OutRun Online Arcade (Xbox 360) Review

OutRun is one of the few games I remember playing when I was younger, and it’s one of the few games where I don’t want the series to stop because I have so many fond memories of (virtually) speeding down a sunny coast in a Ferrari F40 listening to the old style power ballads only costing you 800 Microsoft points instead of £100k trying to do it in real-life.

And finally, those memories can now be relived but now with lovely updated graphics, and a new multiplayer mode – things must surely be better with the new additions? Well yes, yes they are. The classic (and incredibly simple) formula of just ‘get to the check point before the time runs out’ still doesn’t get old, even after playing it constantly for hours through the numerous different routes trying to beat your previous score and times in the different game modes.

OutRun’s arcade racing style has always largely revolved around drifting, and OutRun Online Arcade is still sticking to that point; throwing you at U-turns every few minutes, drifting between pedestrian’s cars who travel at 200km/h and your rival Ferrari drivers who still hold no major role except to get in the way (or to gain a boast by splitstreaming of them).

In OutRun Online Arcade there are 4 single player game modes; OutRun mode is the classic mode where you’ve basically got to reach the final goal of your choice, Heart Attack Mode where you’ve got to earn as many hearts as possible by doing the things your girlfriend demands, Time Attack Mode where you’ve got to hit each checkpoint as quick as possible and finally OutRun continuous mode where you’ve got to do all 15 stages back-to-back within the time limit (good-luck with that game mode, I kept failing a few metres before reaching the finish line…)

And like the past versions, you can do each one of these game modes in the 10 licensed Ferrari’s, ranging from the classic Ferrari F40 to the legendary Enzo through a huge amount of different areas; starting at the usual beach stage and then racing to the top of icy mountains or the lights and sounds of a city living of the casino life-style.

There are very few games on the Xbox Live Arcade which I’d consider looked good, but OutRun Online falls under that very small category of titles – this specifically being aimed at the range of Ferrari’s you drive; all reflecting there surrounding and modelled perfectly. Unfortunately the same still can’t be said about the games sound tracks which still bug me to this day.

As mentioned previously, the game also features a new multiplayer mode where you play with up to 6 people trying to hit each checkpoint first. I never thought this would work as a multiplayer game as I spent most my childhood playing it in single player trying to get as many hearts as possible every time – but surprisingly it can be quite enjoyable (when it works), although people have a tendency to quit because there losing (or just crap) – spoil sports.

Verdict time

OutRun is still one of the few games which I love to this very date; the cars, the stages, the colors, the sound and satisfying your blond haired lady friend which is incredibly hard to please. And OutRun Online Arcade adds to my ever growing love of the franchise and Sega’s arcade racing titles although a few more tracks or game modes for the 800 Microsoft points the game costs wouldn’t of been bad but it’s still great value for money.

Find more Xbox 360 reviews at TestFreaks!

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