OutRun 2 (Xbox) Review

Platform: Xbox
Developer: Sumo Digital
Publisher: Sega
Surround: 4.1 digital
Widescreen: Yes

Ok, look, I’m sorry. I know this is racesimcentral.net and what I’m about to inflict on you is another arcade game, but this one’s a bit special. It’s Outrun 2. How could we miss up the chance to cast a critical eye over the sequel to what is arguably the most influential and memorable racing game in public history? Despite our personal preferences right at this moment in time, I’d hazard a guess that there are more than just a few people here for whom Outrun holds a special place in their hearts. For many, Outrun will be the game that attracted them to racers in the first place, with the massive arcade cabinet drawing them in back in the days of yore.

Looks:

Well there’s not much point in starting anywhere else, is there? I think it’s safe to say that the Xbox has had more than its fair share of graphical marvels when it comes to racers. From the ultra-realistic city modelling of Project Gotham 2 to the incredibly natural and organic feeling Rallisport Challenge 2, Xbox owners are spoilt for choice and Outrun 2 certainly doesn’t disappoint at this level. The Ferraris on show here are all lovingly modelled and crafted and look fantastic from all angles. Similarly the tracks and backdrops are a work of art and the game features draw distance that will frankly drop your jaw at times, as will some of the little touches like the tyre smoke; it’s simply incredible. It’s true the traffic isn’t modelled up to anything like the same standard as your vehicle, but who cares when you’re flying past at 200MPH?

Everything’s a tad cartoony and OTT, but that’s well in keeping with the Outrun tradition and doesn’t detract from the game in the slightest. For the most part everything is lit very well and the frame rate does a fantastic job of keeping up with the action, only dropping below 60FPS on a few rare occasions. Given the sheer amount of action on screen at the time of said slowdowns, it’s reasonably forgivable to see a little fluctuation, although it is a tad annoying to see that we still have to put up with this sort of thing with the capabilities of today’s hardware.

Game:

When it comes to the game behind Outrun, there’s not really much to say. At the basest level it’s a racer that features you travelling through 5 different tracks to the end of the course. That’s it. Alright, there’s more to it than that I suppose. Each race will start at the same track (Palm Beach) and each one branches off to two more, making a total of 15 tracks to choose from. Stay to the left at the forks and you’ll be travelling through the easier of the two areas, go to the right and it’s harder. Each complete race lasts no more than 5 minutes and if it does take longer, then you’ve lost. Simple really. So why is Outrun deserving of your money?

Well, aside from the fact that the above is actually a joyous rollercoaster-like 5 minutes, Sumo Digital were pretty thoughtful when they were granted the task of creating a home version of the arcade machine and rather than just directly port the game outlined above, a practise that’s all too common, they’ve tried to create additional game modes and incentives to play.

The bulk of the home version resides through the “Outrun Challenge”, a series of 101 different challenges similar in style to those found in Project Gotham Racing. Races will involve you avoiding yellow cones whilst knocking over blue ones or racing in a lane of a certain colour or keeping your car above a certain speed in designated sections. The modes are certainly varied and keep things interesting. For a basic arcade racer they certainly ensure there’s adequate challenge too. Some modes are ridiculously easy, but some border on the impossible, with the minimum speed mode in particular forcing some real knowledge of racing lines and requiring heavy concentration at times, especially if you want to achieve the “AAA” awards (Outrun 2’s equivalent of PGR’s platinum medals)

In exchange for your perseverance in the above, you’re rewarded with “cards”. Most will hold a little Ferrari themed factoid but some unlock new game music, game modes, reversed tracks, new cars and different tracks. One even unlocks the original 1986 arcade version of Outrun.

Ultimately it won’t take more than a few hours to complete everything that Outrun 2 can throw at you, but the game plays and looks so good that you will come back to it from time to time, especially as you can just put it on for a little 10 minute session unlike a lot of more “serious” racers out there.

Multiplayer:

With system link and Live play integrated fully, multiplayer is one of the areas that will definitely be played again and again. There’s not too many game-modes, but what’s there is solid and pretty lag-free. One nice touch about the Live mode; The majority of players seem to be “old-timers”. That is, the number of teens is a lot lower than usual and you can usually get on with your game without fear of someone jumping in and wrecking it. It would have been nice to see split-screen options, but given the complexity of the graphics it’s not hard to see why it wasn’t included.

In Conclusion:

I’m going to finish off with a bit of a split result here. If you’re in Europe, the retail price of Outrun 2 right now is set at around €60. That’s about £40 although you can find it online for up to 25% less. At this price I’d say Outrun 2 is not actually worth it. It’s a great blast for sure, and there’s a lot of fun to be had in single player and Live modes, but it still feels like an arcade conversion rather than a fully fledged “game”. At this price, I’d very much recommend a rental before you purchase.

If you’re a Stateside reader, then it’s a no-brainer. Buy it now! The price in your average Wal-mart or Electronics Boutique is a shade under $40. That’s 20 of our British pounds and only 30 Euros. I can say for certain that if you’re up for a quality arcade racer with Live integration then you can’t go far wrong with Outrun 2 at that price.

Game – 3.5 (3 for Europe and 4 for the US)