History VideoGame / WhereInTheUSAIsCarmenSandiego

* FailedFutureForecast: Obviously, this is much less of a problem for ''U.S.A.'' than for ''World'' as U.S. geography has been stable for a long time now. The twin towers do show up when you visit New York, if that counts.

* DevelopersForesight: If you ask the suspected thief, "Tell me about the suspect" in the last location, they will lie, such as about their weight or what they're wearing. Everyone else will speak the truth.

* CanonImmigrant: This version includes Lynne Thigpen's Chief and [=RoboCrook=] from the ''Series/WhereInTheWorldIsCarmenSandiego'' game show (though the latter [[SameCharacterButDifferent is now a more generic cyborg criminal]] rather than the RoboCop parody he was in the show.)

* CanonImmigrant: This version includes Lynne Thigpen's Chief and [=RoboCrook=] from the ''Series/WhereInTheWorldIsCarmenSandiego'' game show.

* PaperThinDisguise: Subverted awesomely in the final level. [[spoiler:Carmen is too conspicuous to go around in her trademark red outfit, so she wears a LatexPerfection disguise that makes her look like a harmless average-sized woman. You can only figure out it's her because on a rhyme she gives in couplets to some of her henchmen, she describes how she's going to look different]].

* [[RewatchBonus Replay Bonus]]: [[spoiler: In the final case, you learn that Carmen has been wearing a LatexPerfection disguise that makes her look like an average bystander whose character model is reused from ''World'' except for the key difference of the hood she's wearing being Carmen's trademark color, red, rather than purple. This person can be randomly encountered touring different states throughout the game in previous cases, so when replaying the game knowing how Carmen's disguise looks like you are now aware that whenever you encounter this particular tourist, you're getting information about one of Carmen's crooks directly from Carmen herself.]]

* ThatPoorCat: Carmine the Cat is a ButtMonkey that suffers AmusingInjuries in each of her animations. One has her attempting to sing opera, only for someone offscreen to toss a can at her.

* SoreLoser: Charlie Horse, one of Carmen's goons, flat-out describes himself as this when he is arrested.

* YouALLLookFamiliar: As in its ''World'' counterpart, the 1996 version of ''U.S.A.'' reuses the same character models for bystanders.

* CopyProtection: Horrible, horrible copy protection. Arguably some of the most frustrating of all time. You can play all you want, but to get promoted and even have a chance to capture Carmen, you have to enter certain words from certain pages of the included travel guides every few cases. At least with ''World'', the reference was an Almanac; most of the information in one of those can now be found on {{Wiki/Wikipedia}}. ''[=USA=]'' asks what the last word on page Y of the Fodor's travel guide was. Have fun guessing!

* ImpossibleTheft: The thefts range from entirely possible like the hand crank to the first Model T, the recipe for Coca-Cola, and the Indianapolis 500's checkered flag, to the ones practical but for the sheer scale like the Red Sox's socks, the Delta Queen Riverboat's paddlewheel, and Time Square's billboard, to more ridiculous such as all of the hour hands from the American Clock & Watch Museum, all of the water in Crater Lake, and all of the sand on Waikiki Beach, to the absurd like Monticello, Abraham Lincoln's log cabin, and The Breakers, to the ''very'' absurd such as the Space Needle, all of the maple syrup in Vermont, and every lobster bib in all of Maine. Even above those, they somehow managed to steal the Mason-Dixon Line.

* EpicFail: The game will call you out if you attempt to arrest a thief without issuing the warrant. They most definitely are let off the hook and you don't recover the landmark.

* TheGreatPoliticsMessUp: Obviously, this is much less of a problem for ''U.S.A.'' than for ''World'' as U.S. geography has been stable for a long time now. The twin towers do show up when you visit New York, if that counts.

* WhatTheHellPlayer: Kids-friendly version; if you run out of fuel, arrest the wrong criminal, mess up the warrant, or [[Epicfail forget to issue the warrant]], cut to a newspaper decrying how you failed. Then the Chief calls and either chews you out or reminds you how to avoid this problem in the future.

* ThatPoorCat: Carma the Cat is a ButtMonkey that suffers AmusingInjuries in each of her animations. One has her attempting to sing opera, only for someone offscreen to toss a can at her.
* TokenGoodTeammate: While the ICK Janitors are cleaning up Carmen's trail and Robo-Crook is doing OffstageVillainy, Carma is just...being a cat. That includes raiding the garbage for a meal, trying to eat goldfish, and giving a meowing opera.

* LandmarkingTheHiddenBase: At the end of this version, you not only capture Carmen, but also discover the location of her secret base. It turns out to be under the U.S. Capitol Building. Perhaps she chose the location due to the [[SleazyPolitician convenient supply of crooks nearby]].

* YouALLLookFamiliar: As in its ''World'' counterpart, the 1996 version of ''U.S.A.'' reuses the same character models for bystanders.

* ImpossibleTheft: The thefts range from entirely possible like the hand crank to the first Model T, the recipe for Coca-Cola, and the Indianapolis 500's checkered flag, to the ones practical but for the sheer scale like the Red Sox's socks, the Delta Queen Riverboat's paddlewheel, and Time Square's billboard, to more ridiculous such as all of the hour hands from the American Clock & Watch Museum, all of the water in crater lake, and all of the sand on Waikiki Beach, to the absurd like Monticello, Abraham Lincoln's log cabin, and The Breakers, to the ''very'' absurd such as the Space Needle, all of the maple syrup in Vermont, and every lobster bib in all of Maine. Even above those, they somehow managed to steal the Mason-Dixon Line.

* DaChief: Notably, the 1986 version of ''U.S.A.'' marks the first time that you're taking orders from someone named "The Chief." The character is TheGhost in the 1986 version but appears onscreen in the 1992 and 1996 versions, portrayed by Lynne Thigpen in the latter of those two.

* CoatFullOfContraband: One of the generic henchmen is a very sneaky, sleazy-looking guy who opened his trenchcoat to reveal sparkling, gleaming watches.

* FiveFiveFive: As with its ''World'' counterpart, the phone numbers in the deluxe version of ''U.S.A.'' are all prefixed with 555.

* CanonImmigrant: The 1996 version includes Lynne Thigpen's Chief as well as [=RoboCrook=] from the ''Series/WhereInTheWorldIsCarmenSandiego'' game show.

* GenieInABottle: In the 1996 version, Ann Tickwittee's capture animation has her using an oil lamp to summon a genie, who then grabs the thief.

* ImpossibleTheft: The 1996 version varies in how realistic the thefts are. They range from entirely possible like the hand crank to the first Model T, the recipe for Coca-Cola, and the Indianapolis 500's checkered flag, to the ones practical but for the sheer scale like the Red Sox's socks, the Delta Queen Riverboat's paddlewheel, and Time Square's billboard, to more ridiculous such as all of the hour hands from the American Clock & Watch Museum, all of the water in crater lake, and all of the sand on Waikiki Beach, to the absurd like Monticello, Abraham Lincoln's log cabin, and The Breakers, to the ''very'' absurd such as the Space Needle, all of the maple syrup in Vermont, and every lobster bib in all of Maine. Even above those, they somehow managed to steal the Mason-Dixon Line.
* ItsRainingMen: In the 1992 version, the intro animation shows a bunch of Carmen's mooks parachuting down to San Francisco--and one of them [[FunnyBackgroundEvent getting his parachute caught on the spire of the Transamerica Pyramid]].
* LandmarkingTheHiddenBase: At the end of the 1996 version, you not only capture Carmen, but also discover the location of her secret base. It turns out to be under the U.S. Capitol Building. Perhaps she chose the location due to the [[SleazyPolitician convenient supply of crooks nearby]].
* MusicalAssassin: In the 1996 version, Renee Santz fits this trope; when she comes in to arrest the perp, she's playing a toe-tapping tune on her saxophone, up until the musical notes sweep the perp off their feet and pin their hands and feet to the ground.

* WantedPoster: Carmen tears down one of herself in the opening of the 1996 version.
* YearX: When you win a case in the 1992 version, you see an image of the crook in jail. The jail cell has a calendar on the wall, but you can only see the first three digits ("199") of the year. The fourth digit is obscured by a bar.

* MonumentalTheft: The 1996 version varies in how realistic the thefts ware They range from entirely possible like the hand crank to the first Model T, the recipe for Coca-Cola, and the Indianapolis 500's checkered flag, to the ones practical but for the sheer scale like the Red Sox's socks, the Delta Queen Riverboat's paddlewheel, and Time Square's billboard, to more ridiculous such as all of the hour hands from the American Clock & Watch Museum, all of the water in crater lake, and all of the sand on Waikiki Beach, to the absurd like Monticello, Abraham Lincoln's log cabin, and The Breakers, to the ''very'' absurd such as the Space Needle, all of the maple syrup in Vermont, and every lobster bib in all of Maine. Even above those, they somehow managed to steal the Mason-Dixon Line.

* YouALLLookFamiliar: As in its ''World'' counterpart'', the 1996 version of ''U.S.A.'' reuses the same character models for bystanders.