If you’re like me, then you surely fall into the same trap almost every time you walk into an arcade. You see some shiny new racing game sitting there – beckoning you to come pump your quarters (or tokens if you will) into it. Arcade racers...they do it to me every time, and the best part is you always lose in less than 2 minutes. SEGA AM2, who seem to be the masters of bringing good arcade games into your living room have attempted once again to make you feel the pain of the timer counting down to 0 when you’re only inches away from the checkpoint, with OutRun2, the sequel to the 1986 arcade classic.
While I may not have been old enough to be playing the original OutRun in the arcades back in ’86 (hey, I had only just gotten my first NES), I still have a love for arcade racers and have played quite a few over the years. A good arcade racer should consist of the following things: vibrant graphics, eardrum-pounding sound effects, over-the-top lack of real world physics and a sense of urgency combined with real speed. OutRun2 manages to capture each and every one of these elements that in turn makes you not want to put it down.
The game of OutRun2 is pretty simple. There are three modes of play – Arcade, Challenge and Xbox Live. Each mode breaks it down even further. In Arcade mode you have the choice of doing a regular “OutRun,” Heart Attack mode, or Time Attack. Time attack is a simple point to point race where you just have to beat the time the game sets for you. Heart attack mode puts you at the beck and call of your lady-copilot forced to follow her every command. These commands vary from “drift as much as possible,” to “drive only in the blue,” or “pass as many cars as possible.” In all these different situations the main thing you’re trying to amass is hearts, which you’re ultimately graded on...but you still have to beat the clock (hey this is an arcade racer). OutRun mode has you following the classic 5-race mode from the ’86 original. You’ll race through each stage and are presented with a fork in the road at the end, to which you choose a path. If you go left the next track is easier, go right and it’s harder.
To really get the most out of OutRun2 though you have to venture into Challenge mode. When you start the game you have only 4 cars unlocked, a handful of races and only 6 songs to choose from while you’re racing. To remedy this, the challenge mode pits you against beating 101 tasks split up over 15 stages in which you win “cards.” Now I know what you’re thinking...another card game. No, it’s not like that. While most of these cards are pointless little tidbits of Ferrari history (sorry Ferrari fans) you’ll also receive cards that unlock the other cars, tracks and music. If you manage to clear out all the cards you’ll also get some special options like the ability to play the original OutRun. Clearing all the cards is no easy feat though. The tasks you have to perform range from simple races and beat-the-clock type events, all the way to making you do math while you drive by remembering some numbers that you see floating above the track and then going through the correct finish area at the end. Now was that 20, or 22...oh man!
To top it off the actual racing in OutRun2 isn’t something that you’ll pick up the first time you get into it either. While the controls and driving system seem quite simplistic there is actually a lot of complexity underneath it all. As well, although we’re in the arcade-physics world, the rules of racing still apply occasionally. With the only actual control elements being gas, break and drifting it’s easy to underestimate the degree of skill it takes, but knowing just when, and where to drift and how to transfer the weight of the car into linking multiple drifts together will be the secret to your success. But even then you can’t just go drifting around the whole course, as sometimes if you break a little bit and apex that turn you’ll carry even more speed into the next one.
Now after you’ve unlocked all your cars and tracks you’ll want to do what you do with any great racing game – play with your friends. This in some respects is one of the major downers in OutRun2. While there are 3 different modes of multiplayer to be had, split-screen racing isn’t one of them, and that’s going to turn off a lot of people. The modes that do exist are Party Mode, LAN Play and Xbox Live. In party mode you can play with upto 4 of your friends in a round-robin sort of match that lets you compete in the different events you played in the challenge mode. While this is fun, it’s no substitute for going neck and neck with your buddy beside you. To get this fix you’ll have to go to the LAN play which allows you to connect your Xboxen together if you have multiple tv’s, and that may work just fine for some people. If you want to get into real multiplayer arcade racing though you’ll have to go on Xbox Live.
|
|
Xbox Live mode consists of races that one person sets up for up to 8 players. You join a lobby which is quite familiar in other Xbox Live games and you set up your races from there. There’s also a scoreboard that will track your rankings on the network. While there’s nothing groundbreaking about the online play it’s nice to have due to the lack of other ways to play with your friends.
SEGA AM2 have brought some of the best arcade experiences to our home over the years with games like Virtua-Cop, and they’ve done it again with OutRun2. The feel of the game is almost exactly what you’d get at the arcade, without the sense of loss over all the money you’re spending. The game is fast, exciting and fun – but one of the best parts about racing games is going at it with your friends and a good multiplayer mode is what this racer is sorely lacking. While Xbox live and LAN play help they’re just no substitute for good ‘ole fashioned split-screen action. If you’re willing to overlook this shortcoming then you’ll have a great time with OutRun2 as it’s one of the best arcade experiences out there.
