Out Run 2 Xbox Enhancements Analyzed

Thanks to GamesRadar for its Edge-reprinted cover article interviewing UK developers Sumo Digital on its conversion of Sega's arcade title Out Run 2, and trying to explain why "Sega has handed the Xbox conversion [of the new AM2-developed arcade game] to an unknown dev studio responsible for exercise bike software." The developers discuss the issues is conversion: "The arcade board has essentially got twice the memory that the Xbox has... and most of that was used", before explaining a new-for-Xbox Mission Mode which "will feature in excess of 50 missions consisting of Heart Attack-style challenges, marathon routes and AI character challenges", and also revealing "[Xbox] Live compatibility, which promises score uploading and ghost downloading while also permitting online play."

Comments

Was Out Run really that good?

[Inda]

It used to draw big crowds in the arcade. There were people who could complete it one handed using only one credit. The hydraulics gave a whole new experience... ...but was it really any good?

I'd have to say no. It was not a good driving game. It was a game where you remembered the best routes with the easiest overtaking opportunities. There was no driving skill involved. It was repetitive and boring.

I bought it for my C64 though. I was amazed how good it looked compared the arcade machine but it was still not a good game.

Is there still a call for games like this when we have the likes of Project Gotham Racing and Gran Turismo?

Re:Was Out Run really that good?

[dario_moreno]

yes, OutRun was fun ; especially because I remember we used to make fun of a nerd at my highschool who was a huge fan of the game. We would watch him play with great praise of his driving skills, when slipping a foot in between his legs to give a small amount of braking he would not notice, being so absorbed. He never got it..He was especially fun to watch playing because he would move his head in all directions, trying to look above the other cars and hills before passing, like you would when driving in "the real world".

OutRun 2 is only marginally better than the original.

Re:Was Out Run really that good?

[gl4ss]

so first you say that people LIKED THE GAME.
then you say that it wasn't 'good'? It was a massive success, liked by many.

*all* racing where you drive on the same courses is about knowing the best overtaking possibilities and the best driving routes... thats what 'driving skill' in racing is all about anyways.

Re:Was Out Run really that good?

[Anonymous Coward]

I played it for the music.

All these years later, I still remember and listen to the music. Very nostalgic, if you were an arcade-head in the 80s and early 90s. The Daytona soundtrack is also memorable, for the same reason, even though the quality of the music is far removed from that of Outrun. "I wanna fly-y-y sky hiiiiigh..."

Never played the current Outrun, but having heard bits of the soundtrack, the magic is gone. Back to chiptunes for me.

You might also want to look into the difference between arcade-style racing and racing sims. Outrun and Gran Turismo are about as different from each other as both are from Mario Kart Double Dash and F-Zero AX.

Re:Was Out Run really that good?

[FriedTurkey]

Ahh the joy of making fun of nerds. You should switch to posting on jockdot.

Re:Was Out Run really that good?

[FriedTurkey]

The orginal Outrun rocks. It is great on the GBA. A lot easier too. (No gamemboy shaking when going off road.) The music is still there and rocks!! Magical Sound Machine is my favoite. (Almost Miami Sound Machine)

BTW: If you take the left most routes its harder. Right will be a lot easier.

Re:Was Out Run really that good?

[phrasebook]

thats what 'driving skill' in racing is all about anyways.

Driving skill = car control.

In Outrun there was no car control whatsoever! You just 'turned' left or right and the car sprite changed, and the track moved either way a bit. And the same formations of cars came and went all the time... as far as racing goes, there was nothing there and it was boring and repetitive. But it looked good, had some good music etc.

Re:Was Out Run really that good?

[Tuvai]

It was a game where you remembered the best routes with the easiest overtaking opportunities. There was no driving skill involved. It was repetitive and boring. The exact same thing could be said for your average (or not so average) shooter. What is Ikaruga other than an exercise in memory and steady hands, backed up with reactions and skill? Then we have Rez, one of the classics of this generation, throwing the exact same enemies in the exact same attack patterns every time you play, with your character stuck on the exact same path. By your logic this makes them bad games, but they have provided some of my most merorable gaming experiences in recent memory. Driving games are no different, adapt to the optimal racing line, keep steady, don't screw up, repeat until finish. A game being an exercise in memory does not necessarily make it a bad game.

Re:Was Out Run really that good?

[gornar]

I know what you meant, but I played it at E3. And played it and played it and played it. It was just plain fun. No complications, no overwrought driving physics, no realistic damage modeling. Just fun. I liked the fact that it was fast and simple and pretty. It can compete with the big boys because it's a different beast; it's not as deep, but it doesn't require a mental investment to enjoy.

Re:Was Out Run really that good?

[Pluvius]

OutRun came out in the mid-80's. What the fuck do you expect? And do you seriously think that Sega won't make any improvements to the game? I'd hate to see how shocked you'd be if you played Super Mario Sunshine and discovered that it didn't involve 2D graphics and finding out that the princess is in another castle any more.

Rob

Re:Was Out Run really that good?

[Anonymous Coward]

Out Run wasn't good, it was great.

Re:More games

[djsmiley]

gud for you?

Hum, this a different take on the DDR idea of losing weight then?

Sega Xbox Arcade Machine

[bear pimp]

Was Outrun 2 in the arcades running on Sega's Xbox based arcade hardware?

In which case, I wonder how hard the XBox port really is? and what's involved?

Re:Sega Xbox Arcade Machine

[csumk]

I think the biggest problem is the XBox's lack of RAM compared to the arcade version, but they think they've got that sussed.

Re:Sega Xbox Arcade Machine

[Anonymous Coward]

Not normally a problem, particularly on Sega-related ports.

Dreamcast has less RAM than NAOMI and similar hardware. All NAOMI-DC ports are superb (blatantly superior to NAOMI-PS2 ports of the same games).

GameCube has less RAM than Triforce and similar hardware. F-Zero GX is as gorgeous and fast as in the arcade version, F-Zero AX.

I don't expect this UK dev to have much trouble downporting from Chihiro to Xbox. It would be an embarrassing break from tradition if they did.

Re:Sega Xbox Arcade Machine

[phrasebook]

I wonder how hard the XBox port really is? and what's involved?

Not very, and not much. Mainly a whole lot of bullshitting.

Let's compare Chihiro with the X-Box Specs

[Xoo]

The article points to some chihiro specs and here are some X-Box specs.

Just from looking at these specs, we can note that the hardware is extremely similiar in both, while the only significant difference being that Chihiro uses Sega's proprietary GD-ROM as a data strorage/access medium, and X-Box uses a DVD medium.

From the interview:
Technically, it hasn't been an entirely painless process, however, with the Chihiro board's higher specification understandably causing a few headaches when it came to squeezing the game into the constraints of a console.

I just don't get it... how are there higher specfications if the memory is the same, the bandwidth is identical, and the video gpu used is the same as well? Something fishy about this... but who am I to judge, I wish they would elaborate more on the apparant struggles of porting from Chihiro to X-Box in the future, so there isn't any confusion :-)

Re:Let's compare Chihiro with the X-Box Specs

[PhotoBoy]

Good find. The Chihiro is also listed as having a 200Mhz XChip GeForce 3 on System16.com but the XBox's XChip is 250Mhz.

System16.com also lists a "Cirrus Logic Stream Processor" on the Chihiro. I don't think the XBox has this, and since Outrun2's graphics have to be streamed from the disc they will probably have to use the unified RAM to store the music. Streaming music from the hard drive might be an option unless that would affect how much could be streamed from the DVD.

Heart-Attack style challenges?

[SansTinfoilHat]

Like these?

take advantage

[h0mer]

I can't wait for this to hit shelves, Outrun was probably one of my favorite Sega games. I know Outrun 2 is out in the arcades, but which arcades those are, I dunno. You used to be able to find a new machine like that randomly, maybe at a movie theatre or something similar.

If Sega is smart, and their lackluster push behind the Xbox port seems to be leaning this way, they should release it for $29.99 or maybe as high as $39.99. It doesn't sound like the replay value will be high enough to warrant a $49.99 price tag.

If you've read any of the Metal Slug 3 reviews, they mostly say that the game is great but it's a little pricey for the amount of content. Sega should avoid this trap.

Re:take advantage

[Anonymous Coward]

lackluster push behind the Xbox port seems to be leaning this way

Did you even RTFA? It says the Xbox port is DELUXE. They added everything you could think of "within the confines of Outrun." With Xbox Live and the extra attention it's getting, I expect a $50 price tag with a quick drop in price a few months later.

Pulse Racer?!

[Xoo]

Pulse Racer isn't even worthy to be in the bargain bin!
Toss it into a flea market tub alongside games such as Extreme Paintbrawl and Superman 64 :-)