Outrun

Written by Tom Clare in MegaDrive Game Reviews, Friday 14 January, 2005

Outrun is Outdone by its arcade counterpart

With so many new games appearing these days, the newer generation of players may struggle to recall Outrun, which was arguably Sega's second most popular franchise of the Mega-Drive era, behind the massively successful Sonic legacy.

Released into the arcades way back in 1986 (a year before I was even born) and eventually making the transaction to the Mega-Drive console some five years later, Outrun is a racer that focuses on light-hearted, high-speed thrills and is quick to dismiss all hints of simulation and realism.

I managed to track down an Outrun arcade cabinet a few years ago, and after a few quick goes, was surprised at how enjoyable its simple, no-nonsense action remained. Perhaps its greatest attribute was the steering wheel/gear stick/pedals combination, which made for some truly thrilling moments - and so the question would be, could Outrun make a successful transition to a home console without the aid of these technical accessories?

The premise is very simple; tooled up with the now-iconic red Ferrari Testarossa, your job is basically to take part in a race across the U.S; passing through checkpoints, weaving through traffic and driving at highly illegal speeds whilst also admiring the scenery!

Obviously, things would become rather dull if this was all there was to the game - spicing things up somewhat is the inclusion of (often heavy) traffic, meaning you'll need to pull off some dexterous driving to avoid any time-sapping collisions.

The main innovation here is a split-route system, seemingly designed to bolster the variety and long-term appeal of the playing experience. The racing doesn't take a break at any stage, though towards the end of every 70-second section you are prompted with a simple left/right fork in the road. The different routes tend to throw up similar challenges, though with varying degrees of traffic, hazardous scenery and twisting corners. Chances are the only genuine variation you'll notice will be the backgrounds and scenery though!

But how well does it actually play? Sadly, it doesn't manage to recreate the unique playability of the arcade version, though as a stand alone racing title, is competent enough. The handling of the Ferrari is responsive, solid and easy to pick up, though seems curiously undemanding and plain next to the steering wheel configuration of the coin-op version.

The racing itself soon becomes a bit of a chore, as little skill is required to navigate the roads. More emphasis shifts to avoiding the traffic, as even a slight scrape with another motorist can result in an extremely costly spin. Consequently, the action becomes more about picking your way through traffic than actually racing.

Graphically the game is a bit of a mixed bag, though in truth the visuals are probably the most successful part of the entire package. When it was first released in 1991, the presentation was very nice; menu screens predictably taken straight from the coin-op edition, and the result is some vibrant and stylish option and high-score boards. In-game, the Ferrari vehicle is nice and detailed, as are the driver/passenger sprites whose hair flaps around in the wind as you drive. Even though the racing quickly gets samey, the backgrounds are fairly varied, with some jolly and colourful scenic vistas. On a more negative note, the sense of speed isn't too good, failing to recapture the level of smoothness that made the original version so playable. The way trackside scenery and fellow motorists move is slightly jerky and generally unconvincing too.

Perhaps one of the nicest touches is the ability to choose between four different songs to accompany the racing. Nothing special there, I hear you say, though prior to a race you are prompted with an in-car view, with a shot of your radio and a hand that tunes it every time you move to a different tune. A nice, if all too rare, show of originality. The songs themselves are, much like the game as a whole, average - the jingles are cheerful enough, but they soon grate.

It is quite possible to complete Outrun on your first attempt, and though there are six difficulty settings to tackle, the only real difference between each is the amount of traffic you will come across. The different routes do add to the longevity, though it's likely you'll only try each path once, just to see what each area looks like. There are also five finish lines, each rewarding you with a short 'n' simple animated sequence upon reaching them, so die-hard fans will probably squeeze a little bit more value from these as well as the prospect of beating high-scores. Disappointingly, there is no two-player mode included within, which is a surprise for a Mega-Drive racer, and an opportunity greatly missed by the developers.

The pick-up-and-play element is probably one of Outrun's few real strengths, and as it has no certificate/age-rating, it is an ideal racer for youngsters who are just learning the gaming ropes, though with technology charging forward these days, it's unlikely that even young children will gain much satisfaction from this.

So Outrun is a solid racer that lacks the style, speed and enjoyment of its arcade sibling. It manages to handle the presentation and technical aspects required admirably, though without the steering wheel and pedals, the console version feels very ordinary. Find the 10p-a-go arcade version instead - it's much more enjoyable.

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