Forgotten Gaming- OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast

Name- OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast

Platforms- PlayStation 2, Xbox, PlayStation Portable

Developer- Sumo Digital/Sega

Released- March 2006

Back in the 80s Sega released a little game called OutRun to the arcades, developed by gaming mastermind Yu Suzuki. Combining Sega’s tradition of cutting-edge technology and Suzuki’s love for Ferraris, OutRun was a fast and addictive game with a simple premise: drive to the end of the course with your girlfriend in tow. The game used a special effect dubbed ‘SuperScaler’ which created a realistic 3D effect never seen before (other games with this effect include Space Harrier and Hang-On). Considered a ‘driving game’ more than a ‘racing game,’ your only true enemy is the clock, with other cars and track imagery there only to slow you down. At the end of each course, the track splits allowing you to choose where you want to race next, and these courses vary widely from the California coast to ancient ruins to sprawling forests.

OutRun ported its way to home consoles and computers, and numerous spinoffs were released in the late 80s/early 90s. As video games turned advanced to true 3D imagery, OutRun stayed stuck in the past with its strictly illusionary sense of depth… until OutRun 2 hit the arcades and Xbox in 2003. OutRun 2 was the first game since the original to stay true to the series’ roots, sporting beautiful graphics and fresh locales to race in. A few years later Sega released OutRun 2SP, a which gave racers an all-new map of courses to play through, and in 2006 the game was brought to consoles in an expanded port renamed OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast.

OutRun 2006 was released for the PS2, PSP and Xbox. In what could be the first instance of PlayStation cross-play, save files could be transferred between the PS2 and PSP versions, allowing you to take your save with you wherever you go. This kind of feature is now being publicized as a key selling point between the PS3 and PlayStation Vita, yet no one remembers (or probably knows) OutRun 2006 was doing the same thing a half-decade earlier. I guess this game truly deserves the blog title, ‘Forgotten Gaming’… =(

For a mere arcade-to-console port, OutRun 2006 features a staggering amount of content. First of all, the full and completely unlocked arcade version of OutRun 2SP is included, which is worth the cost of admission alone. (This arcade version was also downloadable for the Xbox 360 and PS3 as ‘OutRun Online Arcade’.) This home port also features all of the tracks of OutRun 2 (making 30 courses total), which are all completely time-attackable and run forwards and reverse. Besides the standard OutRun mode (get to the end), there is also Heart Attack mode, which is like a mission mode on the fly. As you drive your girlfriend will announce impromptu challenges (such as passing cars or driving through gates) and clearing these missions awards you hearts (which makes the mode name that much more punny).

At the end of each game you are awarded OutRun Miles, which act as a currency. At any time you can enter the Showroom and use your miles to unlock new cars, liveries, tracks, music and more. Oh, and for music? Available for your miles purchase are dozens of originals, remixes and remasters of iconic OutRun tunes old and new. If this miles thing sounds familiar, you might have played those Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing games that have come out recently. Sumo Digital developed those games also =P, and after playing OutRun 2006 you’ll be amazed at how many things the All-Stars series lifted from OutRun!

But wait, there’s even more...

As if all of those modes and niceties weren’t enough, OutRun 2006 also features an all-new suite of modes, appropriately named ‘Coast 2 Coast’. Here you’ll find *scores* of missions that mix up the arcade courses and have you racing other cars, out-drifting them, and more. There’s also remixed Heart Attack missions that have you clearing missions to unlock harder ones hosted by new girlfriends =P. All the while you’ll be racking up those OutRun miles to unlock everything in the Showroom, and you’ll be having lots of fun the whole time.

As I mentioned earlier, the arcade mode alone was re-released for PS3/360 as ‘OutRun Online Arcade’, and charged about $10 for a fraction of the content available in OutRun 2006. Today, since Sega’s license to use the Ferrari namesake was not renewed, Online Arcade is no longer available to download (unless you’re redownloading it from already purchasing it years ago). I’m really not sure why Sega would want a game like this to die in such a stupid way, surely they could’ve released a patch that simply removed the licensed logos and called it a day, but I digress. OutRun 2006 gives you an excuse to dust off your 6th-generation consoles and offers a plethora of content for a mere $5 (or less if you shop around a bit, mostly online). It’s an absolute no-brainer. OutRun 2006 is a fabulous, classic arcade game dressed up in a modern shell. The game may be 7 years old but has aged beautifully and plays just as well. Sega may be notorious for dropping the ball on many occasions, but trust me, OutRun 2006 is as fine an arcade experience as they come.