Outrun 2

The original OutRun hit the arcades in the mid-eighties and immediately dazzled gamers with lightning fast graphics and smooth arcade racing gameplay.  The result was a groundbreaking racing game that instantly earned its place as an arcade classic.  The second OutRun game recently hit arcades using Xbox architecture in the cabinet.  It featured the same brand of furious gameplay as its predecessor coupled with incredibly vibrant and realistic graphics.  Now, the sequel is hitting the Xbox, and since the arcade version was built on Xbox hardware, OutRun 2 is an arcade perfect conversion and then some.  The game features the original arcade game as well as a few new features and game modes.  While certainly not as realistic as Project Gotham Racing or Gran Turismo, OutRun 2 delivers its own brand of fast arcade style racing and comes out in a league of its own.

OutRun 2 features a variety of different gameplay modes.  There is the original arcade mode, which has you racing through various checkpoints before the timer runs out, the Heart Attack mode, which has you completing certain tasks that your female passenger calls out in order to earn hearts and bring up your ranking.  There is also a new mission mode where you must complete certain tasks in order to finish five stage areas and earn special unlockable items.

The levels in OutRun 2 are split into stages divided by checkpoints.  Each stage splits apart and will take you to either to the left or the right, with the stages to the left being the easier paths and the right more difficult.  Therefore, if you stick through the left, then you will go through the easy route with less twists and turns, if you go right then you will experience the tougher areas and if you go left and right at different checkpoints, then you will come somewhere in between.  This means that there are tons of different ways to complete each level.

The car handling is not realistic at all, which may disappoint simulation driving fans looking for some authentic physics.  The controls are dirt simple; brake and accelerate are all you need to worry about.  The licensed Ferrari cars each feel pretty similar, with a few discrepancies in acceleration, handling and top speed.  An important part of the driving strategy of the game is the use of drifting, which you do by letting off of the gas, tapping the break, flooring the gas very quickly and then turning hard into the curve. This helps you take a curve without losing too much speed.

The graphical presentation is fantastic, right on par with the arcade game.  The cars have a nice look to them, with nice reflections and a ton of detail giving the cars a very colorful and realistic appearance.  The environments in the game are also very detailed and range from beaches to forest areas and many other background types.  However, the most impressive part of the graphical presentation is the sheer sense of speed and motion that you get.  The courses seem to fly by at intense speeds, all with very smooth framerates.

The sound is a bit of a different story, on the other hand.  The music is very typical of Sega titles, meaning that it is ludicrously campy and very cheesy.  Songs like “Magical Sound Shower” jump out as feeling out of place in a racing game, and even though they may invoke a sense of nostalgia in some gamers, most players will find them ridiculous and turn them off.

OutRun 2 is a great arcade driving game with a lot of style.  The game is definitely not realistic in terms of car handling and physics, but the game provides a solid arcade experience and a fantastic sense of speed.

Gameplay: 8.5
The gameplay in OutRun 2 is dirt simple.  There’s no simulation here, just all-out arcade driving.  While gamers looking for serious meticulously realistic racing will probably be disappointed with the physics in the game, those looking for a fast smooth arcade racing game should have a great time.
 

Graphics: 9.2
The graphics are excellent, conveying an excellent sense of speed with smooth framerates and clean textures.  The car models look awesome, with cool looking luster and great detail, and the environments are fantastic.
 

Sound: 6.0
As is the custom for most Sega games, the music in OutRun 2 is pretty terrible.  Each of the songs is very poppy sounding new agey tripe, which is completely out of place in a racing game.  There are some limited voice announcing that can get a little campy sounding as well.  Most people will be well off just turning the TV on mute and listening to a CD.
 

Difficulty: Medium
 

Concept: 8.5
OutRun 2 does a fantastic job of bringing all of the fun of the arcade version and then some with some great mission-based modes.
 

Multiplayer: 8.5

The game offers multiplayer, system link and Xbox Live features.  What more do you need?
 

Overall: 8.5
OutRun 2 offers the same brand of arcade racing as the original, with all of the necessary improvements and some great new features.  Fans of the original game should definitely enjoy this entry to the series.