Out Run

~ OUT RUN ~

NEC Avenue / Sega

HuCard

1990

This was just a case of bad timing for me. Out Run is by far the best looking of the PC Engine's driving games, and it plays better than the majority of its peers. It also allows the player to select from three different tunes to drive to, none of which are objectionable. So it certainly has the basics down.

But... it doesn't do much for me.

I think the problem is that I didn't get around to playing Out Run until I'd already experienced most of the other PCE driving entries. This is not to suggest that those other titles are all superior to OR. But most of them keep me busy with things other than simply rolling down a road. Final Lap Twin features an incredibly innovative RPG mode, but even when enjoying its standard races, I have my hands full trying to complete each and every course in good standing so as to earn enough points to conquer the circuit. Chase H.Q., S.C.I., and Knight Rider Special have me engage in explosive auto combat. And of course there's Victory Run, in which parts management is a significant factor and various road types call for alterations in approach.

Out Run doesn't ask you to do anything, really, besides beat the timer to the next checkpoint. There are the usual "other cars" and roadside objects to avoid, but with the game's smooth controls, there aren't many exciting "close calls" or dream-crushing crashes. Not that smooth controls are ever a negative, but without any hazards other than the relatively unobtrusive aforementioned ones to be concerned with, the game feels easy and not very rewarding... and, for me, kind of plain and empty.

Of course, if all you want is a traditional, fundamentally sound "beat the clock" driving game, then Out Run should be a great pickup for you. And I suppose the Darius-esque stage progression (the course splits at the end of each one, allowing you to travel new roads and see different concluding scenes) is something distinctive and worth noting...

...though the various endings really aren't much incentive to explore every possible path.