Keep It Simple, Stupid

When I first fired up OutRun2 on the Xbox for my review, I wasn't super enthused about it. My initial impression was that it was a by-the-numbers arcade racer, with some quirky mission modes thrown together to give it some flavor. Oh and it had a dozen licensed Ferrari models to attract the exotic car enthusiasts. Big whoop. But as I played through the game, drifting around corners with reckless abandon, and repeating tracks to shave fractions of a second off my best times I started to realize that the game was growing on me.

I briefly touched on OutRun2's old-school design sensibilities in the review. In this day and age of 20 buttons to a controller and five analog sticks plus three digital pads, it's refreshing to pick up a game that is utterly and completely simple. Accelerator. Brake. Let's go. Want to powerslide? Tap the brake and steer into the corner. That's about all you need to know to play OutRun2. But like any game with addictive potential, OutRun2 has a simple-to-learn, hard-to-master quality about it. There are more than 15 unique tracks in the game, with both forward and reversed versions. The fact that these can be raced in a number of different permutations adds a surprising amount of variety to the game, and even if you memorize ideal lines to race each track, the transitions from one stage to the next should keep you on your toes.

And I normally can't stand games that unlock all the good stuff at the start and force you to play through a mission mode to get at it. I complained mightily about this sort of thing in last year's NBA Ballers review. But with OutRun2 I didn't mind so much. The unusual tasks you face in the mission mode are challenging and fun, and add some spice to each level. It's just so Japanese to think of placing giant hearts in each bend that you need to photograph as you drift around each corner. Or how about a math mode where you need to keep a running tally of positive and negative numbers that whizz by as you race down a track. See kids? Tell your parents that OutRun2 is educational and keeps you up on your arithmetic.

Hopefully this game will get as much love at the checkstands as it should. It's nice that in a world full of flash and sizzle (Burnout 3), simpler games like OutRun2 can still make an impression on editors like me. If you're a fan of arcade racing, you should definitely check out the game and let it grow on you too.