OutRun (1986)

OutRun has such nice vibes that even its "Game Over" is worth sitting and soaking in, with a wistful little tune playing over the sunset-filled high score screen and leaking back into the title screen after a loss. Like its sequel, which I got into earlier this year, the great music and heavily-saturated colors are a major part of the appeal of this arcade classic. This one can be a little hard to look at when things are quickly flashing by, but there's something to be said for the timeless appeal of its more retro presentation, which is especially nice in the 60fps Saturn version.

As chill as the vibe may be, the game is a little more demanding than it originally appears, adding challenge and replayability through a limited timer that replenishes at checkpoints between the stages. I enjoy this design, as it forces you to drive cleanly but still lets you keep going for a bit after you make a mistake, and naturally gets you to perfect earlier stages as a build-up to later ones. Additionally, the unpredictable traffic combined with a branching route that visits up to 5 of the game's 15 stages on any given credit help keep the game concise and learnable but resistant to getting stale.

OutRun 2006 is undoubtedly my preferred game for its better look and feel and wealth of content, but this is a really fun game in its own right to throw on when there's nothing else to do. The arcadey design is easy to grasp and immediately enjoyable while having enough challenge and variety to keep you coming back for more.

NOTE: this is for the Cannonball game engine port of OutRun, so additional modes/bells/whistles will be factored into the review.

OutRun on its own is a gorgeous enough game with a little too much cruelty and randomness to be engaging but Cannonball tweaks just enough to make OutRun a genuinely smooth and rewarding experience.

OutRun starts off with a simple enough premise - race a Ferrari Testarossa convertible across five consecutive stages that branch into various paths, with a time limit that determines if the player makes it to the end or not. The player has a brake, two gears (low/high), and an accelerator, and must deal with turns, crests, dips, and every manner of randomly placed car or truck on the road.

Stages vary in difficulty (and beauty), and seeing the scaled sprites zoom by is magnificent and hypnotic. The player will need to get handy with the low-to-high gear system to speed up initially, but past that point the game gets particularly restrictive about what methods to employ for success. There's about three different ways to slow down without crashing or spinning out in game but ideally the player has to brake as little as possible, and knowledge of the track is essential to progress. That, and luck provided a car doesn't block the player at an essential turn. The player can switch gears to minimize bumps and spin-outs but things can get frustrating and random on the default difficulty.

How, then, is this rating as high? Cannonball does a variety of things that not only improve the experience, but encourage a variety of playstyles and genuine relaxation to help players ease into OutRun and succeed at challenges on their own pace, all while giving the visual presentation of the game a massive boost. Starting off, things like 60 FPS, new camera views, full wide screen, and haptic support for wheel controllers really helps to improve the game's already gorgeous visuals, as well as customizable music (though the game's original three tracks are still bubbly and infectious as ever). Difficulties are reasonable and do more than just change time - one can either limit traffic on the road or take traffic out altogether, and assist options like offroad wheels and faster cars can help smooth over issues the original game had. The game is still fairly challenging on Easy, but my skills were fairly tested and I had to put in a lot of effort to reach the game's five route endings. There are also additional modes for time trialing specific stages and playing a continuous 15-stage gauntlet for those truly looking for a challenge.

OutRun may be a less-than-perfect racing game but it is a deliciously fast and influential one, and Cannonball does it massive respect by incorporating more fun and accessible options that manage to rival official releases. Before I was hesitant to recommend OutRun, but now anyone can give it a crack and feel the breeze from Coconut Beach all the way to Autobahn.

An absolute wonder of a game, completely crushing the arcade competition at the time of 1986 in terms of graphical fidelity, sense of movement and sheer vibes.

Building upon the success of Hang-On and Space Harrier, Outrun complements the competitive DNA of the archetypical coin-op with a surprisingly mellow and relaxed atmosphere. As a result, the experience manages to be challenging and calming at the same time, giving it a seldom seen quality in video game history.

In its core, Outrun is about the joy of driving, accentuated not only by the crazy speed and responsive controls, but also the beautiful environments and groovy 80's soundtrack. It holds up extremely well even today, with a wonderful remaster by M2 available on the Switch replicating the arcade experience.