. Climax did pack in some nice graphics in this title but it’s safe to say that the priorities were perhaps a bit skewed. Why spend time with objects that players will hardly ever notice instead of fixing the clipping and frame rate problems? The detail that is present is welcome but if it came at the expense of more noticeable flaws, I’d take a better frame rate and a further draw-in distance instead.

There’s not much to complain about the sound effects and music except that they’re only slightly better than average with nothing really spectacular to distinguish them. The music is reminiscent of the Crazy Taxi soundtrack but without vocals. It has a distinct “Surfer Rock” sound that fits perfectly with the San Francisco location and over the top theme of the game. The sounds of the various vehicles are above average overall. You can really hear the revs of some of the faster, high performance sports cars. Collisions with other vehicles sound good, although collisions with walls and hard landings sound more like the quick clash of cymbals. Some of the pedestrian vocals repeat often and sometimes don’t make sense. Playing through the Police scenario, I found myself growing tired of hearing, “Oh my God! Someone call the police!” repeated over and over even though I was in fact using the Police Cruiser with the lights on.

One thing I’ve found disturbing is that a number of other review sites have mentioned how terrible and unresponsive the control is in Super Runabout. Although the control does take time to get used to -- 10-15 minutes max -- it is no worse than games like Sega GT or Gran Turismo, both of which lack a handbrake or a functional way to pull off an easy power slide. If you’re uncomfortable about slowing down before making a ninety-degree turn, then Super Runabout might not be your bag of tea. Similar to simulation racers, Super Runabout requires that you take corners in a more realistic manner. Yes, in Super Runabout, you will have to use that forgotten brake button or find yourself slamming into just about everything. Frankly, I found myself enjoying the controls. They actually make you think about the route you need to take. Instead of taking the straightest path to get to your objective, it might be faster to take a route that has the least amount of turns. It gives the otherwise arcade-like game a bit more intelligence since the quickest path isn’t found by trying to drive as the crow flies but rather through careful path finding. Although I can’t comment on how others conduct their reviews, it does seem as though not enough time was given to properly learn the controls. A game like Super Runabout doesn’t have to control like Ridge Racer or Crazy Taxi to be playable or enjoyable.

While I felt comfortable with the controls, there were a few gameplay flaws that were hard to ignore. Most everything you run into and hit in Super Runabout will crunch properly from trashcans to limos. The bad news is that while trees and telephone poles will stop your speeding car in an instant, after the initial impact you can drive right through them as if they weren’t there. This might be a collision detection bug or perhaps an intentional flaw to make it easier to recover from a crash but who knows for sure. There’s also the matter of the exaggerated physics. While your vehicle behaves naturally as it should when all four wheels are in contact with the road, occasionally a collision will leave you in a massive barrel roll that never seems to end. To compound this, the computer seems to take its sweet time to auto-correct your vehicle when left upside down. Luckily, it only seems severe with the mini-van, as most of the smaller cars don’t flip as easily. Of course, there is an upside to the exaggerated physics. Often you can see wrecked cars tumbling down hills Hollywood style, often wrecking other cars in the process. Not terribly realistic but an awesome sight indeed.

Super Runabout is simply a blast to play, just like Crazy Taxi. However, considering its relatively shallow gameplay and low replay value, it’s also hard to recommend buying it. All sixteen single player missions can be completed in one sitting and although you can adjust and tune-up cars in the garage and take them out for a free drive or race, there really isn’t much to come back to. Super Runabout is a definite rental. You will have fun once you get used to the non-arcade controls. It’s just not a game you can expect to play beyond the first week or so.

7.0

7.5