OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast
Arcade deliciousness in the palm of your hand (yes, that's a very good thing).
Published: May 6, 2006
I know this going to come off as intensely fanboyish, but I'm so glad SEGA survived. Yeah, sure, I'm bummed that they got out of the hardware biz, and a lot -- some would argue the majority -- of their releases since they transitioned into doing just software have been less than stellar, but without SEGA kicking out games like OutRun, I don't know that the arcade spirit would live on.
And OutRun is unabashedly an arcade game. It's a gorgeous, online-enabled blast of an arcade game, but an arcade game nonetheless, and it's important that this point come across right out of the gate because all the things that you would associate with most arcade games are here. It's short for the most part (though it could be said that this makes the game ever more perfect for the PSP), and it lacks a serious variety in gameplay modes. Even the unlockables don't feel all that special.
Thing is, though, it's fun. Really fun, and it's one of those games that hooks you just like a good quarter muncher should. Sure, you'll see all 15 sections of the game by the time you've played through a day or so (30 if you count the reverse courses), but the game is a perfect mix of instant arcade handling and more nuanced control of different vehicles. It's one thing to take the easy path with the default car and finish; it's quite another to pick a high-speed, squirrelly beast machine and try to run through the more difficult parts of the game, and learning when to just let off the gas and when to throw a particular car into a sideways slide around a corner becomes strategic the longer you play through the game.
That delicate balance and continuous learning act is bolstered by a simple yet utterly effective online mode where you simple join whatever game is available at the moment. You can create one if you'd like, but there's no real lobby, and you're plunked in with random other racers, all of whom sport licenses just like you that list their progress through the game.
The variety in cars, people racing and course layouts that are set by the leader mean no two races ever really go the same way (unless it's you against a bunch of new people or you as a newbie against people that are 90% through the game). If you like someone you've raced against, you can add them to your buddy list and leave that connected even while you play offline, giving the game a quasi-Xbox Live feel to it, and perhaps the first real taste of what it'll be like to play games on the new Sony online network.
It's not all point-a to point-b races to appease your ride-along girlfriend, though. This is a port of OutRun2 released on the Xbox last year. In addition to the familiar branching races, you're treated to the same Heart Attack Mode where you have to perform stunts to keep your woman happy. Passing cars and not crashing were simple enough tasks, but when I started having to dribble beach balls, dodge falling meteorites and avoid alien abductions, I fell in love.
And OutRun is unabashedly an arcade game. It's a gorgeous, online-enabled blast of an arcade game, but an arcade game nonetheless, and it's important that this point come across right out of the gate because all the things that you would associate with most arcade games are here. It's short for the most part (though it could be said that this makes the game ever more perfect for the PSP), and it lacks a serious variety in gameplay modes. Even the unlockables don't feel all that special.
Thing is, though, it's fun. Really fun, and it's one of those games that hooks you just like a good quarter muncher should. Sure, you'll see all 15 sections of the game by the time you've played through a day or so (30 if you count the reverse courses), but the game is a perfect mix of instant arcade handling and more nuanced control of different vehicles. It's one thing to take the easy path with the default car and finish; it's quite another to pick a high-speed, squirrelly beast machine and try to run through the more difficult parts of the game, and learning when to just let off the gas and when to throw a particular car into a sideways slide around a corner becomes strategic the longer you play through the game.
That delicate balance and continuous learning act is bolstered by a simple yet utterly effective online mode where you simple join whatever game is available at the moment. You can create one if you'd like, but there's no real lobby, and you're plunked in with random other racers, all of whom sport licenses just like you that list their progress through the game.
The variety in cars, people racing and course layouts that are set by the leader mean no two races ever really go the same way (unless it's you against a bunch of new people or you as a newbie against people that are 90% through the game). If you like someone you've raced against, you can add them to your buddy list and leave that connected even while you play offline, giving the game a quasi-Xbox Live feel to it, and perhaps the first real taste of what it'll be like to play games on the new Sony online network.
It's not all point-a to point-b races to appease your ride-along girlfriend, though. This is a port of OutRun2 released on the Xbox last year. In addition to the familiar branching races, you're treated to the same Heart Attack Mode where you have to perform stunts to keep your woman happy. Passing cars and not crashing were simple enough tasks, but when I started having to dribble beach balls, dodge falling meteorites and avoid alien abductions, I fell in love.
