Over the coming hours, days and weeks I plowed much more time into the game then I probably originally intended. At first i was just getting to grips with the drifting model, then the manual gear shifting. Finally it was taking on the world online and pursuing the perfect run. Funny game Outrun 2. It might only take five minutes to complete, but, on and off, it’s been occupying my time ever since.<\/p>\n
So what makes it so good, exactly? Well, the handling is an obvious starting point. Where as previous versions of Outrun relied on more traditional straight forward cornering (i.e. keep the car facing forward and going as quickly as you can go while also staying on the track,) The handling of Outrun 2 is based entirely on its drift mechanics. In reality, “drifting” sideways round a corner is a complicated, demanding and largely pointless skill. On top of this, its massively inefficient, with lots of precious momentum being lost to heat, smoke and tire squeal and (unless done in the middle of a skid pan) it comes at the very real risk of very serious injury.<\/p>\n
![\"outrun-2\"](\"http:\/\/mechafatnick.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Drift-1.gif\")
<\/a>Wheeeeeee<\/p><\/div>\n
Cleverly, drifting in Outrun 2 is entirely divorced from this. In Outrun world, drifting is a tame and incredibly useful tool in the players arsenal. Initiated with a tap of the brakes, it comes with no speed penalty, is quite controllable and is generally the quickest way to get from the entrance to the exit of a corner.\u00a0 That’s not to say it is easy to use effectively by any stretch (In fact, there’s still a great level of skill in hitting the most efficient lines for each corner) but it is very easy to pick up. From a design point of view this is genius: Atari-founder Nolan Bushnell once claimed that perfect arcade games should “[be] easy to learn and difficult to master. They should reward the first quarter and the hundredth.” The drift mechanics of Outrun 2 are the mechanic that allows it to meet both sides of this fundamental law. They are the glue that binds Outrun 2 together.<\/p>\n
Glue, of course, isn’t worth having unless you’ve got something to stick. Outrun 2 has lots and lots to stick. While it may seem a light in these days of 20-hour-campaigns, what Outrun packs in spades is a perfect distillation of the Outrun formula. While it may have seemed strange to call a game “Outrun 2” when there are (at least) 2 other games in the series, it actually makes perfect sense: everything before Outrun 2 is, in comparison, merely a rough prototype. The features that worked have been retained and expanded\u00a0 (such as the multiple cars originally found in Outrunners,) features that didn’t have simply. been dropped (like the linear progression found in Turbo Outrun.)<\/p>\n
The end result, then, is nigh on perfection. The game presents the player with 15 environments which represent the best of every other Outrun game, both in terms of ingenious track design AND in looking stunning. On top of this, you have a choice of a number of the worlds most desirable cars and a number of remixes of one of gaming most iconic soundtracks. Everything in Outrun 2 has a purpose and has been engineered to perfection. From the look to the feel to the sound EVERYTHING is perfect.\u00a0 It is the Haute Cuisine of video gaming.<\/p>\n
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In a nutshell, then, Outrun 2 is the perfect template for how to update a classic. The new elements could easily be used to underpin a fantastic new game (what ever the license,) while the Outrun IP itself is used in a way which helps build on the original, rather than merely using it. The underlying mechanics maybe completely different from the 1986 original, but it manages to construct the same happy care-free vibe. This is probably why I’ve returned to it more times than I have any other modern video game.<\/p>\n
But we’re not just talking about the arcade game, of course, we’re talking about the Xbox version I purchased on that chilly October day. And that’s a different kettle of fish entirely.<\/p>\n
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![\"outrun-2\"](\"http:\/\/mechafatnick.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/1203091017-00-210x300.jpg\")
<\/a>EU Outrun 2 Artwork<\/p><\/div>\n
I’ve always known that Sumo’s Xbox port was a labour of love. It just has that feel about it. This was confirmed a few months back, however, when I stumbled on this interview<\/a> published by Rock, Paper, Shotgun. It’s well worth a read. Due to the way AM2 constructed the tracks, something as simple as creating a reverse track was a MASSIVE undertaking.<\/p>\n But I’m getting a bit ahead of myself. The good news for Sumo was that the arcade was running on arcade hardware that was based on the original Xbox hardware. The bad news, however, was that they had to squeeze the arcade’s 512mb of game into the original Xbox’s 64mb of ram, and somehow turn an experience that lasts for (literally) 5 minutes into a fully fledged full-price home title. The result was one of the best arcade ports seen on any system ever.<\/p>\n On a technical level, its nigh-on perfect. The only noticeable sacrifice is the removal of some of the animations that were present at each track’s crossroads (and even then they managed to sneak them back in for the sequel, Outrun 2006!) On top of that, they managed to include those difficult reverse tracks, build in some online play (which sounds quite difficult considering the way tracks have to be loaded\/dropped from RAM) and, just to add a cherry on top, they shoved in an emulated version of the original Outrun and some bonus tracks borrowed from well-loved coin-ops ‘Scud Racer’ and ‘Daytona 2.’ Proof – if any were needed – that there is clearly a LOT of love in this port.<\/p>\n But the real beauty of the Xbox Outrun 2 lies in the structure of the single player game. Without constructing any extra tracks of their own, Sumo had effectively 15 minutes of game play to build a deep and meaningful single player game. As good as the original Outrun 2 arcade was, a poorly constructed single player could have smothered the entire experience via relentless repetition.<\/p>\n Fortunately, the single player works spectacularly well. Based loosely on the tasks featured in the arcade’s “heart attack” mode, the main single player features 101 mission-based stages spread across the games 15 tracks. Starting out with simple tasks such as drifting for a set amount of time, the missions feed off the general laid-back tone of the game and build into something a lot more complicated and ridiculous, such as having to remember the precise order that some bizarre floating fruit appears in as you race towards the end of the track.<\/p>\n On top of that, Xbox Outrun 2 was generous with its unlockables. Potentially, having to unlock everything from new music down to individual car colours could have been off-putting. But because the player can unlock so much so quickly, and because so much of the content is worth unlocking (who could resist the classic Outrun tunes as remixed by Richard Jacques?) it never feels like a chore at all. Best of all, a number of the missions actually feel like training drills that will make you better at the normal Outrun modes. It really is clever stuff, the perfect expansion on top of the perfect arcade game.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Everyone hates desert stages, but outruns is gorgeous<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n So, Outrun 2 is amazing regardless of format, but what sort of reception\/legacy did it have? In terms of the reviews were almost entirely positive, with the game receiving a 7.9 on metacritic. The popular response was a bit of a weird one, however, as Outrun sharply divided opinion at the time. While for some (well, me) it was a formative, near religious experience, others felt it was too simple and shallow when compared with October 2004s other big racer release, Burnout 3. To be honest, they were so different that there shouldn’t really have been any comparison, but comparisons were made<\/a> on a number of forums nonetheless.<\/p>\n In the long term, however, Outrun is the clear victor. While Sega’s title stands out as a defining moment of arcade gaming, Burnout 3 ended up as just another entry in the Burnout series, eclipsed further once EA rolled the serious into its own Need For Speed series. Victory for Outrun is bitter-sweet however: While Outrun 2 was expanded by a release of the arcade’s (equally brilliant) SP expansion and\u00a0 subsequent Xbox Live, PSN and Steam versions, the expiry of Sega’s license for all of those beautify Ferraris means that, second hand market aside, none of them are currently available to buy.<\/p>\n So then, Outrun is a very special game – both for me personally and for gaming generally. If you can track down a copy i genuinely implore you to do so. Outrun 2 is too good a game to be remembered purely for being an early casualty of this Steam license madness<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"outrun-2\"](\"http:\/\/mechafatnick.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/drift-2.gif\")
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