Drift-a-mania!
Publisher: THQ
Tue, 28 December 2004
by: Mugwai
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It's been 18 years since the inception of the original arcade classic "Outrun", and Sega have decided if George "Mc Beardy" Lucas can churn out another sequel long after our pubescent era has come and gone, why can't they? Now I'm sure you're asking, is this sequel relevant?, is it a fun, worthwhile racer? , and can it really compete with it's contemporary arcade racers (Burnout3). Yes, hell yes and hmmm (note: stroke chin when saying hmmm).
Outrun 2 offers your usual arcade mode, where much like the original you have to speed past the Sunday drivers to each checkpoint within the time limit. The branching route option also returns, so you can decide how easy or hard you like it (you know everyone loves it HARD!). The courses themselves, (15 in fact not including mirrors), depending on which branch you choose are pretty impressive, ranging from Spanish villas, industrial areas, giant castles, lush green forests, wide sandy deserts, looming rocky canyons, icy covered peaks, sunny coastal strips to the beautifully lit Paris.
Next on offer is Heart Attack Mode, similar to the arcade mode except while keeping the speed pumping, (I won't bother with a smutty gag), you must keep the mistress in the seat next to you happy (or aroused sorry!). To appease your somewhat shallow bitch (you know the ho's only with you because you drive a Ferrari and have a mound of coke in the glove compartment), you must earn enough hearts to fill your heart meter. So to keep that head in your lap, you have to perfectly powerslide, overtake, drive through correct coloured lights and oh yeah, don't crash. Here lies a decent challenge (A is good, AAA is the bomb) as you will retry again and again for that top rating.
Thankfully, Sega have added some longevity to the game other than just vanilla arcade, there are 101 challenges, which when completed, unlock the original Outrun and new and old Ferraris, trucks and music, including the original cheesy Outrun soundtracks. Objectives consist of obsessive drifting, photographing while drifting, immaculate overtaking, time limit driving, maintaining high speeds, knocking coloured cones over correctly and of course racing the opposition.
While some of these challenges are fun, others are about as much fun as watching a Full House marathon on cable. Tasks like adding together numbers while driving within the time limit are just baffling and incredibly frustrating in the harder runs. You can't drive a flawless line and do maths at the same time, sorry but it blows. The memory tests are the same, memorise a sequence of fruit then drive through the correct gates, all while still racing flawlessly, it's just not fun.
There is gold in them thar hills though; the racing mechanics are just so damn fun! If you have a fondness for arcade racers, and games like ridge racer, this is definitely the game for you. The drifting is impressive, you will be making massively long powerslides, sometimes for up to 10 or 15 seconds, even half a course, if you are good enough. Once you have mastered the art of drifting, you'll be drifting more than Drifty McDrift at the annual Drifters and Hobos Scavenger Hunt Picnic.
Remember folks, realism does not apply here, this is pure arcade racing, and no that doesn't mean it is easy. And yes it's all about getting your vehicle looser than Paris Hilton after a magnum of champagne.
This is a game worthy of perusal, though at the same time, Outrun 2 has to compete with the likes of Burnout 3 and Need for Speed Underground 2 (though that's semi-realistic) which are both damn fine games. Still, for fans waiting for the next ridge racer instalment, this should fill the void for awhile.
by: Mugwai
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