Out Run (C)1986 SEGA Yu Suzukis follow-up racer to Hang-On, Out Run is a ground-breaking racing game in which the player drives a red Ferrari Testarossa through a number of colorful locations, trying to reach each end-of-level checkpoint before the tight time limit expires. Each of the games stages is packed with civilian traffic that must be carefully avoided, as players try to negotiate the games twisting, hilly roads. At the end of every stage players are presented with a fork in the road, allowing them to chose which route they wish to take next. This was not the first time this feature had appeared (Tatsumis 1983 racer, TX-1, was the first to introduce forked roads). As well as being able to choose routes, players could also - via the games in-car radio - choose one of three different catchy tunes to listen to while driving. The sublime music still captivates many fans today, although the sublime Magical Sound Shower is generally regarded as the finest of the three in-game tunes on offer (the others being Passing Breeze and Splash Wave). The final tune, Last Wave, is only played when the high-score table is displayed. My personal favorite of the three selectable tracks is Passing Breeze. At least part of Out Runs huge success was down to it capturing the fun-yet-superficial spirit of the 1980s. Previous racing games had concentrated on the more serious side of racing, with the action usually taking place in a Formula One racing car, over a series of competent but uninspiring racing tracks. Out Run was different; in a decade that celebrated style over content, the game offered players the ultimate boy racer experience by putting them behind the wheel of that eighties icon of cool, a red Ferrari Testarossa; replete with a blonde babe in the passenger seat. Sega didnt actually have (nor indeed ask for) permission from Ferrari to use one of their cars for the game. This inevitably led to a degree of bad feeling and threats of litigation between the two companies. They have since settled their differences, however, as Sega acquired an official license to use the Ferrari range in its 2003 sequel, Out Run 2. Enjoy!
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 19:24:28 +0000
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