OutRun 2 presents a refreshingly simplistic and fun old-school arcade style.
It is now 18 years later, and Sega have released OutRun 2 in arcades and on Xbox. The coin-operated version actually runs on Sega’s Chihiro hardware, which is essentially an Xbox, so porting it to Microsoft’s console was relatively easy, but the developers at Sumo Digital (who were in charge of the port) went a step further by adding an entire ‘Challenge’ mode to the game. The standard arcade mode is still included, which is basically a supercharged version of the original game from 1986. Of course, the graphics are fully 3D, and are quite impressive, even by Xbox standards. The cars are modeled very realistically, the lighting and weather effects are beautiful, and the amount of traffic that can be on the screen at one time with minimal slowdown is amazing. The gameplay itself hasn’t changed much in 18 years, though there is an emphasis on powersliding and drifting that wasn’t in the original. If you’re looking for realism, stay far, far away; OutRun 2 is 100% flat-out arcade racing, with an unreal sense of speed, and cars that behave little like they would in real life.
Challenge mode is the primary part of OutRun 2, and it is somewhat reminiscent of the mini-games in Crazy Taxi. Here you will work your way through levels, completing various tasks of increasing difficulty. These tasks range from standard racing, to bizarre challenges like collecting as many hearts as possible which are ‘floating’ around other vehicles, completing sections of track without hitting anything, drifting as much as possible, or passing as many cars as possible. There is even a ‘math’ game where you have to add and subtract numbers that are floating above the track and drive through the correct answer at the end! Basically, the intention is to impress your female companion, which gains you hearts, and the more hearts you collect the higher a rating you achieve; ‘A’ or higher (‘AA’, ‘AAA’) will accomplish your mission, but a ‘B’ or lower will necessitate trying again. Completing these missions will unlock various cards (basically pictures of assorted Ferrari merchandise) as well as new sections of track, new vehicles, and new music. Included are a total of twelve Ferraris (from classics like the Testarossa and 288 GTO, to the F40 and Enzo), numerous songs and remixes of songs (including the original three songs from 1986), and even some tracks taken from the arcade games Daytona 2 and Sega GT (a.k.a. Scud Race). You can even unlock the original OutRun game by reaching all the finish lines in Arcade mode!
There is also a multiplayer ‘party’ mode included, where each player takes turns trying to outdo one another in the various challenges. This is a lot of fun, and can get quite amusing when trying to confuse your opponents during events such as the ‘math’ game. In addition, there is online support for racing with up to 8 players at once via Xbox Live. Both multiplayer options add even more replay value to what is already a highly addictive game.
OutRun 2 presents a refreshingly simplistic and fun old-school arcade style that is missing from the vast majority of today’s games. The challenge mode, online play, and the unlockable extras significantly increase the longevity of this title, and will keep you playing for many hours. I give OutRun 2 a solid 8.5 out of 10.