Gallop in Europe: a retrospective of the Outrun series. Part two.

Turbo Outrun, as we recall, has gained good popularity, even though the original Out Run is able to compete and could not. And it would seem that success should be developed. And here is how exactly Sega moved the series forward in the nineties of the last century, somehow does not cause anything but questions. For the most part.

Battle Out Run (1989)

Please explain to me – what was so drawn by the Out Run series on Sega Master System? Even the original game was not a place on the eight -bit platform from the Sega, but okay, during the release of the arcade version, it was also sense to transfer it to a relatively relevant platform. But then then? Out Run 3-D was already felt unnecessary. So for some reason at Master System, they released another, completely unique part of the series. For what?

I have an explanation, alas, no. And I even queue a little the future of the series to you – on this game the story of the series within the framework of Master System will not end. It is all the more interesting that it was new that the developers from Sega R&D2 invented for the new full part of Out Run, released on an eight -bit gland in 1989. In the second year of the existence of Mega Drive, for a second.

To begin with – the game is still based on a trip through the United States, as in Turbo Outrun. The game takes place on the territory of nine levels, each of which is one of the cities of the United States. Only now there is one “but” – we have not a relaxed trip from one coast of America to another, and not even a fierce race for the right to put a sexy blonde on a passenger seat. Everything is much more serious.

Your hero’s name is Joe Hurst and you are a mercenary. Hunter, to be precise – you hunt for the most dangerous criminals throughout America, and now you need money as never before. After all, you collected the most beautiful and, in the future, the coolest car throughout the country – it is fast, it is incredibly beautiful, and it is red. Only now, to reveal its full potential, just needs money – so you go in pursuit of the most dangerous thugs in different cities of the United States. And at the head of everything there is a certain Cassandro – and it would also be nice to plant in jail.

"Mouse, you hit your head or something? This is not Out Run." – you say. And you will be absolutely right. Not about the fact that I knocked, but that this is not at all out run. Absolutely nothing of the described plot, except perhaps a beautiful red sports car, hints at the game belonging to the Out Run series. And you know what, I will even tell you what this synopsis hints at. This game is quite popular, and even compared at one time with the original Out Run, and far from always in favor of the latter. It was produced by Taito and introduced ideas into the format of racing games, which will subsequently use games such as Burnout, Flatout and Destruption Derby.

Naturally, about the racing game Chase H.Q. 1988 release. There, acting as an officer of the police officer Tony Gibson, who was working on a faithful black Porsche 928, it was necessary to hunt a group of six criminals, each of which was located on his location, used a unique car and, most importantly, he tried to escape all the time, so that before the detention he had to be caught up first. And directly the detention was carried out in the simplest way – the ram of the enemy’s car with his own Porsche until the health line of your opponent falls to zero. Naturally, the situation became more complicated by a constantly flowing timer and other cars on the highway, which were striving to climb under the wheels.

The essence is clear, in general. And okay, the plot who paid attention to such things in the late eighties. But if you look at the game process Battle Out Run, the parallels are even more noticeable.

At the beginning of each level, you demonstrate a car and personality of a criminal who must be detained. Before that, it, of course, needs to be caught up, and for this it will be necessary to drive along the highway, complete obstacles, and on which other unsuspecting motorists ride nothing. When you still catch up with the criminal, it needs to be detained, and the process, as in Chase H.Q., uncomplicated – you just need to ram his car until its HP line falls to zero. Taken the opponent – get glasses and move on to the next level. Repeat nine times.

Moreover, certain original ideas in Battle Out Run are. Obstrons are scattered on the tracks, like in Turbo Outrun, such as springboards or puddles with butter, and your car can also be pumped along the course of the game. Just not like in the arcade sequel at the end of the level, but straight during the chase, having caught a large truck on the highway and driving into it. Moreover, pumping here is not free, and there are quite a lot of improvements. Improvements are bought for glasses that are earned at the end of each level – they are poured directly for passing, and still a little for the remaining time of the time.

And, it sounds good in theory-yes, not quite out run, but within the framework of the spin-off such experiments can be quite justified. Only, either due to the fact that when developing the target platform, the outdated Master System was chosen, or because of what, but the Battle Out Run came out of such a game, from which you rather get attacks of irritation than at least some share of pleasure.

And at first you don’t notice a catch – the game looks approximately at the level of ports of the original out ru, and possibly even better. Animation smooth, responsive management. The backgrounds, however, are the most depressing, but otherwise from Master System somehow you do not expect. And then the first cars appear on the highway, and then irritation is righted. Because the behavior of cars on the highway seems to be specially trying to prevent the player and get it out. They deliberately climb under the wheels, and their maneuverability is so much exceeding your own that in the process of rebuilding the car from one strip to the other you will not be able to react in time. So the distance to someone else’s car is extremely difficult to evaluate – the sprites of the cars look almost the same as being directly close to you, and at a short distance from your car. And each collision with someone else’s machine greatly reduces your speed, which, again, incredibly annoying.

And even when you finally catch up with the main opponent, the problems will not end. Understand in what situations the enemy’s car leaves health, and in which it is not, it is impossible, you can ram it from behind or on the side, but the line of health can be the same as to go down and stay at the same level. And every clash, again, this is a blow to your speed. Moreover, from clashes with an opponent, you lose much less than from randomes on the highway – but even in the process of the final chase, the game does not save you from other interference at the level. And the opponent will never mind getting behind a civilian car, after which to calmly fly through it, leaving you right behind the machineless and braking machine.

Battle Out Run is largely felt as a game, fed intentionally at the peak of an arcade sequel, taking some ideas from it, but not repeating it alone. Judge for yourself – here is the card of America in the spotlight, and the pumping of the car, and obstacles on the tracks, and even the car itself in the Battle Out Run is more like F40 from Turbo Outrun than on Testarossa from the original. And the approach, purely in theory, was good. It’s only a pity that instead of a good eight -bit Out Run, we got a weak copy of Chase H.Q. with a skin from Ferrari and the completely disgusting artificial intelligence of rivals. Perhaps it was worth doing a similar game for Mega Drive. But, as I said above, the series very much chose a very felom in the eight -bit console from the Sega.

Out Run Europa (1991)

We have played a role in this for a long time "beloved" by us u.S.Gold. Nobody naturally disclosed the details of their agreement with the Sega, but for one reason or another U.S.Gold received the right not only to develop ports of arcade games for various PCs, but also to create original games in the framework of this series. And the company, having entrusted the work of Probe already familiar to us, aimed not only on computers, but also on some consoles from Sega. And specifically, Out Run Europe shows us how much you can approach the creation of the seemingly same game on different platforms in different ways. And due to these differences, we first consider the general elements of this game, and later we will figure out how much different versions differ from each other.

In general, the name Out Run Europe does not bode anything special in the framework of the series. Well Outrun. Well in Europe. The original game, too, theoretically, took place in Europe, so why put it mentioning in the name of a new game. The reason for this is, but it is a little unobvious.

So the plot. Yes, Out Run Europa has a plot, as in the contradictory Battle Out Run, for example. And he is also connected with criminals and hunting for them. You are Simeon Kurtz, a special agent directed to Berlin in order to deliver some secret documents. Only now, still in London, only on the way to the task, your Ferrari F40, in the glove compartment of which are documents, abduct agents of other intelligence. Your task is to catch up with your own car and get documents. Using any capabilities that fall under the arm.

By the name it is clear that the chase will take place throughout Europe. Which is not clear by name is how exactly the main character will chase the opponent. And from this all the most interesting begins, because at first Kurtz is enough for the first motorcycle that came under the arm and goes in pursuit of it.

Motorcycles? In my outon? Oh yes! And I will say more, this is just the beginning. Because Out Run Europa changes the general principle and concept of the game so strongly that it even difficults to reckon it with moments.

Let’s go in order – what is there with levels. They always go one by one, without any nonlinearity. Moreover, at each level you will have to drive different vehicles. We begin, as you already understood, from the chase on the motorcycle from London to Duvra, after which we transplant to the jet ski to cross the La-Channel, in France we sit behind the wheel of Porsche 911 and rolled to Spain, from where we are sailing to Italy, where we find our F40, where we need to get to Berlin to Berlin. And there are seven levels here – one at a motorcycle, a jet ski and a boat, and two on Porsche and Ferrari. That is, in the format of traveling around Europe, such close outrun, Out Run Europe gets perfectly. But boats and water levels – seriously? Was it really anywhere without it?

But no, the innovations do not end there. Out Run Europa takes the idea of ​​direct confrontation with other Battle Out Run cars, and develops it in a slightly unexpected direction in the framework. That is, yes, you can crash into rivals and even squeeze them out of the highway, but they can answer you the same. If you cut into you, then you will lose in speed, if you cut, you will also lose, but you will also inflict damage to the enemy car. And on a boat and a jet ski you can shoot missiles in the now and then helicopters and boats that appear on the way.

Moreover, you are also limited by the ammunition-we have no spy hunter here, after all. But it’s just not worth leaving opponents alone – they will push and due to this very much. Nothing prevents them from squeezing you out of the highway, forcing you to crash into a close house, and with a sense of their own superiority to roll into the sunset. But in the game there are also police officers who can stop you if you are spenting behind them for too long, and no one canceled the timelim.

And the player, as it were, has something to answer – I already mentioned the missiles, and on land you can turn on acceleration, as in Turbo Outrun, and slide away from the offenders. It works so interestingly – you can slow down when accelerating, turning, even crashing into other cars, but it will still work as much time as it was assigned – which is about 10 seconds. Only, again, all these resources are finite. How to make up for them? Collect on the highway, of course! Three types of bonuses are scattered along ground routes – one restores cartridges, and the other, of course, gives an additional charge of turbo. Sounds, it seems, good, yes? At first, in principle, you think, until you sit down to play at Out Run Europe yourself.

Because dealing with her is quite difficult. But let’s not really run into the game – it looks at all the platforms selected for release at least, within the framework of their capabilities, of course. Traditional control – click for gas, other directions of the joystick we turn and slow down respectively, we use the special capacity by the button – because you can accelerate only on land and shoot only at sea. Everything seems to be familiar and wonderful.

So, returning to the bonuses. The problem with them is quite prosaic here – you simply do not have time to notice them and, as a result, you do not have time to grab. Moreover, the bonuses are quite small, so even aiming at them is not easy. The game constantly puts them in turns, which in Outrun, in principle, always caused easy problems. But without a turbo you can hardly overtake annoying policemen, and without missiles, although it is possible to live, but the path will be somewhat more complicated than this would like this.

But it is worth saying that at the basis of Out Run Europe still works. If you do not pay attention to a sharply changed concept, you can find that it is quite pleasant to travel in the game, the levels are made well, albeit in color, closer to a serious Turbo Outrun, and different vehicles add a certain element of diversity to the game. It’s quite easy to enjoy Out Run Europe – an important question, but how best to do it?

And here the most interesting. At the basis of its separation of Out Run Europa versions between the standard platforms, there are eight -bit computer versions for ZX Spectrum, Amstrad and Commodore 64, there are sixteen -seated for Amiga and Atari ST, and there are console – for whom you think, Sega Master System and Sega Game Gear. And let’s just go to the above order and let’s go. Let’s start with the spectrum.

And, honestly, at first I was even a little surprised. There is traditionally a minimum of flowers, of course, but there is no classic screenshot into two color areas here – in one color the screen is made directly, and the other is a local interface. It is extremely difficult to disassemble something on the screen, and sound effects begin to irritate after a few minutes. But this is Spectrum, which, from it, is asking, to expect.

Whether the case is amstrad. Its version looks about the same as Spectrumovskaya, only it is made in color, it works a little faster, and there are more sound effects in it, even though they still hit the ears. And the matter is not limited to one picture – these games are as close as possible to each other with their levels and problems in the gaming process.

The most important problem here is incredibly long levels. Unlike the usual Outrun, where about a minute of time spent on one location, here it is easy to spend on one level all five. Yes, there are checkpoints at the levels, but with the video game mechanics of preservation, only the name is related, because all they do is give time. If it ends, or the police detain you, then welcome to the beginning of the level.

And yes, the police – how the local police infuriate me. In general, the behavior of all cars is annoying here, but the police, of course, is the most strong. What is the essence – as before in the case of eight -bit computers, it is somewhat difficult to calculate the distance to the car. Here, a clash with a regular machine does not bring much harm – you lose a little in speed and go a little to the side. With cars of agents and police, this approach will not work – they either overtake them or destroy them. Found the usual cars of agents is a long and dreary activity, and it takes a lot of time. It’s easier to leave – but being side by side, you will not come off on a straight line. So here either bypass them in corners, or hope that traffic will help you, or use turbo. Whose stock, I recall, is limited.

The situation with the police is even worse. They don’t even need to crash into you to spoil the race. Any of your mistake will lead to a decrease in your speed, which means that they will break forward. And if you are stuck for a police car, then there is a great chance that he will hold you. Their cars are very fond of rebuilding your strip right under your nose and crash into you in corners, and the location, in which the arrest is counted, as well as the distance to the police car, is extremely difficult to calculate in the heat of the chase. Amstrad in this regard annoys the most – there you even do not have time to see the message after the arrest, and it seems as if the game just throws you to the very beginning of the level. Very large level, I remind you.

Not only did the game come out so -so, but also the version for Spectrum was in the center of the scandal. YOUR SINCLAIR magazine put an incredibly high score of 83% of 100 and praised excellent graphics, color and sprite size. Moreover, screenshots in the magazine showed a game in color, while the game was published was quite limited in terms of colors. And even with the help of internal commands spectrum to get a game with a picture of the personnel level from the magazine did not leave. Apparently, suitcases and a couple of fake screenshots for printing in the magazine reached the British publication.

Otherwise, I do not advise touching Out Run Europa on these computers. She is not too beautiful here, not very fast, but annoying the worse than the previous parts. Anyway, Outrun seemed to have nothing to do either on Spectrum or on Amstrad. But the money, apparently, does not smell, and u.S.Gold for sure on users of these computers, I have earned something. Sorry for those who played it in childhood.

And Commodore 64 is https://independentcasinosites.co.uk/review/seven-casino/ on horseback. I just don’t understand – it was easier to develop under it? There was more fanabaza? Why for a computer from 1982 Commodore were funny and high -speed Out Run, and Amstrad, which entered the market two years later, was content with scraps? There was clearly something wrong here, but this is a topic for a completely different conversation.

Because on Commodore is a very cool version of Out Run Europa. Traditionally fast, with a very good picture and stunning music. The levels here are pleasant less – there is no feeling that the game is just trying to hold you longer. The turbo system was processed – instead of a certain number of charges, now you have a scale that can be used as desired – at least a little to add to leave the police, at least fried on a long straight line.

The disadvantages, of course, are. Here you can knock yourself out your own torpedo at water levels, the sounds of the approaching police are very much hit by the ears, and messages that are eternally appearing on the screen are “faster”, “the police nearby” and others, although they do not interfere, can irritate. Otherwise, Commodore 64 knocks out three of three for the Outrun ports, and Europa, I’m not afraid to say, the best of them.

Sixteen -bit versions can also be combined into one item. Traditionally, almost the same game came to Atari and Amiga, but only unlike the ports of the previous parts, in Out Run Europe on these computers you can not only play, but I also want. Because graphically, by building levels and management, it is very different from eight -bit options. Often for the better.

Let’s start with the picture. Here, in general, nothing unexpected-these two models of computers have always coped well to draw both springs and backgrounds of the original Outrun. The main problem of Outrun on these models has always been a frame of. If Amiga was still trying at least somehow, even though Turbo even there was absolutely inconclusive, then on Atari was completely bad. And either U.S.Gold has always rushed Probe with porting, or it was more difficult to cope with the original Outrun, but the Europa on sixteen -bit machines works surprisingly perfectly.

That is, she looks very nice. Take a look at local springs, backgrounds, even. The number of different objects on the sidelines is amazing, especially after much less impressive ports of arcade outs. And speed – how well Europa conveys the sensation of speed. Even Commodore was not so good with this, and Amiga and Atari not only work quickly, but also look at the same time at the level of games from the sixteen -bit consoles of that time. If not better.

The levels here are quite long – not irritably long, like on the same Amstrad, but just right. Moreover, the complexity curve extremely clearly works with their size – not only is each subsequent level longer than the previous one, but their structure also becomes noticeably more difficult. If on a motorcycle it is quite easy to get to the finish line, then the second level on Porsche will meet you with sharp turns that are collected in very long chains, which are extremely difficult to react to time. And then the game will act even more vile ways.

And the water levels here are very wild. It was easier at eight -bit PCs – the obstacles did not arise very often, and dodging them was quite simple, except that helicopters and their bombs could cause inconvenience. On sixteen -tenth computers in the water there is nothing. On each meter, either stones, then boats, then other people’s boats that go around purely due to the frequency of the appearance of objects is incredibly difficult. But you also need to stay away from the boats of enemy agents and the police, and no one canceled helicopters with bombs. Water levels are the most important test in Out Run Europa, and by the first they even with local Continue are unlikely to go out. But with sufficient practice, even with them you can cope.

That is, yes, Europa on Amiga and Atari St. Very difficult, for that matter. But listen, any Outrun was difficult, and some subsequent releases in the series also did not give concessions to the player. Moreover, the Europa on sixteen -seated computers at least allows you to continue the game even after losing, so if there are computers of this series, which, of course, is unlikely, or if you want to understand the emulation of old PCs, I really advise you to try Europa. Just keep in mind that on amiga emulators is easier to run it – it is very difficult to find a working image for Atari.

And yes – Master System. On it and on Game Gear came the same version of the game, without any changes. And if I definitely do not advise Amstrad and Spectrum, but on C64, Atari and Amiga, on the contrary, it makes sense to play at Out Run Europe, then everything is somehow ambiguous at Master System. It is based on an eight -bit PC version, but some Europa things on the consoles are so powerfully changing that it is even more difficult to cope with it.

But let’s start with good. Europa on Master System looks very good, both in principle within the framework of the platform, and against the background of computer versions. The total appearance of the game corresponds to Amstrad, but the levels are smaller here, and the sprites look much better. The speed of the game is also good – not C64, of course, but adrenaline adds, especially if you turn on the turbine. The system of bonuses, by the way, is classic – no Bust’s scale, alas. The levels on Porsche and Ferrari were united, that is, on Master System there are only five of them. Which is not bad, but it adds the game to the level of the same amstrad, for example. And according to the description, everything sounds pretty good. But then you notice a strip of Shield on the right side of the interface. And this breaks almost the whole game.

What is Shield – this is literally your Helsbar. Health will fall to zero – you are a corpse, start first. And there are no other options – because no one thought about Continue either. But the behavior of enemy vehicles here did not change much – they still love to knock you out of the highway and get out in the most unexpected places. And if earlier it was only a petty trouble that took your time from you, then on the console it turns the game into a real nightmare.

Because assume how the shields are restored? Right – selected on the road with other bonuses. But I have already said how inconvenient to raise objects during the chase. And if this is not enough, Probe did not even think about remaking control when porting. We gas up here on the button up, just like on joysticks. But there were joysticks there, and then we have a cross. Turning with such settings, in principle, it is extremely inconvenient, so you also need to collect bonuses.

But you, purely in theory, can still answer – because you have a weapon on all vehicles! The spoiled control of the car allowed the gamepad buttons to set up different actions – respectively, now cars can teach the heat to the offenders, and the boats may turn on the acceleration. Sitting on a motorcycle, you can, like in some Road Rash, beat other motorcyclists with fists, and Porsche and Ferrari, for some reason, are equipped with machine guns from which you can shoot forward in the direction of driving. True, taking into account the format of the game, the fist of the motorcyclist is significantly more useful than advanced automatic machine guns.

Very rarely when enemy cars are directly in front of you. And getting into them, in principle, is very difficult – you need to shoot exactly when they will be in front of you. So the ammunition is also limited – there are few cartridges, and spending their meaning even less. It is better to save them for water levels – which are quite simple here, but in which mistakes punish you not only by time, but also on the health scale.

That is, if you finish the level with a minimum amount of health, then you can write disappeared – you are unlikely to survive at least until the end of the next zone. Because the game, although it throws a little turbo and shields at the beginning of each level, but that’s a joke that quite a bit. So the full passage of Out Run Europa turns into a real test. That, in principle, falls into the series paradigm, but the difficulty of Europa on the console works according to a completely different rules.

So yes, this is a good game in itself, but with a certain number of problems that are difficult to ignore. It is better, of course, to play Amiga, but if there is a desire, then Master System can be played in Europa. Just be prepared that this game will infuriate you more than once or twice.

Some fans, and the Sega itself, too, do not like to classify Out Run Europe for the main series. And, in principle, they can be understood. This was the first and only part of the series, fully developed outside of Japan, the general rules of the game were too much changed in it, with these bonuses and water levels, and it was initially oriented at the PC. But on the other hand, Ferrari is on the spot, an exciting trip to the cities of Europe, too, forks on the way sometimes come across, although not in the vein that you expect from such a game, and the general skeleton of the game completely falls into the series format. And, honestly, I myself do not know how it relates to Out Run Europe. This is not a bad game at its core, but it is very annoying by moments, and some ideas of its gameplay, like the same bonuses, as if simply not brought to mind. Someone will consider it the spin-off of the main series and send it to the Battle Out Run basket, and this approach will be quite justified. Like Battle Out Run, Europa tried to try to turn the series in a radically new direction, but stumbled in a pair of places, and in versions of the game the features can break my leg. The result is obvious – Europa still remains the most contradictory from the games of the series. Although this is logical – the previous parts were either very cool or as optional as possible. And with the attitude to Europa it is more difficult to figure out.

Outrunners (1992)

It is all the more interesting that the main series, although it disappeared from the radars after the release of Turbo Outrun, was not going to leave anywhere. And the cause of four -year silence was not only the fact of developing a new part of the series.

As we recall, Out Run was developed under the beginning of Yu Suzuki, and Turbo Outrun was developed in the bowels of Studio 128 – this was a unit whose work he led, and which, later, turned into Sega AM2. The arcade tricel, called Outrunns, was transferred into the hands of Sega AM1, they are Sega R&D1, they are Wow Entertainment. It should be understood that in a certain kind of direct division into units within the framework of the Arcade Developers of the Sega. But different games were developed by different teams in different offices of the company and with different development philosophy. Only in 1993, the Sega will arrange an internal restructuring and directly share the commands among themselves.

But here it is important that the third part of the series was developed by a completely different team, with other development paradigms and other ideas regarding the video game as such. So the main designer of Outrunns was Masaki Kondo, the creator of the cult fantasy zone, and Takayuki Nakamura and Takenobu Mitsuyi, authors of music as Rent a Hero and Michael Jackson ’Moonwalker joined the composer of the original Out Run .

Outrunns was released on the Arcade System Sega System 32. And in technical terms, it could not be compared with the same Sega System 16, on the basis of which the original Out Run was created. System 32 worked on a 32-bit processor, and used improved sub-stinging technology. If the Sega Hang On represented the first generation in the line of devices with this technology, and the Sega Out Run, respectively, the second, then the Sega System 32 was already the fifth.

Look at at least the first game released at Sega System 32 – Rad Mobile. Honestly, it is quite difficult to believe that the game with such a picture is made completely using two -dimensional technologies. But the truth is exactly that, and the whole Rad Mobile, including the Hedgehog Sonic, dangling under the rearview mirror, works as part of the same system scaling system that Yu Suzuki created for the original out ruun. Only the system was displayed to a new level.

And even taking into account this, it is difficult not to be surprised at the first glance at the Outrunners gameplay. Even in the video that is shown on the screen before the start of the game as such, it is difficult to believe that it is made in 2D. The player’s car looks so clearly and so voluminous that there is no feeling that in front of you is. And the objects on locations are also not far behind – look at even at the balloon at the very start of the game.

But surprise on this is just beginning. As soon as you throw coins into the machine, you are not waiting for Ferrari, waiting for the start of an exciting race. No, you have a choice – on which car to go to a new adventure. Eight cars in the game, and traditional for the Ferrari series is quite in place – a car called Speed ​​Buster is quite Testarossa, albeit a little modified to avoid problems with licenses. Other cars are also not lagging behind – there is AC Cobra, and Honda NSX, and even Porsche can be controlled, right according to the Turbo Outrun covenant. Each machine corresponds to its own musical composition, which, however, can be changed manually, and, as in Turbo Outrun, you can choose an automatic or manual transmission for each car.

The most important thing is that cars are very different from each other. The chips of machines are quite easily determined by their names, and, purely in theory, are fully consistent with real prototypes. Wild Chaser buggy, created on the basis of the cult Meyyers Manx, loses less in speed when leaving the track, Quick Reactor, aka Fiat 500, reacts sharply to the steering wheel turns, and the pink Cadillac Eldorado, called Road Monster, will not leave the chance of direct. Plus, each car has its own gearbox-some cars cost two speeds, and on Mad Power, the local lamborghini diablo analogue, you will have to cope with the six-speed box. There is a car for each driving style, and, in addition to this, each car also has a predetermined team from the driver and passenger, which will affect not only what you will see on the screen, but also on the ends.

Sorry, I said "on the screen"? No, in fact it will be more correct to say "on the screens". Because the original Outrunns automatic was not as simple as it might seem to be according to the first description.

Let’s say so – I deceived you a little. Outrunns used not just iron SEGA System 32. The game worked on a system called Sega System Multi 32, in which there was a slightly more powerful iron, and, most importantly, which was equipped with two monitors and two control sets, respectively. That is, Outrunners, in the framework of their idea, was created under the simultaneous game together.

How it worked – you could well sit down, throw a couple of coins into one playing place of the machine, and get a standard single experience similar to how the original out ruun worked. But at any moment, a person could approach your machine gun, and with the words “Hello, I will go up”, no, do not join your game, but start your session. But when you both finish your single game, you can become direct rivals on a new trip. That is, we get a unique balance. Outrunners alone is played by the wave as an ordinary out ru, in which the main opponent is perhaps a constantly ticking timer. But with the connection of the second player, Outrunners turns into an improved and more live version of Turbo Outrun, in which it is not enough just to get to the finish line, and it is advisable to do this first.

And it will be quite difficult to do. Outrunners, of course, discarded many of the ideas of Turbo Outrun, such as weather conditions, machine upgrades or constant obstacles on the tracks, but a simple game also did not become. On the contrary, in some way Outrunners is even more complicated than the original Out Run, and this is even given the fact that the game has become much more pleasant and responsive to management.

That is, yes, the reaction of the car to your steering turns has become much sharper, and it is easier to fit into turns. But the game compensates for the convenience of managing an incredible sense of speed, and an extremely strongly jumped speed of the game as such. Outrunners is an extremely fast game, and it will very quickly besiege an unprepared player. Not sufficiently braked in a turn – welcome to the ditch, without options. Moreover, the car is restored on the highway also noticeably faster, and in speed loses much less, but even so, no one will return the treasured seconds to you. And maybe after the accident you will get to the checkpoint, but you will definitely remember your mistake when you do not have enough time to get to the next level, or when your opponent goes directly to the finish line.

And what is the point of fighting for a position in Outrunns? In Turbo Outrun, for example, we fought for the attention of a woman. The mechanics worked quite poorly, and the ending of your actions did not depend, but there was a clear and understandable incentive. In Outrunners, the reason to keep leadership is revealed literally on the first fork. Because the second player will go only along the route that will choose the one that goes the first.

And this gives great flexibility as part of the game against each other. Not only can you choose a car with which it will be more convenient for you, so, as part of the confrontation, you can choose the route that is specifically for you or, conversely, is less suitable for the game style of the second racer. In the most extreme case, two players can simply fight for the opportunity to see the ending that each of them is more like.

And here with this the situation is many times more difficult than in the original out run. If the first game had five endings corresponding to the five points of purpose, then at the outlets of the endings, also at least five, correctly? Not really. The endings are not distributed between locations, but between the characters. So the final animation will depend only on which car will come to the finish line first. Accordingly, the question arises – how exactly the OUTRUNNERS is arranged then?

Let’s get back to the very first fork. She appears literally ten seconds after the start, and what the way you choose will depend on which traditionally arranged card of two you will fall. Turn right-and find yourself in the Grand Canyon, from which you will arrive through South America and underwater tunnels, and from there you will come to Russia, Australia or to the countries of Asia. Choose the left path-and find yourself in San Francisco, from where through China, Hong Kong or Japan go to European countries, or even Africa. That is, Outrunns offers the player two routes, each of which is comparable in size to the original out ruun. Of course, some levels are repeated, but not one to one – after all, in one route, Spain, for example, is a final destination point, and in the other you pass it only while halfway halfway.

And thus, if Out Run sent players on a journey through Europe, and Turbo Outrun demonstrated the charms of the US states, then almost the whole world is revealed in Outrunners in front of the players. The world is small, terrible and a little stereotypical, but still. It seems to me better to develop the original idea of ​​Yu Suzuki is simply impossible. Only if you slightly increase the scale of what is happening, or add another path to the start of the game.

Because purely levels in Outrunns are slightly smaller than in the first or second part. Judge for yourself – in Out Run, after passing the checkpoint, you were given 50-60 seconds, in Outrunners, while switching to a new level, they are not given much more than thirty. On the one hand, this is justified by the already mentioned increased speed of the game, but even so most of the levels fly away well, very quickly. But it’s easy for you, I repeat, in any case, there will be no.

But what is much more important, all locations are as recognizable as possible. In Hawaii, on the one hand, the waves of the ocean will be washed you, and on the other, everyone will stand familiar little wooden houses; Switzerland will meet the player with pastoral fields and confusing mountain tracks. In China, the Taoist temples will flicker against the background, and on the highway the main obstacle will not be cars, but crowds of annoying cyclists; And in the Grand Canyon, not only will have to fit into the stone arches, but it will also be necessary to dodge the gunshug wagons, as if escaping from some The Oregon Trail. Each location is recreated with love for the country that it personifies. Yes, a little simple and stereotypically, but so, you know, soundless. Perhaps even childish.

Because – well, look at how Outrunns looks. This is the real celebration of flowers – bright and cheerful. There is no grayness and seriousness of Turbo Outrun, but what is it there, it will give the first part a head start in terms of brightness and recognition. Cars, objects on the sidelines of roads, everything is done in pleasant bright colors, and so pleases the eye that sometimes you forget to pay attention to the road right.

And okay the picture, but local animations amuse even more. Cars at the slightest turn of the steering wheel seem to go into drift, and if they are especially smoking somewhere, then passengers literally fly out of the car, and begin to run after the car rolling along the highway. At a time when the background is played in advance of a pre -spectator laughter, yes. And then even in South America Flamingo will begin to fly out on the track, and in the Niagara waterfalls, the glare now and then will be reflected from the water, flashing on the highway in the form of a rainbow. It is difficult to watch Outrunns without smiling, and this, perhaps, describes the game best.

Outrunners is a concentrated fun. Bright, high -speed and moment is a funny game, from which you can enjoy both alone and when playing with a friend, and competing with a random person. Incredibly beautiful by the standards of your time, with excellent music, both original compositions and remixes of classics from Outrun. One minus-in order to play it, you need to either look for an original machine, or emulate a two-screen system on your computer, which may also seem not very convenient for someone.

“But the mouse,” you say, “Outrunns went to Mega Drive. Isn’t it easier to play at the home version, instead of arcade?". And yes, it can be easier. But practically none of the positive points that I chanted above, is not applied to the version for Mega Drive.

Let’s start with the question – and who generally decided that Outrunners on Mega Drive is a good idea? In 1993, the SEGA CD was already on the market, and the Sega Saturn would enter the market less than two years, in November 1994. Of course, in this case, the game would not have reached the peak of the popularity of the arcade release, but neither in the case of the original out run, nor with Turbo Outrun, this was absolutely prevented by no one.

But Mega Drive, even the original Out Run did not pull out in its pure form. Let me remind you, although the port was good, but graphically did not reach the arcade version a little. What can we say about Turbo Outrun, which was cut so much that it looked almost worse than the first game. How could you choose in their right mind as the only platform for home versions of Outrunners? Not even Sega CD – and some arcade hits that differed little from the original versions went out there. And what interesting little things could be thrown into the CD version – reproach the soundtrack, as it once came out from Turbo to FM Towns, or add rollers, for example. And Saturn, albeit with compromises, but pulled Rad Mobile, which originally worked on the same Sega System 32. Yes, it would be possible to use CD to long and irritating loads, but even so, I am sure, the hypothetical Outrunns for Saturn would not be a laughing stock at the level of version for Mega Drive.

And the first signals about their quality Outrunners are given literally immediately after the start. After the SEGA and Data East logos, which were engaged in the publication of the game in the United States, the game screen will pass by you. Two parts. Horizontal.

Here see what kind of thing is clear that perception is an individual thing, and it is difficult to argue with it. But purely in my logic – if the screen is divided vertically in the cooperative game, that is, two players look at the left and right side of the screen, respectively, then the personal space of each player is more clearly expressed. During the game, when your gaze is directed into the screen, there is no need to shoot your eyes to the sides, you are interested in your game. Lowering your eyes down, for example, much easier, and, accordingly, it is easier to distract from what is happening on your half of the screen.

Of course, in the era of ELT TVs, when the format of the picture 4: 3 reigned both on home computers and on TVs, the horizontal separation of the screen was perceived as the only true and reasonable way of playing in the format of split-scrins. But the only affordable is still not equal to the best. Especially in the case of Outrunners. Especially taking into account the fact that the screen in it is always separated.

Even if you play alone, you will always get a game, a terrible half of the screen. Anyway, you will not play here alone-because in any case someone will take the position of the second player in any case. Either just another player, or local artificial intelligence.

And here is a stick about the two ends. And one hand, the fact of the presence of the second car on the highway is the Outrunners feature, the game is half built on the confrontation, on the fight for the possibility of choosing your new path. The ability to play against AI would be so badly refreshed by Outrunns even on arcade machines, especially if this regime was an optional.

And actually, yes, on Mega Drive you will receive this element of confrontation. And it seems to be even good – until you start thinking about those players who are not so good in racing games. Because their Outrunners for Mega Drive, in fact, deprives any opportunity to study the game and try it on the singleplair rules. At a time when you only study the game, you will travel along the routes that your opponent will choose, and the other will not be given to you. How could it be solved – give the player a choice. One option in the menu would be enough to provide the player with a much more pleasant game experience. And in this way it would be possible not to spoil the game by the obligatory split-scrine.

And okay it would be the only port problem. We have already decided that Mega Drive was not even able to even run the usual out ru, and it made sense to expect that outnners on Mega Drive will clearly be cut compared to the arcade version. And into the framework of such expectations of Outrunners just falls. But no more.

Purely in the sensations of Outrunns, it looks no worse than Turbo Outrun for Mega Drive, and possibly even a little better. The cars look good, the animations of turns, although a little sharp, but the arcade version is repeated very worthy. Scaling sprites, however, is quite weak, even worse than in the previous parts of the game. So you look sometimes, and two cars, driving side by side, begin to look like a beagfut next to a mini -class Mini Machine. The viewing field is cut vertically, but within the framework of the mandatory split-scrinal, it was not worth expecting another. But here is the design of the locations – uf. You won’t look at the houses and other objects outside the highway – it is especially ridiculous to see geysers instead of waterfalls on Niagara damage, for example. But at least the backgrounds are made well, and in dynamics the console Outrunns does not look very bad.

But what is lacking is a common sense of speed. On Mega Drive Outrunns is simply slow – approximately like an Out Run port on the same console. And he, too, in speed was somewhat far from the arcade version. But there was more important the feeling of the adventure during which you drive colorful places at the wheel of a chic car. Outrunns on the Arcade works both towards this atmosphere of travel, and towards the sensation of wild speed. And it turns out that on Mega Drive Outrunners fails on both fronts.

And if this is not enough, then the port of Outrunns is simply not so nice to play. You can get pleasure from it, of course, and some share of changes in the gameplay appeared. Even without taking into account the mandatory participation of the opponent in the race, Outrunners offers to try themselves in two game modes. Arcade mode, which is logical, offers you to go through Outrunns in a classic format. It works well, but the time is surprisingly a lot of time for the level. It is easy to get to the finish line with thirty seconds in stock, while in the arcade version to save so much time was incredibly difficult.

The Original mode proposes to participate in a series of small races, each of which occupies one level. The level depends on which car you choose for yourself, and which you will choose for the opponent. The tracks are slightly different from those in arcade mode, both in terms of the device and in terms of obstacles appearing on the highway. Adds variety, but for a long time this regime is unlikely to hook.

But the most important problem of Outrunns is the sensation of the car. Yes, they fit into the turns, but the accident and travel beyond the route are practically not visualized on the screen. Yes, the OOCH symbol appears on the screen in a collision with another machine, and if you really get into some obstacle, you can turn the machine over. But this is a rarity, and clashes with the enemy occur in the game constantly, and the complete absence of an impact or any reaction from other machines is incredibly annoying. Especially taking into account the fact that AI rival does not shy down to climb under your wheels, thereby reducing your speed. And yes, such a maneuver also works on your part, but for some reason the enemy loses less in such situations than you!

And it turns out – on Mega Drive Outrunns is not particularly beautiful, not too fast, not particularly amused, and playing it is not so nice, and for several reasons. It is not surprising that critics were smashed on a release-scolded for a constant split-scrinal, and for a weak picture, and for a slow gameplay process. After the arcade version, it makes no sense to meddle in Mega Drive-Ovsky Outrunners-you will not get absolutely no new pleasant experience, only you will see how much you can ruin the excellent game.

It is all the more interesting that Outrunns for Mega Drive has long remained the last release within the series. What was very strange – the arcade game was the most popular on the System 32 platform, climbed in fourth place in the list of the most profitable arcade machines of Japan in 1994 and for the tenth in 1995. In America, she was also awaiting her – she fell into the top 7 of the most profitable arcade games of 1993, with a particularly powerful influx of players in November. The SEGA even developed a version of the game with the support of the online multiplayer at eight, and it was demonstrated by the example of the game between two machines – one in Tokyo, the other in Osaka. It was even planned to launch online in the United States, but alas, plans did not reach the implementation.

And even so, it is not clear why the series went into hibernation shortly after the release of Outrunners. The series continued to successfully attract players, and as part of the development of technologies of that time, it is easy to imagine the polygonal out Run in the style of some Virtua Racing. But, alas, the series will live in stasis for almost ten years, returning to arcade machines only in 2003. But before that, in 1993, another experiment was released in the series, which puts the classic Out Run gameplay into completely different frames.

Outrun 2019 (1993)

It is all the more interesting that this game was not from European and not even from American developers. The Japanese, too, did not shy to turn out the concept of Out Run in completely new directions. Turbo Outrun and Outrunns have successfully proved this to us, and now let’s take a look at the only exclusive Outrun for Mega Drive.

The publisher and developer called SIMS for a long time had close relationships with Sega. The company as such was formed after the agreement between the Sega and Sanritsu Electronics, whose software unit actively developed games for the Sega console. Sanritsu was provided by the studio of 50 workers, and the Sega took on the responsibilities of its management. SIMS mainly worked with the consoles and franchises of the Sega, but sometimes paid attention to third -party publishers, working with companies such as Atlus or Bandai, helping them in the development of games for stationary and portable sega consoles.

In the early 90s, SIMS worked on the Cyber ​​Road racing game for Sega CD. Even at the level of the concept, it was a little similar to Outrun – in place there was a common concept of the race through various locations, a fork on the way to the final goal and the general principle of a two -dimensional race with a third -party prospect. During the development process, the game moved from the addon for Mega Drive directly to the sixteen -bit SEGA console, and during the transfer process was called Junker ‘S High. The game was developed at its pace, SIMS even managed to issue orders for the Junker’s High advertisement, but at that moment the Sega granted the team the right to the Outrun brand, and asked to release the game as a new part of the cult series.

That is, purely theoretically, before us, once again is not out. Outrun 2019 This is a racing in the style of cyberpunk, in which powerful turbocharged futuristic machines drive at great speeds in the same futuristic locations – which does not cause an association with frivolous pokatushki on Ferrari through Europe or the USA. And in general, yes, the Outrun concept for Mega Drive uses only as the basis for its own gameplay. And at the same time, Outrun 2019 does not go as far from its ancestor as two previous spin-offs of the series.

The game is divided into four levels, on each of them there is only one start and one finish. But the tracks themselves, at the same time, are quite complex and branched. It all starts with fairly simple forms – the first level simply offers two forks on the way from the start to the finish line, after each of which two roads converge on a single path. But the subsequent levels will offer more options for passing, and in the final, at the fourth level you will find an almost full -fledged Outrun format with five zones, and many forks.

And this is not the only method by which Outrun 2019 regulates its complexity. The first level passes calmly along any of the paths, and there you can even crash and fly off the track a couple of times, why not. But further on the tracks there are forces that uniformly divide the route into a simpler and more complex segments, and until you go through them, find out where what awaits you. Personally, it’s easier for me to go along a normal but winding road than along a glass highway passing above a reservoir, on which there are no fences. But your choice may be different.

In addition to this, Outrun 2019 encourages the risk. The game has a turbo acceleration system, but its principle is not at all like Out Run Europa, or Turbo Outrun. After your futuristic car reaches maximum speed, it will begin to charge turbo acceleration. You can follow this along the speedometer of the car – it will begin to fill up again. As soon as the scale reaches the maximum, the car will accelerate sharply, due to which it will get a huge advantage relative to other riders on straight lines, but it will become much worse to cope with the turns. But if you click on the brake or at least drop a finger from the gas button, then the acceleration ends and save it, respectively, you will have to.

That is, Outrun 2019 requires the player to think quickly and make decisions. To analyze the turn on which it rushes at a terrible speed, and decide whether it will be possible to go in full speed or better slow down. And the decision made as a result will be, one way or another, to cost precious seconds – you will either easily pass the turn without any losses, or will be rebuilt, or vice versa, sharply fly out of the highway. And okay outside the route it will be empty, so it can be much worse.

It turns out that Outrun 2019 literally takes the format of the original game and twists the maximum speed factor. This is very commendable, there is no dispute, and it is a pleasure to play Outrun 2019. But the external design of the game is depressing by moments. On the one hand – locations are quite full of different colors, and the game conveys the feeling of wild speeds perfectly. But the moment the game looks boring and monotonous – and a huge gray whore on a third of the screen, representing the interface here, does not help this. Outside the highway, rarely when you see something except for advertising shields and lamps, and the opponents seemed to have been provided with only two spells of cars. And both are equally gray and inconspicuous. As well as the car we drive – and after easily recognizable Ferrari from the previous parts, for such a design should be a shame.

But honestly, it’s all nit -picking. Outrun 2019, even if it was not created by itself just like Outrun, but it realizes many of its ideas at an excellent level. The feeling of high speeds, as well as the fact that you explore some unknown places behind the wheel of your car, the game conveys perfectly, the music in the game is pleasant, and the new acceleration mechanics are felt in the framework of the new setting in its place. In this regard, Outrun 2019 is a head above Out Run Europe, although both games, in some way, show us that with a certain share of courage and straight hands, you can not only turn into another channel, but also make it out of this, if not outstanding, then a fairly good game that will still be similar to Out Run.

But, as we found out, the long story of Outrun is temporarily interrupted at this moment. It is still not clear why exactly, but this does not play any role. Because her subsequent return can not be called magnificent in any way.

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