Like many game designers, Yu Suzuki was often inspired by his own personal interests and hobbies. In looking at his overall output, it’s not hard to see that the man has a real love for driving. Out Run is perhaps the purest expression of that love. In Out Run, you aren’t racing against other drivers, though a timer is there to apply some pressure. No, you’re simply out on a thrill ride across the countryside, with your favorite tunes on the radio and your girlfriend sitting beside you. True to that idea, the game’s branching paths make this as much of a sightseeing game as anything else. You choose what scenery you want to see each time you play. In this regard, it’s quite a relaxing game. But there’s also a certain tension to the game. The roads have many turns and hills, and your car’s low frame means you can’t quite see as far ahead as you might like. By all means, enjoy yourself, but keep an eye on the road and one hand firmly on the wheel.
Compared to many of the other games included in the SEGA 3D Classics line, Out Run is the most changed from its original form. It’s a case of making lemonade from lemons, though. The original game used a car that was clearly meant to be a Ferrari Testarossa without bothering to get a license from Ferrari. You could sort of get away with these things in the 1980s, but it’s a very different story now. SEGA has in the past acquired that license for re-releases and sequels, but this time around, they decided to just modify the car’s look instead. Since they were going that far, M2 implemented an idea that Suzuki had mentioned he wanted to do in the original game: multiple cars. By clearing the different routes, you’ll earn modification parts that you can equip. Each combination of parts produces a different vehicle with its own parameters. It’s a nice incentive to reach all of the different goals in the game. Similar to the other games in the line, you get a full range of options to play with here, too. You can even choose to have the various cabinets simulated. The 3D looks great in this game, and best of all, it runs at 60 FPS, double the framerate of the original arcade version. As with most of the 3D Classics, this is to date the best way to play Out Run short of owning your own cabinet.
Play It Because: Its contrasting mix of relaxation and tension is still rare in driving games.
Bonus Trivia: Yu Suzuki was inspired to create Out Run by the film The Cannonball Run. So that’s at least one good thing that came out of that.
