Forgotten Game: California Speed for the Nintendo 64

[@jeffm5056]

I used to work for a vending company, and we had a number of California Speed machines. I liked the San Francisco track where you played through a giant computer circuitry board. Because most of the dot com companies were based out of San Fran.

[@johnhancockretro]

I think it’s a pretty cool track! Thanks for the comment.

[@catholicactionbibleonlyist1813]

I seen California Speed at my Wal Mart when it first came out and I believe seen the arcade cabinet at a laundry mat in a place call Honesdale, PA

[@thomasbaldiscola4671]

I love all N64 game billboards! Quest64, Gauntlet Legends, Midway etc. Also that "237 West" sign at 3:05 looks like my 5 year old wrote it!

[@nickallen937]

Very cool series! Excited for more! Happy new year immortal!

[@johnhancockretro]

Thank you, Happy New Year to you too!

[@fervcorsica3358]

Amazing video. I love retro gaming, its like time travel!. These games were over $50.00 at the time of release and they enchanted the world with their artistic creativity and, at the time, advanced technical capabilities. It's an artistic footprint that deserves to be preserved and to contemplate

[@camg5009]

N64 has soo many great racers. Diddy Kong Racing, Beetle Adventure Racing, San Franciso Rush, Cruisn USA, Off Road Challenge...not even all of them kinda crazy to think about. Somehow never played this one though! Awesome video!

[@skywalkerranch]

Thanks for all the content in 2024, John. A Happy New Year to you and yours.

[@johnhancockretro]

Thank you very much and same to you!

[@joshh8245]

I'm on a big Atari 2600+ and 7800+ kick at the moment cause I got both systems for Christmas and I'm starting to collect new and old titles for them, most of which I played as a kid and have a lot of nostalgia for and still enjoy playing today. Happy New Year! I hope to see you again at the Washington State Gaming Expo again if it happens next year. Still have my lanyard from that event as well as the Immortal John Hancock button you gave me when I met you and John Riggs briefly there.😊

[@polaniecj]

I haven't forgotten California Speed. I absolutely love thar game. I like to race as the Golf Cart.

[@johnhancockretro]

Good to hear from a fellow California Speed fan!

[@ghostHackd]

Thanks for another informative video. The music sounds great and the visuals too. They almost have a hypnotic effect together

[@fpustorino]

John - I loved this video! Very unique and interesting content. As an N64 collector myself, I really enjoy you exploring somewhat unknown/forgotten N64 games. The video was short and sweet too. Please do more! :)

[@johnhancockretro]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@errollleggo447]

Hope you and family have a great new year John. I do love racing games.

[@johnhancockretro]

Thank you!

[@atarimetalhead]

I rented this one but always went back to OFF Road and Rush 2 😅 Great video man! Happy New Year!

[@KVGerudo]

Thanks for the years of video, man! Take care

[@johnhancockretro]

Thanks for watching!

[@IanSane]

Back in the Gamecube days my local used game store had a California Speed arcade machine. The title screen music had this distinct short lick that in a typical visit I would hear a dozen times. It must have driven the employees nuts to hear that for 8 hours. I've never played it but whenever I see the loose cart at a store or at an expo it always transplants me back to those days. Thankfully that store still exists, just in a different location a few blocks away.

[@TumoFiji]

Nice new series. I always enjoyed this one and thought it deserved more praise than it got. The unlockable cars and short cuts on the tracks were very fun back in the day. Cheers

[@kjhoskins]

Not a bad racer. The mall course gave me some Blues Brothers feels. I know, I'm showing my age. :)

[@johnhancockretro]

Great movie!

[@skywalkerranch]

I've never had an N64, just a Super Nintendo and a Game Cube, but this looks like a good game to play.

[@johnhancockretro]

I am glad that I did.

[@burr1aj]

It isn't bad at all! It just doesn't have anything that would make it truly stand the test of time on its own - which is why it got forgotten about.

[@commonsensei8719]

Great video John I love it!!!

[@burr1aj]

I remember this one very fondly. My next door neighbor had it. Unfortunately it doesn't have anything that would make it last in memory over the years and feels like "We have San Fransisco Rush at home". Have you heard about the weird placeholder graphic for the billboard?

[@johnhancockretro]

No I have not, do tell :)

[@burr1aj]

@johnhancockretro oh one of the programmers used some bizarre message as a placeholder graphic for the in game billboards, and he removed them all, except one (or something close to this. I will find a link) so if you go backwards on a track you can find a really weird message. Let me find it

[@burr1aj]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHfCkKOueZKje8Usi=IOXSWTZF8XxS_iIv

[@NikateeN]

Despite its flaws, this will always be one of my favorite racing games!

[@vincentstephens646]

Great video John👍more retro reviews of 90's and early 2000's games would be great!

[@johnhancockretro]

That’s the plan

[@phantomwheeler81]

I haven't played this game. I still have my N64, I'll have to play it sometime.

[@johnhancockretro]

Its worth a play or two for sure.

[@fentazen2677]

I love all of these Midway racers for N64

[@burr1aj]

This is Atari Games, I think. Perhaps it was after Midway bought them.

[@LarryLopez91]

​@@burr1aj Was still a Midway published game, just like the SF Rush trilogy

[@STK_AKUMA209x]

This is one of the games I used to play with my parents when I was a kid. Still have my copy from back then.

[@SolidBren]

Sometimes I get the urge to collect some more loose carts for N64. Playing some primitive polygonal arcade racers with '90s electronic or drum and bass style soundtracks is certainly a fun vibe!

[@Diego_BR]

Wetrix for the N64 and The Pirates of Dark Water for the Genesis.

[@johnhancockretro]

Ohhh good choices

[@jeremyfannon7922]

That golf cart would be booking down that road! World Driver for the n64 is a good forgotten gem too.

[@vanchasin4996]

Listen with your eyes closed, if John C. Reilly ever decides he's done making Wreck-It-Ralph movies, this guy could be a perfect stand in

[@REAPER-1xxx]

I picked this up last month. So didn’t seem forgotten to me. I rented it in the day. The arcade cab version is incredible.

[@redstratus97]

Love this series you have started. Now do Top Gear Overdrive.

[@danbauer3669]

I dig it, John! Forgotten games all the way! See you a bunch in 2025!

[@Htbaa]

I don’t remember playing or actually seeing this game in action but I remember the game’s box!

[@joshh8245]

I remember playing this game back in the day along with Crusin' USA and San Francisco Rush. Not bad for N64 but not my favorites.

[@johnhancockretro]

I can see why people played other games, but I am thankful I did go back to play this one.

[@shigshug8581]

The arcade version is my favorite racing game.

[@namenameson8353]

i just played this game and its amazing. i cant believe i didnt know about this game. thanks for recommendation

[@AgeoftheFall88]

Great vid man 🤘🤘

[@Whiterook]

I dig it. like "Forgotten Weapons"

[@Phantasystar77]

California Speed was one of my favorite N64 games. Funny since I didn't like it when I first played it.

[@tiborfarkas1011]

Off topic thank you John for the Sega gems you showed with Metal Jesus ❤

[@johnhancockretro]

Thank you

[@ZerotheWanderer]

Sort of a reskinned San Francisco RUSH, I loved the soundtrack from it as a kid, still do.

[@michaelt.lancaster9776]

OH! I miss playing the Arcade version! I never had an N64. I went the PlayStation route and I don't know if there was a version for it. Wish it was on modern hardware other than emulator. BTW, the Los Angeles course was my fave!

[@durulvarol]

I have no idea but I really love this game. I always played via an emulator so there is no nostalgic reason but I do love it. And still play it time to time.

[@gracenhelton9026]

Just bought California speed the other day !

[@johnhancockretro]

Congrats!

[@prophismusic]

I didn't forget.

[@johnhancockretro]

Cool!

[@gi_nattak]

Sometimes… God takes mommies And puppies away… And sometimes… Just sometimes… I do

[@brandonmcclain4351]

Arcade is waaaaaay better than console version. I loved this game. I worked in a alladins castle and played this free after work for hrs.

[@DreamcastQ]

Cool game I never seen before

[@ralphramsey82]

I think it’s overlooked because it’s cheap and readily available.

[@johnhancockretro]

And the fact that there are so many other racers on the console as well.

[@Mr_x_19922]

Great scenery, gorgeous N64 polygons and arcade-ish style, I like more fun than realism in racing games

[@michaeladams9807]

👍👍™️

[@TellYouHwaet]

This is one of those games I saw the box for all the time but just kind of overlooked. It never really popped.

[@Djeff82]

I loved California speed ❤

[@BaDik_Jacob]

Completely off topic but, what are the top companies in the Arcade machine gaming market?

[@johnhancockretro]

Hmm, a good question. I know that Pinball is an easier answer but honestly do not know.

[@BaDik_Jacob]

@johnhancockretro Raw Thrills and ExA-Arcadia would be my personal favourites. A friend of mine wanted to make a Tier list of the top 3 companies and games in each gaming market. PC Gaming Mobile Gaming Modern Console Gaming Retro Console Gaming Virtual Reality Gaming Arcade Gaming Electronic Handheld LCD Gaming ( the only market that is technically dead due to handheld consoles and mobile )

[@daviddonnell2153]

I've had my cib copy since release day and 100%. Try to play hot wheels turbo racing after this one, it hits different

[@TheDarkwingj]

Wish they could have made a dreamcast port the n64 version wasn't as good as the arcade game graphic and music wise Don't know why some of the tracks from the arcade game aren't in the n64 port

[@fearlessjoebanzai]

3:03 - did you just slight Nintendo for the Rumble Pak? C'mon John, your memory can't be failing that bad already! Just incase there's anyone watching this who isn't aware, rumble didn't exist in home controllers before the Rumble Pak. Could they have included it from the get go? Yes, but given the lower selling price of the system, the fact that it had 4 controller ports, which obviously invited people to buy potentially 3 extra controllers and that no-one really knew how gamers would take to the rumble (to this day games still include the option to turn it off), their selling it as an additional peripheral seems entirely reasonable.

[@fresnokila3]

I was checking the comments to see if someone mentioned this. Back then, no controller had rumble in them; it was the N64 that first introduced it as an add-on that you added to the N64's controller. Weird to hear him faulting Nintendo for not having it built in.

[@moot6794]

n64 rendering was so weird

[@adamlapinski7590]

I always thought this game was rushed, if not money grab going off the Rush series. I prefer Roadsters.

[@BusyAir]

All other racing games on N64 bow down to Beetle Adventure Racing.

[@johnhancockretro]

Not wrong

[@adamphillip5305]

One of those games that's a terrible port but still good in its own right

[@PedroSilvahf]

This one is forgotten for being really bad. On the arcade, for a quick play, its ok. To have at home it needs a lot more content but they packed a game with more bugs and bad gameplay. Rush 2 should be the bare minimum to afford.