RUSH 2: EXTREME RACING USA (NINTENDO 64) SECETS,SHORTCUTS, and TIPS by John Culbert March 1999 version 1.0 This Guide and all others are available at: http://riffraffracing.thot.net http://www.gamefaqs.com ___________________________________________________________________________ Introduction ___________________________________________________________________________ I'm pleased to see they made a sequel to the popular San Fransisco Rush. Although this game is not the best in terms of realism, this game is just sickening fun and there's tons of playability with 2 player competition, finding more and more alternate routes and secret paths, and of course, playing around on the stunt track ;). Rush improves over the first game with more cars, that also give you the ability to play around with suspension and handling, in minor ways. The courses are even more complex and challenging to find the different routes, and the Circuit mode allows for 1 or 2 player tournament with a points system, which can be a fun challenge. So anyways, this FAQ is not a complete "walk-thru" of sorts, and it doesn't tell you where every key is (though if I stumbled upon a key while doing this, I stated it)--this FAQ outlines the cars, each track's secrets and alternate routes and a little about the driving itself (some of which is taken from my original SF Rush FAQ). For the cars, I have listed their strengths and weaknesses in the game, and their most obvious real-world counterparts. I have also listed their specifications in real life to compare to the game cars, for any personal interests. Any additions to secret routes are greatly appreciated. ___________________________________________________________________________ MARGINS ___________________________________________________________________________ 1234567890 .......... MONOSPACE, DAMMIT! :) If the dots above line up with the numbers above them, then you can read this document with ease. If they aren't lined up, the margins will be all screwy and generally make this a bitch to read. It was created using EditPad, and as such it is best viewed by this. ___________________________________________________________________________ COPYRIGHT INFORMATION ___________________________________________________________________________ I'm getting sick of the bullshit going around with others stealing FAQ writer's hard work without permission or credit. A certain unmentionable gaming mag stole A2 stuff from me a while ago (*ahem*EGM*cough*hack), and on-line people who don't want to put effort into doing this stuff also copied from me (this means you, Davis!!) So here it is: All work and information contained within this document Copyright 1999 John Culbert unless otherwise stated. This FAQ is for private and personal use only. It can only be reproduced electronically, and if placed on a web page or site, may be altered as long as this disclaimer and the above copyright notice appears in full. Any information used from this document, quoted or no, should have this author's name somewhere clearly as acknowledgement. Feel free to distribute between others, but this FAQ is not to be used for profitable/promotional purposes; this includes being used by publishers of magazines, guides, books, etc. or being incorporated into magazines, etc. in ANY way. This document was created by John Culbert . Give credit where it is due. San Fransisco Rush and RUSH 2: Extreme Racing USA are copyright Midway games 1998/1999. ___________________________________________________________________________ TECHNIQUES ___________________________________________________________________________ I use many words to describe the Manual Transmission, being "manual", "stick", "stick-shift" and "standard". Automatic is referred to as Automatic or simply auto. SLIDE ===== Fairly obvious; this is when the car slides sideways, usually only in the turns :). COUNTERSTEER ============ I may refer to this as "counter(ing)", "bringing it out/back" or "correcting". This is when you counteract the affects of a slide by steering into it. For example, if you were to take a hard right turn, the back end of the car would slide out to the left--in order to "correct" this, turn the wheels to the left; this will bring the back end around in the right direction (hopefully in time :). The amount you have to turn the wheel in correction depends on the severity of the slide and the handling of your specific car. OUTSIDE/INSIDE ============== Referring to the "outside" or "inside" of a turn--pretty straight-forward, the "outside" of, say, a left turn would be the right side of the turn; the "inside" of that turn would be the left side. APEX ==== Apexing the turn refers to taking the fastest and shortest possible line around the corner. This is usually accomplished by starting on the outside of the turn, diving to the inside, and coming out on the outside again. Thus: ______________c___ | | | | b___________ In this example, the idea is to get from | | point a to point c, but THROUGH b, taking | | the shortest route around the corner. | | Obviously, apexing a corner is easier the | | bigger, wider and more gradual the turn |a | is. | | | | LOOSE ===== It easier to slide the car the looser it is, but it is also often more difficult to correct once in the slide. TIGHT ===== Sometimes indicates it handles well, but usually "tight" refers to an understeering condition, where the nose of the car wants to drift up in the corner instead of turning. NOTE ON THE ABORT BUTTON ======================== The button can be quite the savior if you're in trouble. When hit, your car will be instantly returned to the track, a short distance ahead of where you hit it; this is, of course, most useful when you've screwed up big time and crashed, returning you to the race without the hastle of finishing the crash, and maybe even having to get in reverse or turn around, etc... (which can lose you some time). Note however that you still have to build your speed back up. On the one hand, this is obviously useful in that you can recover from crashes easily, or get yourself out of a secret tunnel that may be leading you where you don't want to go... Unfortunately, you don't get to see your crash, which can sometimes be spectacular :). TIP: If you are running out of time and your near the finish line press the button for a boost to the finish, since it lands you a little further up the track. (Thanks to and for this tip). TRANSMISSIONS ============= Automatic: good for beginners obviously, as it does all the shifting for you. Manual: far more versitile, you should learn to use the standard ASAP. The Standard transmission allows for TONS more acceleration off the start and coming off the corners, and because you can shift manually, it allows you to keep the transmission in a lower gear during cornering if desired, to keep the revs up. Overall much more versitile. The only thing you need to know about using the stick is to remember to shift when the engine reaches around redline, and downshift when you slow the car. LANDING FROM JUMPS ================== To prevent a serious loose condition when landing from a jump, let off the throttle until a moment after you land, so the wheels don't spin when they contact the ground. CORNERING ========= When going into a gradual corner, you usually don't have to slow at all, you simply have to turn the wheel, and if the car starts to slide significantly, counter-steer accordingly. However in more severe turns, you will crash or otherwise go off the outside of the corner if you do not slow down enough or slide properly; in most cases, the BRAKE IS NOT USED. Braking at high speeds usually results in uncontrollable sliding. My father's a stocker driver, and his philosophy on cornering is fairly simple: "If the wheels aren't rotating, you have no no control", meaning that if the wheels are not rotating because you have applied the brakes, they will follow the intertia and slide in the direction the car is going, frequently towards the outside of the corner. NOTE: THE BRAKES SHOULD NOT BE USED _IN_ THE CORNER, BUT FOR MANY CORNERS IT IS IMPORTAWNT TO BRAKE BEFORE YOU GET TO THE CORNER TO SLOW DOWN ENOUGH. Now, for car's that drift, it simply involves starting into the turn earlier WHILE braking, to slide the ass-end out, then get back on the throttle when pointing in the proper direction. This can take some practice for sharp 90 degree turns, but it will usually get you around the corners as fast as slow apexing. As far as apexing goes, for both standard and automatic cars, you should start on the outside of the corner and let off the gas, earlier depending on the severity of the turn, and brake as needed. As you brake, begin to nose the car into the center of the corner--if it gets loose, counter-steer through the center of the corner, then get back on the throttle. For the standard transmission it's essentially the same thing, except downshifting as you slow down. ___________________________________________________________________________ THE CARS ___________________________________________________________________________ PICKUP TRUCK: ============= Appears to be a Ford Lightning F-150, out of all the trucks in a similar style. Default colors are light blue with black accents. The truck has excellent acceleration and works well in drifting situations, but has poor top speed. Since the back end is extremely light, it tends to get VERY loose under braking, and nose-heavy in the jumps. COMPARED TO REAL LIFE: Seeing as how it's supposed to be high-performance in this game, I'm going to assume this is Ford Lightning F-150 (Even though the Lightning has a flare side box). -Make/Model/Year: 1999 Ford SVT F150 Lightning -Wheel Base: 119.8 inches -Curb Weight: 4696 lb -Stock Engine: cast-iron Eaton-Supercharged, Intercooled 5.4 litre Triton V-8, aluminum heads -Horsepower: est. 325 hp @ 4750 rpm -Torque: est. 440 ft.lbs @ 3000 rpm -Drivetrain: Front Engine/RWD -Manual Transmission: none -Automatic Transmussion: 4-speed automatic w/lockup torque converter -Real Life Acceleration: 0-60 6.5 seconds -Real Life Top Speed: 139 mph -Real Life 1/4-mile Time: 15.2 seconds COMPACT: ======== Acura Integra, assuming Type-R. Default colors are green and white. This is a good all-around car that handles extremely well due to its short wheelbase. It's acceleration is decent, but falters in the top speed race to the faster cars. Great beginner car. COMPARED TO REAL LIFE: can't say an Integra is QUITE this fast, but yes it can be basically the same, the Integra Type-R is already a pretty quick car for its class, however they can't keep up with any of the high-end cars in this game. And of course, the real-life Integra is Front Wheel Drive :P. -Make/Model/Year: 1998 Acura Integra Type-R -Wheel Base: 101.2 inches -Stock Engine: Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injected, 1.8 litre Double-Overhead Cam, VTEC, inline 4-cylinder -Compression: 10:1 -Horsepower: 195 bhp @7600 rpm -Torque: 130 ft.lbs @ 6200 RPM -Drivetrain: Front Engine/Front Wheel Drive -Manual Transmission: 5 speed close-ratio -Automatic Transmussion: none -Real Life Acceleration: 0-60 6.6 seconds -Real Life 1/4-mile Time: 15.4 seconds MUSCLE CAR: =========== 1967-68 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. Default color is Red. HUGE horsepower from the aluminum 427 engine, which makes it quite loose in the turns, but workable with drifting. However it accelerates quite well, and has a decent top speed too. COMPARED TO REAL LIFE: speed-wise this is pretty much accurate, these cars were damn fast for their time, even though there's no way it would accelerate faster than most of the new sports cars. Handling wise it's pretty much true, there's no way you can manuever this car at high speeds without excessive drifting. -Make/Model/Year: 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray -Stock Engine: 427 cid carburated overhead valve, aluminum v-8 -Compression: 11.0:1 -Horsepower: 425 hp @ 5600 rpm -Torque: 460 ft-lbs @ 4000 rpm -Drivetrain: front engine/rear wheel drive -Real Life Acceleration: 0-60 5.9 seconds -Real Life 1/4-mile Time: 14.1 seconds MOBSTER: ======== Looks to be Mercury from the 40s or so. Default color is black. This car has high drifting ability, but due to its immense size cannot accelerate that well, and the control his horrid. SEDAN: ====== A BMW 750il. Default colors are blue with white stripes. Also an excellent all- around car, good for beginners with GREAT handling and decent acceleration. COMPARED TO REAL LIFE: this is a pretty heavy car, and in real life is electronically limited in top speed, so this car would have to be modified. -Make/Model/Year: 1997 BMW 750il -Wheel Base: 120.9 inches -Stock Engine: 5.4 Litre V12 -Compression: 10.0:1 -Horsepower: 322 hp @ 5500 rpm -Torque: 361 @ 3900 rpm -Drivetrain: front engine/rear wheel drive -Manual Transmission: none -Automatic Transmission: ZF5 HP30 EH 5 speed -Real Life Acceleration: 0-60 6.7 seconds -Real Life Top Speed: 128 mph BANDIT: ======= 1999 Camaro Z28. Default color is purple with white stripes. This car is a good all-around car that is best drifted in the corners. It has great acceleration and a decent top speed. COMPARED TO REAL LIFE: from its appearance it seems to be a 96 model or earlier, since it doesn have the new open nose, however I'll use the new specs. This car could certainly keep up, but in order to compete with the high-end sports cars it would have to be modified. -Make/Model/Year: 1999 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28 -Wheel Base: 101.1 inches -Stock Engine: Sequential-port Fuel Injected, Naturally Aspirated 5.7 litre, overhead 16-valve, cowl inducted small block V-8 -Compression: 10.0:1 -Horsepower: 305 hp @ 5200 rpm (actually dynoed at 322 hp ;) -Torque: 325 ft-lbs @ 2400 rpm -Drivetrain: front engine/rear wheel drive -Manual Transmission: 6-speed close-ratio -Automatic Transmission: none -Real Life Acceleration: 0-60 5.3 seconds -1/4-mile time: 13.8 sec @ 104 mph COUPE: ====== 1997 Supra RZ. Default color is black with cream stripes. This car has quite a bit of torque which makes for good acceleration, and due to its shorter wheelbase, also handles pretty good too, though it prefers to be drifted. COMPARED TO REAL LIFE: this is defintely a car that could keep up--in real life it supposedly has a bit of an oversteer, but it can certainly keep up with these cars in most cases. -Make/Model/Year: 1997 Toyota Supra -Wheel Base: 100.4 inches -Stock Engine: 3.0 litre (183 cid) Twin Turbo intercooled, Double-Overhead Cam, 24 valve, Sequential-Port Fuel Injected, inline 6-cylinder -Horsepower: 320 hp @ 5800 rpm -Torque: 220 ft-lbs 4000 rpm -Drivetrain: front engine/rear wheel drive -Manual Transmission: 6 speed close-ratio -Automatic Transmission: 4 speed -Real Life Acceleration: 0-60 4.9 seconds EXOTIC: ======= Exotic: appears to be a Lamborghini Countache. Default colors are black with a single white stripe. This is a very fast car on top end speed, and great on acceleration too. It must be drifted in the corners due to the high speed, it tends to oversteer easily. COMPARED TO REAL LIFE: these engine specs are for the Diablo, but considering this doesn't appear to be one specific car, I'll just generalize. Truly a fast car in real life, either way ;). -Make/Model/Year: 1992 Lamborghini Countach -Wheel Base: 107 inches -Stock Engine: Electronic Fuel Injected 5.7 litre 48-valve V12 -Compression: 10:1 -Horsepower: 492 hp @ 7000 rpm -Torque: 428 @ 5200 rpm -Drivetrain: mid-engine/rear-wheel drive -Manual Transmission: 5-speed manual overdrive -Automatic Transmission: none -Real Life Acceleration: 0-60 4.3 seconds -Real Life Top Speed: 202 mph VAN: ==== Classic Volkswagon Minibus. Default colors are green and white. This minibus is much faster than any minibus in real life to be sure. Despite its insane height and long wheelbase, it is one of the best handling cars in the game, though it lacks in top speed. Also a good beginner car. COMPARED TO REAL LIFE: I still haven't been able to find any specs on this minibus, though I know it's most likely an inline 4-cylinder that MIGHT put out about 60 hp... obviously highly modified. SPORTSTER: ========== Dodge Viper RT/10. Default colors black with orange stripes. This has excellent acceleration and can be drifted well due to its high torque. It also has half- decent top end as well--good all-around car. Due to its low stance and width, it is less prone to sideways rolling as well. COMPARED TO REAL LIFE: probably stock, the Viper is quite fast in real life. It's a good thing reliability or price wasn't a factor in this game though, or this car would sucK :P. -Make/Model/Year: 1997 Dodge Viper RT/10 -Wheel Base: 96.2 inches -Stock Engine: 8 litre (488 cid), 20 valve V-10 -Horsepower: 450 hp @ 5200 rpm -Torque: 490 ft-lbs @ 3700 rpm -Drivetrain: front engine/rear wheel drive -Manual Transmission: 6-speed close ratio -Automatic Transmission: none -Real Life Acceleration: 0-60 4.3 seconds -Real Life Top Speed: 192 mph SUBCOMPACT: =========== Volkswagon Beetle. Default colors white with light blue. Again, this is insanely more powerful than a real life Beetle. This car has EXCELLENT acceleration but must be drifted in order to handle properly--it understeers badly. COMPARED TO REAL LIFE: Obviously highly modified, the maximum horsepower ever put out by the old Beetle was 60 hp... -Make/Model/Year: 1971 Volkswagon Beetle -Stock Engine: 1600 in-line 4-cylinder -Compression: 7.5:1 -Horsepower: 60 hp -Drivetrain: rear engine/rear wheel drive CONCEPT: ======== This car appears to be a cross between a maybe Vector and A Ferrari... anyone confirm what this may be? Default colors are yellow and white. Anyways, this is basically the fastest car in terms of top speed, and like the Exotic must be drifted in order to corner properly. HATCHBACK: ========== Honda Civic 3-door coupe. Default color is purple. Due to its EXTREMELY short wheelbase, this car has excellent handling, and can basically outcorner any other car. The acceleration is decent due to its light weight, but it is pitifully slow for top speed. Excellent Beginner car. COMPARED TO REAL LIFE: I suppose a Honda Civic might handle this well, but either way it would take some SERIOUS modifications to make this go even as fast as it does in the game. Of course, the real Honda Civic is front wheel drive, and FWD cars tend to have a serious understeer, so it wouldn't handle quite this well either way. -Make/Model/Year: 1998 Civic 3-door -Wheel Base: 103.2 inches -Stock Engine: Electronic Fuel Injected 1.6 litre in-line 4-cylinder -Compression: 9.6:1 -Horsepower: 127 hp @ 6600 rpm -Torque: 107 hp @ 5500 rpm -Drivetrain: Front Engine/Front Wheel Drive -Manual Transmission: 5 speed -Automatic Transmussion: 4 speed -Real Life Acceleration: 0-60 9.3 seconds -Real Life 1/4-mile Time: 16.9 @ 84 mph CRUISER: ======== Cruiser: early sixties Cadillac. Default color pink and white :). This has piss- poor acceleration due to its weight, but it handles half-decent and has a good top speed. COMPARED TO REAL LIFE: no doubt it wouldn't be able to go quite this fast, but those old Cadillac engines could put out a lot of power. STALLION: ========= 99 Mustang GT. Default color is blue with white stripes. Good all-around car like the Camaro, it handles half-decent with drifting, decent top speed and great acceleration. COMPARED TO REAL LIFE: like the Camaro, this could probably hang half-decent with the other cars, though it couldn't keep up with the top end cars without some modification... and the Mustang is still slower than the Camaro in real life... ;) -Make/Model/Year: 1999 Ford Mustang GT -Wheel Base: 101.3 inches -Stock Engine: 4.6 litre, single-overhead cam, sequential-port fuel injected v8 -Compression: 9.0:1 -Horsepower: 260 bhp @ 5250 rpm -Torque: 302 ft-lbs @ 4000 rpm -Drivetrain: Front Engine/Rear-Wheel Drive -Manual Transmission: 5 speed close-ratio -Automatic Transmission: none -Real Life Acceleration: 0-60 5.6 seconds -Real Life 1/4-mile Time: 14.1 @ 100 mph 4x4 === Appears to a Chevrolet Suburban, but due to its short wheelbase, I'll say Tahoe, and for sake of argument, I'll assume it's Police Package ;). Default color is black. This has a good top speed but the acceleration is slow due to its weight. It must also be drifted at high speeds, so all around it's not a very good vehicle. COMPARED TO REAL LIFE: no doubt the engine would have to be modified even to go as fast as it does here, and SIGNIFICANT weight reduction. -Make/Model/Year: 1998 Chevrolet Tahoe Police Package -Wheel Base: 117.5 inches -Stock Engine: Electronic fuel-injected 5.7 litre V-8 -Compression: 9.4:1 -Horsepower: 255 hp @ 4600 rpm -Torque: 330 ft-lbs @ 2800 rpm -Drivetrain: Front Engine/All-wheel drive -Manual Transmission: none -Automatic Transmission: 4-speed -Real Life Acceleration: 0-60 8.2 seconds -Real Life 1/4-mile Time: 16.2 @ 81 mph ___________________________________________________________________________ SETTING UP THE CARS: ___________________________________________________________________________ Transmission: this selects manual or automatic transmission. Main Color: this chooses the main body color of your vehicle Accent Color: this chooses the color of ground effects, and styling Stripe: this chooses the type of stripes, if any Stripe Color: this chooses the color of the stripes, if any Tire Rims: this chooses the style of wheels--does not affect performance. Horn: selects type of horn Engine: this chooses type of engine--NOTE: as far as I can see, this is for the sound of the engine only, it does not seem to affect performance at all. Torque: this chooses the level of torque the engine puts out--if you have high torque, you'll tend to spin the wheels more in the corner for sliding, but also increases your overall acceleration off the line. Suspension: controls drifting ability and handling by stiffening or softening the suspension. Tires: changes many characteristics from speed or handling Durability: chooses tire compound--the softer the tire is, the more grip it has and therefore acceleration. ___________________________________________________________________________ TIPS/SECRETS: THE COURSES ___________________________________________________________________________ NEW YORK-UPTOWN =============== 1. Off second turn you'll see an alleyway to the right. Follow it to a ramp and insure that your speed is no more than 115 mph, and take it DIRECTLY centered. You'll fly off into a building, crash through an office window, and come out the other side. If you slow down dramatically you can drop back off onto the normal track, but if you keep your speed up and head straight, you'll fly over onto another lowered roof and into another alleyway, which then empties onto the main track right at large double straightaway, through some window glass. EXTREMELY fast shortcut if you can pull it off. 2. After the first right turn following this alleyway (should you choose not to take it) there's an alternate street on the right, however do not enter because it just empties out into a big dead end. 3. As you enter the "Channel to East 46 St", bring the car to right, and angle your jump off to the left as you exit. You'll land off to the side of the main route. From here you can take the left path to go around and rejoin the main route after the dual tunnels. If you go right, you can enter into the subway station (the floor is green). If you get a good head of steam as you enter and head off to the right, you can land on a stationary subway car with Key on it. If you wait, another car will enter the station and pause or a brief second or two, a good jump will get you on top and recieve a Mountain Dew can. You can exit the subway station through the tracks. Stay to the far right (where you can run over the rats) to avoid the train car, and you'll come to another terminal. From here you can exit back onto the main track. IF YOU FOLLOW THE MAIN TRACKS FURTHER THEY LEAD TO A DEAD END. 4. Coming through the first set of country roads you'll eventrully come across a cement bridge; you can venture beneath the bridge and locate another Key. 5. After exiting this first country road, launch your car STRAIGHT off the steps on the building to the left. If you land it properly, it will bring you to an early start in the next country road segment, cutting off the turn taken off the main street to it. 6. Upon entering the second country road segment, look to the left to see a small dirt clearing with a few trees. Head through that and it will launch you onto a small golf course. To the FAR right against the wall you can find a Key hidden behind a tree. Head through the golf course (it can slow you down speed- wise) and it will cut the corners of the country road and bring you near the end of it. 7. After the second country road segment you'll see an opening into the fence on the left of the straightaway. DO NOT ENTER! This is a dead end, without even a Key or Mountain Dew can. 8. Immediately at the end of this straightaway, there's a shallow left onto another straight, where there's a tall red left arrow sign. If you keep to the right there's another subway entrance. Once down in the terminal, take the tracks in the right direction (the opposite direction leads to another dead end). These tracks will bring you to another terminal (watch for the subway car in here)--from here, you can exit back out to the main track (beside the exit sign), or you can take the rat-infested tunnel to another terminal--from here you have to go straight into the NEXT track tunnel, which has rounded walls. You must use these walls to avoid the car inside it, and the final terminal you enter has an exit which dumps you back at the start/finish line. 9. If you choose to head left on the normal route, and the end of this straight there is a large pink building with a park in front. If you head through the park you can go right and around the side of the building into a walkway containing a key. 10. As you come back to the start/finish line, head left to hit the entrance steps to the big park, which contains a key. LOS ANGELES =========== 1. After the shallow left turn on the beginning straightaway, look for an empty parking lot on the left with a red brick wall (underneath the "Yaper TRX" (?) billboard). Behind the small building in the middle of this lot is a Key, and follows back out onto the main track. 2. Almost immediately after the first secret, look to the left for an open bay in the buildings. At the end of this bay is a Key, but this is not a shortcut. 3. After entering the country roads, look to the left to see a sign over a gate that says "Famous". Directly underneath at the gate there's another Key, but you cannot enter the gate. 4. After the steep downhill following the gate with the sign that says "Rich" on it, head far left to the dirt path. This will take you to a small dirt path and then onto a sealed-off back road. Wether you go through the road cones, or head straight and then left, you will go up through another dirt path to join the main track. There is a Key located on the right at the back underneath the broken freeway. Distance-wise this shortcut will put you ahead, but you must maintain a full head of speed to get through the mud/dirt as fast as possible. 5. Following the hard left turn after #4, you will exit back on to a main street. To the right is a ramp that will take you over a billboard sign with a Key--this will not slow you down if taken properly, however in order to jump low enough to get the KEY, you must be going quite slow. 6. As you progress down the street you'll come to a blue arch on the right followed by a green arch. You can enter behind the green arch to get a Key, which is best done by slipping in between the building and the rock that holds the arch in place just BEFORE the arch. 7. After coming through the second country path with bushes on either side, you have a few options when coming upon the hard left turn into the city streets again. You can turn left a block earlier which will rejoin the main route, or you can take the regular hard left, with the red left turn sign. When these two routes meet, you can again head right instead of the right hand turn a block ahead. Both of these routes are just alternatives, they don't seem to give any advantage. 8. A much better shortcut occurs right at the corner of the main route, and the first left turn described in #7. Take the small white ramp that is inclined up from the corner (it is flanked by small danger signs). Once at the top, if you're going slowly, you can drop down to the left into an allyway, with a Key close to the wall. If you carried a little more speed, you may land on the level just above, or clear the buildings altogether. Either way you will rejoin the main route after this. A good shortcut. 9. If you take the second alternate route in #7 (the right hand turn off the main route) you'll come through a sidestreet. To the right there's a display window with a car on a pedastal. To its right is a key. In case you're curious, the car on the stand is a Ford GT90 ;). 10. On the opposite side of the street from the car on display, you'll see a white ramp leading into an alley. This is a shortcut for the reverse track which will dump you back onto the main route. 11. After the curving tunnels on the freeway and exiting the left turn offramp, you'll see wooden fence off to the right. This will lead to a water canal--you can either stay on the ledge to the left or drop down into the water. If you choose the ledge, it will then lead to a long dug-out (a Key is located in the small mud portion here) which will dump you back out onto the main track. If you choose to jump right into the canal, it will take you through an underground water tunnel and exit you back out in virtually the same place--both are EXCELLENT shortcuts. 12. Just before the start/finish line, there's a movie theatre to the left. It is extremely difficult but possible to manuever your car in behind the ticket booth, where a Mountain Dew can is located. This is NOT a shortcut. LAS VEGAS ========= 1. Just after the start/finish line to the right there's a small downhill tunnel. This contains a Key and will dump you back on to the main track--GOOD shortcut. 2. Just coming up on the golden tower, you have three options, straight, left or right. RIGHT: After a winding left turn you can turn to the left into a path leading to a park area--you can drive through the lake in this portion with a Key underwater at its centre, and there's a Mountain Dew can on the far side, and another can hanging in the air by the trees, though I have no idea how to get to it. This park is a dead-end and not a shortcut. Continuing straight on the right-hand route leads to the rest of the track. LEFT: This leads to an offramp that rejoins the main route--this is also where the alleyway from the parking lot in the STRAIGHT route exits. You can also sneak behind the left turn sign out onto the STRAIGHT route. When this route takes you back to the golden tower, do not continue straight or you will be going backwards--veer off into the RIGHT route. STRAIGHT: just to the left shortly after starting this route, there's an ident with a san fransisco rush sign. Behind this there's a Key. Just after this sign, to the left there's the entrance to a parking lot. To the far left in the corner there's a Key. If you continue to the right of the lot it will lead to a small alleyway that dumps you back onto the main route. The straight route will carry you to a right-hand offramp. You can also head left right at the danger sign, where a corner store glass window contains a Key. This should be to get the Key only and is not a shortcut. The Straight Route loops back around to join the RIGHT route. CONCLUSION: The right hand route is basically the fastest, since the main route loops back on to it anyways. 3. After looping through this stuff, you'll come to a small residential section (a bit after the park entrance) on a right turn. If you continue straight you'll enter someone's backyard. From here, you can take the left path or the right-- the left simply loops you back around, so don't bother. The right path continues into the backyard (watch for the trees) and onto a back road--the ramp on the left goes in the opposite direction, however it gives you access to many Keys and Mountain Dew cans on the rooftops. Other than that, this is just a quick shortcut that rejoins the main route. 4. After leaving this area, you'll enter a right hand tunnel. When you exit the tunnel, there's a left turn sign onto another off-ramp. To the right of this turn sign is an alternate path. This is a definite shortcut that gets you a Key and dumps you back onto the final straightaway. NEW YORK-DOWNTOWN ================= 1. Right off the start, you have three options--the main route, up the ramp on the bridge, or the left-hand road. If you take the centre ramp, it leads to the top pillars of the bridge. Be sure to brake slightly before the initial jump to avoid smashing into the pillar. After coming around it, you'll continue down another ramp to an identical pillar (behind this pillar is a Key). After this the downward ramp carries back on to the main route. The left route is basically identical to the main route as far as the bridge-- from here however, it changes and heads left into the streets. However this appears to just bring you in to the main track going in opposite directions, so leave it be, you'll come by this anyway. 2. After heading back on to to the main route, you'll eventually see a parking garage with road cones blocking it to the left. After exiting it on the far side you'll enter an alleyway. Once you exit this, you can hang a far right and you'll see a Key in the enclosed corner. The exit to this lot is to the far left, an upward tunnel. Take this as fast as possible, and it will shoot you over many buildings to land farther on to the track at the park. HUGE SHORTCUT. 3. When you come to the park (where you land from the jump in #2), you can continue straight on the main route, or head through the park--one block to the left of the main route after exiting the park is another route that is a small shortcut back onto the main route. 4. After the sweeping left turn following the park, the subway entrance is located to the left. Upon entering the station, jump on the tracks and follow them forward, making sure to hug to the right to avoid the subway train. Jump into the next subway station and jump up the exit onto the main road. 5. After the exit from the subway on the main route, you can take the main route to the right off to the uphill, or you can head left to the dead-end. At the far front side of the dead-end, you can actually go up the stairs heading right. There is also a Mountain Dew can to the alleyay off to the right when you first hit this roof. You can also access this rooftop by entering through the steel grating beside the right turn sign. If you take this ramp behind the grating at full speed, you'll fly over the rooftops and possibly grab the floating Mountain Dew can, and land on the other side of the building on the main track. 6. After leaving this portion, the main track comes to a steep downhill into a wide tunnel. Immediately to its right, there is a small ramp--if you take this slightly to the left, you can land on the ridge of the tunnel and grab the Mountain Dew can. If continue straight on this path to the right (on the red bricks) it will empty you back at the start-finish line. If you take the left lane, either on the other side of the main tunnel or veering left FROM the right path, you will enter a park area. To the immediate right there's a small stone house with a Key in it. At the blue/grey pillars in the centre of the park, there is also another Key. 7. Just after the start/finish line you can head right underneath the blocked freeway--shortly after you can head left to an alternate route that rejoins the streets of the main route. 8. After the Start/finish line and into the streets, there are two seperate subway entrances that lead to the same station--from here, the downward stairs lead to a Key (and a dead-end). Follow the tracks forward and it will take you to the second station--the exit will dump you back out to an alleyway leading to the main route at the big Mountain Dew billboard. HAWAII ====== 1. After the initial main straightaway, you'll begin to enter an upwill with grass and tress to the left. Head through the trees and enter the tunnel in the rocks--this leads to an underground volcano tunnel--if you take it slow enough, you'll fall into a pit of lava, but there's a Key hanging there in mid-air. If you take it at full speed, you'll hop the pit, and jump back out onto the main track--good shortcut. 2. Following the turn immediately after the exit of the #1 tunnel, you have three options. The two left routes carry on to the main track, but you can also sneak through the danger signs on the right. From there, you'll jump over some buildings and land on a totally alternate road. Continue along this and you'll reach a steep uphill. Angle the car's jump off to the right, and you'll avoid landing on the rounded level on the ground below that may cause you to crash. From the landing, veer off to the left and go up the uphill parking lot to the left of the big building, and this will jump you back on to the main route--GOOD shortcut if you take the whole thing at best possible speed. 3. Just after landing from the big jump in #2, you can break the wood fence to the left and enter a corn field. Keep heading straight through this and you eventually land near the stadium. If you head immediately right at the big brick building, you'll exit back on to the main track at a downhill. You can also keep going straight through the stadium grounds to find a ramp, that will jump you high, near the main route. You can also head straight and it will bring you eventually back to the track on an offramp. GOOD shortcut if done right. 4. When entering the big offramp with danger signs to the left, slip behind the danger signs and take the fast offramp. FAST shortcut. 5. Immediately at the the corner where you land from the stadium jump, you'll see an airport to the right, and if you look closely, a glass corner to the building on the far right. Break through the glass and you'll hit the air field. Hit the jump and you'll land on an aircraft carrier, and from there jump to another air craft carrier. FROM THERE you'll land on a small island, where you'll AGAIN jump off to land on the wooden dock. This leads to the beach, where I recommend you veer to the left as soon as possible since the sand slows you down. This will joing the main route right at the start/finish line. AFAIK this is a pretty good shortcut if you can actually pull the whole thing off. There is a key located on the second aircraft carrier. You can continue through the beach around the buildings, but it is horribly slow in the sand. SEATTLE ======= 1. Immediately after the first left turn off the start/finish line, veer left and take the uphill ramp into a tunnel. This will jump you back out onto the big freeways--GOOD shortcut. To the left in this tunnel you'll also find another route that will take you onto a seperate freeway. 2. When you reach the freeway, you can split left or right. The left then splits into two more freeways--all lead to the same place, except the far left has a yellow jump ramp to get to the upper freeway. 3. Immediately after exiting the freeways, you can see little blocks with advertising signs on them, and a hard right red sign behind. Sneak through them and it'll take you through a back street to eventually rejoin the main route at the left offramp. GOOD shortcut. 4. After the left-turn offramp and beginning the big uphills, you can turn left on the second hill (at the San Fransisco Rush sign). This takes you to a different set of uphills that rejoins the main track. 5. After the long downhills, you'll come to a right offramp. There's a small opening on the left side of the right-turn sign. This will take you to a small grass area and then a ramp. At top speed, this ramp will launch you WAY over many buildings (there's a Mountain Dew can off slightly to the left in the air) and if you land it, it makes a HUGE shortcut. Depending on the speed you hit the ramp at, you can land on higher or lower roofs--the lowest contains a Key. At the highest level, provided you don't clear the entire set of buildings, you can land on a big roof (where a Key is located). The small hole where the pylons are located drops you back out on the main track. ALCATRAZ: THE ROCK ================== 1. On the second main straightaway, there's a small tunnel opening in the mountainside on the left of the track. You'll probably have to slow down to enter it, it's a very small opening, just big enough for your car, so you don't want to hit the walls. If successful, it'll take you through some twists and turns and back out on the main course. Good shortcut if you can manage not to wreck. 2. After the first really heavy left turn, you will come upon the jump that leads to the roof of the main building of Alcatraz. If you take it at top speed you will land on the roof. If you take it pretty slow, you can drop down off the jump and land underneath, following a route through the building to rejoin the track where you land from the roof of the complex. In addition to these routes, there is also a loop-de-loop just off to the right of the jump leading to the roof. If you can navigate this successfully it will bring you to an alternate route through the building; take this route very carefully, as there are a couple of quick turns through the building before rejoining the main track. 3. A small distance from the exit of the loop-de-loop, you will go under another overhang on the main track. You can instead, hang a small right and go out onto a sort of banked awning just on top of the cliff. This is not too big a shortcut, but there will probably be less traffic and it can give you a little more speed because of the banking. ___________________________________________________________________________ CREDITS ___________________________________________________________________________ Thanks to Jason Jamieson and Tyler Stewert (viper_600@geocities.com) for competition and testing. You can access this FAQ and many others at: http://www.gamefaqs.com http://riffraffracing.thot.net ---- VISIT THE HOME OF RIFF-RAFF RACING! MEET OUR TEAM AND SEE PICTURES OF THE RACECARS, AND MUCH MORE, INCLUDING AN INTRODUCTION TO SHORTTRACK RACING! -> http://riffraffracing.thot.net "I said it before and I'll say it again--democracy simply doesn't work!" -Kent Brockman, the Simpsons ___________________________________________________________________________ FILE END ___________________________________________________________________________