Out Run (Japan) - アウトラン
Out Run (アウトラン, Auto Ran) is an arcade game released by Sega in 1986. It was designed by Yu Suzuki and developed by Sega AM2. The game was a critical and commercial success, becoming one of the best-selling video games of its time and winning the Golden Joystick Award for Game of the Year. It is notable for its innovative hardware (including a moving cabinet), pioneering graphics and music, innovative features such as offering the player choices in both soundtrack and non-linear routes, and its strong theme of luxury and relaxation. In retrospective interviews, Yu Suzuki has classified Out Run not as a racing game, but as a "driving" game.
Out Run is a 2D third-person racing game. The player controls a car, a Ferrari Testarossa, from a rear third-person perspective. The player must race to the end of each stage as fast as possible against a time limit while avoiding traffic. At the end of each stage, the player is presented with a fork in the road where the player must choose one of two stages. The left route presents an easier stage, while the right offers a greater challenge. Passing through checkpoints awards the player with extra time. Once the timer reaches zero or the player completes the race, the game ends. In addition to the nonlinear gameplay, Out Run also offered the choice of music to listen to while driving, represented as radio stations.
Out Run is a 2D third-person racing game. The player controls a car, a Ferrari Testarossa, from a rear third-person perspective. The player must race to the end of each stage as fast as possible against a time limit while avoiding traffic. At the end of each stage, the player is presented with a fork in the road where the player must choose one of two stages. The left route presents an easier stage, while the right offers a greater challenge. Passing through checkpoints awards the player with extra time. Once the timer reaches zero or the player completes the race, the game ends. In addition to the nonlinear gameplay, Out Run also offered the choice of music to listen to while driving, represented as radio stations.
Out Run (Japan)
Technical
CPU
- maincpu HuC6280 (@ 7 Mhz)
Chipset
- HuC6280 (@ 3 Mhz)
- MSM5205 (@ 1 Mhz)
- CD/DA
Display
- Orientation Yoko
- Resolution 255 x 242
- Frequency 59.922743 Hz
Controlers
- Number of players 5
- Number of buttons 6
- Kind of controler joy (8 ways)
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Out Run (Japan) Screenshots
History and development
The arcade game features raster graphics on a color CRT monitor and amplified stereophonic sound. There are a total of four cabinet designs (two upright and two sit-down), all of which are equipped with a steering wheel with force feedback, a stick shift plus acceleration and brake pedals. The upright cabinet came in two versions: Normal and Mini. The sit-down cabinets resembled the in-game car and used a drive motor to move the main cabinet — turning and shaking according to the onscreen action. There were two versions of the sit down: the Deluxe version featured a 26-inch color monitor and a custom molded seat, while the Standard featured a more simplified design and a 20-inch color monitor.
Out Run achieved its 3D effects using a sprite-scaling technique called 'Super-Scaler' technology (first used one year earlier in Hang-On and Space Harrier). This allowed a large number of scaled sprites to be displayed on the screen at the same time. Most previous racing games had commonly used a bird's eye view. Out Run had great amounts of roadside detail and a "camera" that appeared to travel along the road with the car, passing through the action rather than merely observing it. According to the game's designer, Yu Suzuki, the stages of Out Run are mostly based on European scenery; he had toured Europe in order to gain insight on how to design the game's levels and capture as much realism as possible. The game's backgrounds and roadside objects include old stone buildings, the Alps, windmills, and Stonehenge-like formations.
Out Run achieved its 3D effects using a sprite-scaling technique called 'Super-Scaler' technology (first used one year earlier in Hang-On and Space Harrier). This allowed a large number of scaled sprites to be displayed on the screen at the same time. Most previous racing games had commonly used a bird's eye view. Out Run had great amounts of roadside detail and a "camera" that appeared to travel along the road with the car, passing through the action rather than merely observing it. According to the game's designer, Yu Suzuki, the stages of Out Run are mostly based on European scenery; he had toured Europe in order to gain insight on how to design the game's levels and capture as much realism as possible. The game's backgrounds and roadside objects include old stone buildings, the Alps, windmills, and Stonehenge-like formations.
Music
The game's accompanying music was composed by Hiroshi Kawaguchi, who had previously composed soundtracks for other Sega games and was part of Sega's official band at the time, the S.S.T. Band. OutRun was the first video arcade game that allowed the user to choose the background music, a soundtrack of both laid-back beach music (very similar in style and tone to the popular '70s/'80s Japanese jazz fusion band Casiopea), and some Miami Sound Machine-styled Latin/Caribbean beats. Three selectable tracks were featured in all and were broadcast through imaginary FM Radio stations received by the radio receiver in the Testarossa.
The Sega Master System's Out Run 3D contains the additional tracks Color Ocean, Shining Wind and Midnight Highway while the 1991 Mega Drive/Sega Genesis port features an extra track entitled Step On Beat, written by Masayoshi Ishi.
Out Run was ported to many of the home consoles and computer systems of the time. Due to the various hardware limitations of these systems compared to the dedicated arcade hadware, some ports came bundled with a bonus cassette tape featuring the original arcade versions of the game's soundtrack, the idea being that the player could listen to the true versions while playing rather than the limited home computer renditions, if they were available at all.
The Sega Master System's Out Run 3D contains the additional tracks Color Ocean, Shining Wind and Midnight Highway while the 1991 Mega Drive/Sega Genesis port features an extra track entitled Step On Beat, written by Masayoshi Ishi.
Home conversions
Out Run was ported to many of the home consoles and computer systems of the time. Due to the various hardware limitations of these systems compared to the dedicated arcade hadware, some ports came bundled with a bonus cassette tape featuring the original arcade versions of the game's soundtrack, the idea being that the player could listen to the true versions while playing rather than the limited home computer renditions, if they were available at all.
- Sega Master System (1987)
- Sega Master System (1989), stereoscopic version titled Out Run 3-D which supports SegaScope 3-D Glasses.
- Commodore 64 (1987), ported by Amazing Products (US GOLD) and programmed by Martin D Webb. Missing: road forks (different courses are available based on player choice during loading), map and Passing Breeze, girl has dark hair not blonde. Number plate on Ferrari was changed to 'GEOF64'.
- Amstrad CPC (1987, ported by Probe(US GOLD). Missing: map, in-game music -available through audio tape- and car-flip)
- Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1987, ported by Probe(US GOLD). Missing: map, in-game music on 48K, Passing Breeze and car-flip)
- MSX (1987, ported by Probe(US GOLD))
- MSX2 (1988, ported by Ponycanyon)
- Commodore Amiga (1988, ported by Probe(US GOLD))
- Amiga (1989, ported by Probe(US GOLD))
- Atari ST (1989, ported by Probe(US GOLD))
- PC-DOS (1989, ported by Unlimited Software, Inc.)
- NEC PC Engine (1990, ported by NEC)
- Mega Drive/Sega Genesis (1991, ported by Hertz)
- Sega Game Gear (1991, ported by SIMS)
- Sega Saturn (1996, ported by Rutubo Games — released as a standalone product in Japan, part of Sega Ages elsewhere)
- Mobile Phone (2004)
- PlayStation 2 (2006, Sega Ages Vol. 13, remake of the arcade version)
- Dreamcast, inside Shenmue II (2001), and the compilation Yu Suzuki Game Works Vol. 1 (2001)
- Game Boy Advance, part of Sega Arcade Gallery compilation (2003, ported by Bits Studios)
- Xbox, inside Shenmue II (2002) and also inside OutRun 2 (2004)
| Preceded by "Game Set and Match" | UK number-one Spectrum game 1987 | Succeeded by "Platoon" |
Legacy
In the arcades, Out Run was followed up in 1989 by Turbo Out Run. Turbo Out Run was a checkpoint racer in which the player drove from New York City to Los Angeles in 16 stages. It featured a rock-infused soundtrack. As with all Out Run games aside from OutRun 2, this is named by Yu Suzuki as an unofficial sequel.
Another unofficial sequel came in 1993 with Out Runners, returning the game to its roots by bringing back the forks in the road. Head-to-head support appeared in the game for the first time, and if arcade cabinets were linked, up to eight drivers could race against each other. The game also featured eight different cars for people to drive in. It was the most successful game released for Sega's System Multi 32 hardware, and one of the last successful 2D games released by Sega.
In 2003, OutRun made the jump to 3D graphics with the arcade release of OutRun 2 (featuring actual licensed vehicles from Ferrari, including a Testarossa). Yu Suzuki, the creator of the original OutRun, was on hand to bring his vision up to date, earning OutRun 2 great critical acclaim and the distinction of being the first official sequel to the original. The Xbox release added features such as new cars, new audio tracks and even a fully playable version of the original OutRun.
An updated version of OutRun 2 was released in arcades in 2004 entitled OutRun 2 SP. This expanded upon the original by offering a plethora of tracks to drive through, including the original map. It also improved on graphics and added more tunes to listen to while driving. It featured the 512 BB and 250 GTO, which were also featured in the Xbox version of the original OutRun 2.
In turn, OutRun 2 was succeeded by OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast, developed for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox and Microsoft Windows. The game combines all the courses from OutRun 2 and OutRun 2 SP while adding additional features of its own, such as special car models, new game modes and more audio tracks. It also contains an OutRun 2 SP mode, which offers an exact arcade port of OutRun 2 SP.
Outrun Online Arcade was released on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network in 2009. This downloadable game included only the tracks from Outrun 2 SP.
There are three other unofficial OutRun sequels that were only released for home systems: Out Run Europa (started in 1989, and completed in 1991), Battle Out Run (1989), and Out Run 2019 (1993). On the Sega Master System, there is also a special version of OutRun which makes use of the 3D glasses add-on.
Coconut Beach, the first stage in Out Run, makes an appearance in Sega Superstars Tennis as a playable court. A course based on the series, named "OutRun Bay", appears in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed as a free download to those who purchase the Bonus Edition.
Another unofficial sequel came in 1993 with Out Runners, returning the game to its roots by bringing back the forks in the road. Head-to-head support appeared in the game for the first time, and if arcade cabinets were linked, up to eight drivers could race against each other. The game also featured eight different cars for people to drive in. It was the most successful game released for Sega's System Multi 32 hardware, and one of the last successful 2D games released by Sega.
In 2003, OutRun made the jump to 3D graphics with the arcade release of OutRun 2 (featuring actual licensed vehicles from Ferrari, including a Testarossa). Yu Suzuki, the creator of the original OutRun, was on hand to bring his vision up to date, earning OutRun 2 great critical acclaim and the distinction of being the first official sequel to the original. The Xbox release added features such as new cars, new audio tracks and even a fully playable version of the original OutRun.
An updated version of OutRun 2 was released in arcades in 2004 entitled OutRun 2 SP. This expanded upon the original by offering a plethora of tracks to drive through, including the original map. It also improved on graphics and added more tunes to listen to while driving. It featured the 512 BB and 250 GTO, which were also featured in the Xbox version of the original OutRun 2.
In turn, OutRun 2 was succeeded by OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast, developed for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox and Microsoft Windows. The game combines all the courses from OutRun 2 and OutRun 2 SP while adding additional features of its own, such as special car models, new game modes and more audio tracks. It also contains an OutRun 2 SP mode, which offers an exact arcade port of OutRun 2 SP.
Outrun Online Arcade was released on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network in 2009. This downloadable game included only the tracks from Outrun 2 SP.
There are three other unofficial OutRun sequels that were only released for home systems: Out Run Europa (started in 1989, and completed in 1991), Battle Out Run (1989), and Out Run 2019 (1993). On the Sega Master System, there is also a special version of OutRun which makes use of the 3D glasses add-on.
Coconut Beach, the first stage in Out Run, makes an appearance in Sega Superstars Tennis as a playable court. A course based on the series, named "OutRun Bay", appears in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed as a free download to those who purchase the Bonus Edition.
Pop culture
- An MTV public service announcement against drunk driving shown in the mid '90s shows a gamer playing Out Run while under the influence of alcohol, and cuts to each point where the gamer crashes until the end of game.
- In 2010, artist and designer Garnet Hertz built a drivable version of the sit-down Out Run arcade cabinet.
- Out Run was recently featured on G4 Televisions list of Top 100 Video Games coming in at number 86.
- Sometime in 1988, General Motors made a driver's education video titled "The Game Of Your Life" which featured the upright version of OutRun and it featured sound effects from the game (most notably the "coin inserted" sound at the start of the film).
- French house artist Kavinsky titled his 2013 debut LP as a tribute to this game.
Reception
| Reception | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publication | Score | ||||||||
| Master System | C64 | ZX Spectrum | Amstrad | Atari ST | Amiga | PC Engine | Mega Drive | ||
| ACE | 852 | 610 | 873 | 822 | |||||
| Australian Commodore and Amiga Review | 95% | ||||||||
| Computer and Video Games | 9/10 | 24/40 | 8/40 | 7/10 | 70% | ||||
| Crash | 72% | ||||||||
| Dragon | |||||||||
| Génération 4 | 82% | 78% | 79% | ||||||
| MegaTech | 58% | ||||||||
| Sega-16 | 9/10 | ||||||||
| Sinclair User | 81% | ||||||||
| Svenska Hemdatornytt | 85% | ||||||||
| The Games Machine | 72% | 67% | 61% | 79% | 75% | ||||
| The Video Game Critic | A | A | |||||||
| Tilt | 17/20 | ||||||||
| Your Sinclair | 8/10 | ||||||||
| Awards | |||||||||
| Entity | Award | ||||||||
| Golden Joystick Award (1987) | Game of the Year | ||||||||
| Golden Joystick Award (1987) | Arcade Game of the Year | ||||||||
In 1988, Out Run was voted as 1987's Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards, beating Renegade and The Last Ninja for the award. Out Run also received the Arcade Game of the Year award, beating Renegade and Bubble Bobble for the award.
The 8-bit console Sega Master System port released in 1987 was well received. It received a score of 9 out of 10 from the October 1987 issue of Computer and Video Games, which concluded that "Out run on the Sega has all the thrill power of the arcade version." It also received scores of 852 out of 1000 from the British ACE magazine, and 17 out of 20 from the Finnish Tilt magazine.The Games Machine gave the Master System version a score of 72%, stating that, "Of all the versions," the Master System port "comes closest to the original coin-op" but that "nonetheless, it does suffer in comparison" to the arcade original. It was reviewed in 1988 in Dragon #137 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column, where the reviewers gave the game 4½ out of 5 stars. They described it as a "racing simulation" with "refreshing differences," pointing to the branching paths and music selection choices, and praising the game as "a very fine Sega simulation that provides hours of entertainment." The French magazine Génération 4 gave it an 82% score that same year.OutRun 3-D, a 1989 version that supports the Master System's Sega 3-D Glasses, received a top A grade from The Video Game Critic in 2011.
The reception for the 8-bit personal computer ports published by U.S. Gold were generally mixed, depending on the quality of the conversions. The ZX Spectrum version received positive to average reviews. It received positive scores from Your Sinclair, which gave it 8 out of 10, and from Sinclair User, which gave it scores of 8 out of 10 in March 1988 and 81% in November 1990.Crash magazine gave the Spectrum version a 72% score based on three individual reviewers, Nick, BYM, and Mike, giving scores of 93%, 63%, and 59%, respectively, with the latter two reviewers expressing disappointment at the lower conversion quality in comparison to the arcade original.The Games Machine gave the Spectrum version a score of 61%, noting the machine's technical limitations in comparison to the Master System and Commodore systems.
The Commodore 64 and Commodore 128 versions received positive to average reviews. The Games Machine gave the Commodore 64 and 128 versions a 67% score, higher than the Spectrum port but lower than the Master System version. The Australian Commodore and Amiga Review magazine gave the Commodore 64 version a high 95% score.Computer and Video Games, which referred to the arcade original as "the ultimate coin-op driving game," described the Commodore 64 port as a "rushed" conversion and gave it an overall score of 24 out of 40. The Amstrad CPC port received a negative review from Computer and Video Games, which described this version as a "travesty" and gave it a score of 8 out of 40.
The 16-bit Atari ST version published by U.S. Gold in 1988 was more well received than their earlier 8-bit computer ports. Computer and Video Games gave the ST version a positive review and an overall score of 7 out of 10, including 7 out of 10 for each of the three categories of graphics, sound, and playability. The magazine stated that, though this version is "a far from perfect conversion," it comes closer to the arcade original than the other computer ports.ACE magazine gave the Atari ST version a high score of 873 out of 1000. while The Games Machine gave it a 79% score, noting that it is an "admitable conversion if an incredible coin-op" but is still lacking in comparison to the original arcade game.
In 1989, ACE magazine gave U.S. Gold's 16-bit Amiga port a score of 822 out of 1000, while The Games Machine gave it a 75% score. The 16-bit console Mega Drive / Genesis version of the game released by Sega in 1991 received a score of 85% from the Swedish Svenska Hemdatornytt magazine that same year. This version later received a score of 9 out of 10 from Sega-16 in 2004, and a top A grade from The Video Game Critic in 2008.
