So that about sums up the other console Outruns. Did Sega mismanage the series? Maybe. As we’ve seen before, Outrun was definitely the hottest port of 1987 – so it is a bit embarrassing that Outrunners never even officially made it to the UK. With the notable exception of Battle Outrun, it can’t be said that the Other Outruns were bad games though.
Perhaps the real problem were the ports of the arcade games themselves. As impressive as it was to have arcade-style games at home, you could complete both Outrun and Turbo Outrun in under half an hour. Had Sega added career modes as they did with Super Hang On, the series may have remained fresher in the eyes of gamers, and provided a platform for the likes of 2019.
On the other hand, this is good news for Retro Gamers. Outrun 3d is the only one of these that could be considered rare or expensive and the rest can be picked up for a song – so go forth retrogamers and enjoy!