Title: OutRun 2 .............................................. Publisher: Sega Corporation .............................................. Developer: Sumo Digital .............................................. Release: October 25, 2004 .............................................. Xbox Live: Yes .............................................. ESBR: Everyone ..............................................

Outrun 2 is one out of many arcade games now available for the Xbox console. This game is a wild arcade racing game that roots back to the old school original Outrun game by Sega. Hop into the Ferrari of your choice and get going down the highway because Outrun2 is the newest arcade racing game out!

Gameplay

Inside the game Outrun 2 there are many different gameplay modes. Once you start up the game you will have a choice between three main categories, which are Outrun Arcade, Outrun Challenge, and Outrun Xbox Live. Inside each category is a number of other game modes in which you can play the game. At first it might be a little confusing but after a short while of playing the game you will be enjoying the large variety of ways to play the game. On top of that if you get tired of racing against fake computers you can always hop on to Xbox Live where there will always be someone waiting to take you on!

There are a total of eight cars that are visible at the start of the game. As you progress through the game you will be able to unlock different cars so you have a total of twelve cars. However when you first start the game there are actually only two different cars in terms of how they perform. For example, the first two cars that are available to you in the game are the exact same car but just look different. They have the same top speed, acceleration, and handling but are named differently and look very different. The first set of cars is the Dino 246 GTS and the 365 GTS/4 Daytona. You are automatically given these cars once you start a new game and they have a great amount of acceleration and handling, however they lack what it takes to get ahead in the top speed. The second set of cars is the F50 and the 360 Spider. These two cars are much sportier looking then the cars in the previous set and are great to look at while playing. These two cars have great handling and top speed but fall short where the first set stays strong and that would be in acceleration. The third set of cars is the Testarossa and the 288 GTO. This is the first set of cars that you must unlock first to drive. They have an extreme amount of acceleration but are not nearly as good when it comes to the handling and top speed. The last set of cars consists of the Enzo Ferrari and the F40. Once you get a hold of these cars, and are actually able to drive them, you know that you have mastered the game. These two cars are the best in the game and have an insane top speed.

Speaking of mastering the fastest cars in the game unlike some other racing games this game requires some skill to play and takes some time to get a hang of. If you just drive like a normal everyday person you will never make it to the next checkpoint in time. Other cars on the road and wrecking are the two things that will slow you down the most and keep you from reaching the next checkpoint. As you progress through most levels the traffic tends to get heavier and heavier. On top of that the pedestrian traffic travels and pretty much the same rate you do, which is around 200mph. Now, come on, I know that some days people are in a hurry to get to work or to their house, but geez not going this fast!

Drifting is a major part of the game and really helps out in getting your passenger hyped up and loving your driving. Drifting is usually done around corners and is when your car is sliding sideways down the road while still moving forward. Once in drift mode you will find it quite hard to get out, which can be a good thing or a bad thing. It is much harder to steer while in drift mode so you could easily end up in a wreck, or if you are good enough you will end up impressing your girlfriend and looking like you know how to play the game.

In any racing game the heads up display, or HUD, is an important part of the game. It is important because everything on the HUD should be very readable and easy to read. Because you have to take your eyes off what is going on in the game to see something such as how fast you are going or how much time you have left you need to be able to read it fast and then focus back on the action of the game. The timer in this game is excellent for that very reason. It is quite large and centered at the top of the screen. Because it is so large you don't have to take your eyes off the road to look at it. This is a major advantage while playing the game and can prevent man wrecks or just plain running into the grass. However if you want to look at something such as where you are on the map it will require a little more time since the text and images are much smaller then the huge countdown clock.

Every game has its ups and downs and Outrun2 definitely falls way behind on how realistic cars react in gameplay. When you first start the game it says something along the lines of "The Vehicles inside of Outrun2 do not react in the same manner as the actual cars. Please do not try and recreate any maneuvers used in this game". However you will be quite surprised as this holds true throughout the entire game. None of the cars react anything like an actual Ferrari. However, luckily ever car is not exactly the same with a different body. Each car has its own unique max speed, acceleration, and handling.

The gameplay controls are quite easy to use but very basic. Like a lot of other games you can pretty much just guess what they are and begin playing without looking at a picture that explains the buttons. The biggest let down of the controls is that there is absolutely now way to look behind you. Although it is not absolutely necessary, it would at least be nice to see what is going on behind you ever now and then. Here is a short list of the game controls:

Left Trigger - Brake
Right Trigger - Accelerate
Left Thumbstick - Steer
X - Gear up
B - Gear down
Y - Take photo
Black - Change views
Start - Pause and options menu

Graphics

The most outstanding aspect of the graphics of Outrun2 would have to be the detail on the actual cars. Other pedestrian cars that are on the road don't seem to be as realistic but your hot, red, speedy Enzo sure does when your drifting around a tight turn with your girlfriends hands in the air. Each car is very well detailed and reflects the sun's rays well and looks excellent when speeding down the road.

Besides the detail on the actual car that you drive the environment in which you drive your car is absolutely amazing as well. Outrun2 has tons of elaborate and fun to look at environments throughout the entire game. You will not be let down by the way any of them look and how it makes the game feel like an actual arcade game while it is still very detailed. There are also a few neat effects in the game such as smoke when you crash and grass that flies up if you happen to veer off of the road which is also pretty neat while playing.

Audio

The in game soundtrack is probably the worst part of the entire game. It is not that the music does not fit the game well, but it is that there is only a whopping seven (yes 7) songs that you can listen to in the game. Before you begin a race you will pick out your car, then your transmission and then finally the song you want it to play while you are driving. On top of that Outrun2 does not allow you have use custom soundtracks. Is it really that hard to add this into the game? Most people enjoy listening to their own music while playing games they enjoy and it makes the experience all the more better. However with this game you are forced to listen to one of four sound files while playing the game. Other sounds in the game such as the cars engine and tires squealing sound great and add a nice effect to the overall game. However the good sound effects won't make up for the lack of the soundtrack.

Overall

Overall Outrun2 is really nothing more then an average arcade game. It is definitely fun to play around with for a good amount of time but can't really compare to other racing games such as Burnout 3, RalliSport Challenge 2, and Project Gotham 2. The gameplay is very fun and is great to play with other friends or on the net with its Xbox Live features. Most of the graphics are well done which can be seen in the detail of the cars and in the amount of time that was put into make the environment look good as well as still like a typical arcade game. Luckily you will probably be able to find this game for about $10 off of the normal price of games anywhere you go, but it is well worth it to spend the $5 or so to rent this game before you make your final decision on wither or not you want to buy the game.

8 Overall Score  Fun 9  Gameplay 8  Graphics 8  Sound 6  Replay 7

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