Sega Ages Outrun

The steering wheel with a mind of its own is gone from the home version but the original arcade game is still there and it brings back a flood of fond memories. Outrun was an early arcade racing game with excellent graphics (based on the standards of the 80s) and a gimmick that worked well. The gimmick being a steering wheel that would rattle and shake as you fought to control the car from spinning out of control if you took a corner at too high a speed or if your car headed into the fringes of the road that you're trying to stay on. One thing that also stood out about Outrun was the choice of gracious melodies that you could choose from before you started your drive. My personal favorite was Splash Wave which had a new wave and airy sound which was perfect for when you drove down the beach with the ocean in view. The Saturn version is a direct arcade port and the details are all there, down to the familiar looking car and your girl friend who sits by your side. She also runs with you back to the car when you crash and flip the convertible a few times on the road, none the worse for wear. What a gal. One final innovation that Sega put into Outrun was the fork in the road. Let me explain, a lot of racing games previous to Outrun only let you drive on one road which did not change or fork off into other roads. Heck, a lot of racing games today don't have forked roads but Outrun let you go left or right when presented with a road that offered divergent paths. Okay, it wasn't a major turning point in racing games (pun intended) but it was a little something extra for racing game fans to enjoy and explore.

The first Sega Ages title was Space Harrier which sold very well and is still available from NCS. Outrun is the second in the series and Afterburner will be the next Sega Ages title due out next week. Afterburner will also be available at US$39. Click to see the Outrun CD back cover.

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