City Connection

City Connection
Japanese arcade flyer
DeveloperJaleco
Publishers
PlatformsArcade, Nintendo Entertainment System, MSX, ZX Spectrum, mobile phone, Windows
Release
July 1985
  • Arcade
    • JP: July 1985
    • NA: September 1, 1985
    NES
    • JP: September 27, 1985
    • NA: May 1988
    MSX
    ZX Spectrum
    Mobile
    • JP: September 17, 2002
    Windows
    • JP: September 5, 2004
GenrePlatform
ModesSingle-player, multiplayer

City Connection is a 1985 platform video game developed and published by Jaleco for arcades. It was released in North America by Kitkorp as Cruisin'. The player controls Clarice in her Honda City hatchback and must drive over elevated roads to paint them. Clarice is pursued by police cars, which she can stun by hitting them with oil cans. The design was inspired by maze chase games like Pac-Man (1980) and Make Trax (1981).

City Connection was ported to the Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System, MSX and ZX Spectrum. It was re-released in several Jaleco game collections and services such as the Wii's Virtual Console. These received mixed responses in North America, with critics disliking its simplicity, lack of replay value, and poor controls. Some felt it possessed a cute aesthetic and unique concept and was entertaining. Clarice is one of the first female protagonists in a console game. In Japan, the game has maintained a loyal following, and the NES version is seen as a classic for the platform; Jaleco's successor, City Connection Co., Ltd., was named after the game.

Jaleco released a sequel, City Connection Rocket, for Japanese mobile phones in 2004.