If you’re of a certain age (like me – Ed) you’ll remember those heady days of spending hours at the arcades shoving ten pees into a game called Outrun.
Oh! The car, the babe at your side, the tunes and the dodgy haircuts.
Outrun 2006 brings us up to date with 15 fully licensed Ferraris, ranging from the 550 Barchetta to the all new F430 and F430 Spider.
Who cares about plot when you’ve got the top down and are racing coast to coast – hence the name - through 15 American themed environments.
With only the clock to worry about, Outrun is most simplistic of the current crop of racers – no spectacular crashes and style points like Burnout 3 for example. But is it enough to keep you hooked?
They say:
PSW Magazine: “OutRun 2006 shows that when it comes to making games you want to play over and over again, realism isn't as important as sheer fun, colour and character.”
Eurogamer: “Sumo's spent ages making sure that your fun is as unrestricted as it can be. Some people will say it's shallow, but it's not.”
IGN: “OutRun fans and those interested in nostalgia will definitely want to pick this one up, but other racing fans may want to rent it.”
We say:
After a hard day at the chalk face, Mansized likes nothing better than getting home and completely switching off. Outrun’s perfect for the job.
You’ve got a Ferrari. You’ve got deft moves such as power slides round corners at hair raising speeds. You’ve got the old one-two weaving between HGVs with inches to spare. Keeping your paint job in mint condition puts hairs on your chest, that’s for sure.
The only vehicle you have to beat in Outrun is the clock. Well that and the traffic, which isn’t in a hurry to get anywhere.
Of the all the game modes, our favourite is “Heart Attack” where you’re ranked stage by stage on doing outrageous moves such as driving fast through rush hour, drifting as much as possible. Out the way Sunday drivers!
Then there’s the classic “Arcade” mode and the mission based “Coast 2 Coast” which gives you simple tasks to complete. There’s three “babes” to impress and you’ll find yourself pulling off increasingly crazy stunts to keep them happy. If only it were that simple in real life <sighs>.
With each successful move, you’ll also earn Outrun miles which you can spend in the shop. In this Aladdin’s cave you’ll find mods galore including new cars, news goals, reversed tracks and tunes.
Outrun 2006 is simply a joy to play. All these extras add to up to more than just a coat of paint.
You’ll get hooked on the power slides, and car handling, the feeling of speed and the visuals are all first rate. Combine this with a six player online mode and you’ll be playing for months.
FORMATS
Xbox, PC, PS2, PSP
POSTED...
Sat 29 Apr 2006 at 10:26am
