Felony 11-79

Felony 11-79, known in Japan as Runabout (ランナバウト, Rannabauto), is a video game developed by Climax and published by Yanoman and ASCII for the PlayStation in 1997. It was part of a late 1990s wave of driving games which encourage the player to create chaos and destruction, being preceded by Die Hard Trilogy and Carmageddon.[2][3]

Felony 11–79 (Runabout)
Developer(s)Climax Entertainment
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Kazushige Inaba
Designer(s)Kan Naitō
SeriesRunabout
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
  • JP: May 23, 1997
  • NA: September 1997[1]
  • EU: December 1997
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single Player

Gameplay

The first game in the Runabout series was known outside Asia as Felony 11–79 and was designed and produced by Kan Naito. It features three separate environments (Down Town, Sea Side, Metro City) and a test course as opposed to the later games' use of one city. Most of the player's time is spent unlocking the game's many bonus vehicles. Players can set the car's performance, including steering, front suspension, rear suspension, grip balance, acceleration and brake. Each car has a different performance rate (horsepower, torque, length, weight, fuel). Players may need to refill the tank.

Development

Though Climax were primarily developing games for the Sega Saturn at the time, they concluded Runabout would be easier to produce on the PlayStation.[4]

Reception

The game received above-average reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[5] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 30 out of 40.[8]

Critics almost unanimously commented that while the game has an enjoyable concept,[2][3][13][11] the game is too lacking in longevity to be worth buying.[2][3][13][11] Shawn Smith of Electronic Gaming Monthly argued that the game has plenty of replay value in the form of numerous unlockable cars, two unlockable tracks, and hidden routes,[2] but the vast majority of reviewers (including all three of Smith's co-reviewers) pointed out that one can unlock all the tracks, play through the entire game with all the basic vehicle types, and explore all the routes in just two to five hours, and said they would rather have more tracks than the 20 unlockable cars.[2][3][13][11] GamePro summarized the game as "a must-rent".[11]

Some reviewers also complained at the fact that it is impossible to run over pedestrians,[2][3][13] and Next Generation criticized that the story's ending is disappointingly brief and trite, given that Climax were known for their involved and original storylines.[13] GameSpot and GamePro both praised the surf-rock soundtrack.[3][11]

Notes
  1. In GameFan's early viewpoint of the game, two critics gave it each a score of 88, and the other 83.
  2. GamePro gave the game two 4/5 scores for graphics and sound, and two 4.5/5 scores for control and overall fun factor.

References
  1. "Announcing ASCII Entertainment's Newest PlayStation Title: Felony 11-79". ASCII Entertainment. June 1997. Archived from the original on October 15, 1997. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  2. EGM staff (September 1997). "Felony 11-79". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 98. Ziff Davis. p. 56.
  3. Fielder, Joe (October 16, 1997). "Felony 11-79 Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive.
  4. "NG Alphas: Runabout". Next Generation. No. 29. Imagine Media. May 1997. pp. 115–16.
  5. "Felony 11-79 for PlayStation". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  6. Sackenheim, Shawn. "Felony 11-79 - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  7. Edge staff (July 1997). "Runabout (Import)". Edge. No. 47. Future Publishing. pp. 90–91. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  8. "ランナバウト [PS]". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  9. "Felony 11-79". Game Informer. No. 53. FuncoLand. September 1997. Archived from the original on September 15, 1999. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  10. Halverson, Dave "E. Storm"; Hodgson, David "Chief Hambleton"; Stockert, Bruce "Reubus" (August 1997). "Felony 11-79". GameFan. Vol. 5 no. 8. Metropolis Media. p. 16. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  11. Bad Hare (October 1997). "Felony 11-79". GamePro. No. 109. IDG. p. 138. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  12. IGN staff (September 10, 1997). "Felony 11-79". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  13. "Felony 11-79". Next Generation. No. 34. Imagine Media. October 1997. p. 170-71. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  14. Perez, Dindo (October 1997). "Felony 11-79". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Vol. 1 no. 1. Ziff Davis. p. 100. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
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