In interviews with Yu Suzuki regarding the development of Out Run, he often discusses how he envisioned a game with a more cinematic flair. A cross-country road-trip with a little bit of a narrative, akin to the game's film inspiration, The Cannonball Run. Due to hardware restrictions, the team could not achieve his vision. Though in turn, they focused on fleshing out the parts of the game that made it fun. As a result, I think it ended up a better game.
Turbo Outrun is the sequel to the 1986 classic. It trades away tight, minimalist design for a sprite-scaling spectacle. Weather changes within certain areas, the drive is now full of crowds, vistas are more detailed, more complex, and a variety of obstacles now litter the interior of the road. Its to the point where the 68000 chips completely choke at certain points during a playthrough, bringing the experience to a near-halt. There are definitely better games released by Sega down the road using this visual effect, though Turbo Outrun is still a graphically impressive game, in my opinion.
Character interactions are no longer limited to finish screens. For starters, your partner is now active throughout your drive. At the start of each course, she will praise you for your victory, or leave you for your rival in the race. A long haired, bearded blonde man who is constantly getting in your way, making snide remarks as he leaves you in the dust. The premise is unfortunately dated, as your partner is now even more of an object than in the first game, but the added goal does at least make races more interesting.
It definitely feels the intent here was possibly to mimic the original's design document closely. Interestingly, most of the team is fresh blood, possibly fans of the first who were inspired by the original vision. Yu doesn't seem to be heavily involved with the project, and only about two names from the Out Run team appear in its credits. This doesn't necessarily mean this game could never be as good as the first, of course. So, mechanically, how does it stand up?
Controls are about as good as the first game. I sort of felt they were worse initially, but after playing for a while, I realized there's just a lot more to account for. Wet pavement, oil slicks, and rocky roads throw off your tires traction. Barrels and road block signs occasionally litter chunks of the road, bringing your speed down with every collision. Though all in all, it is still Out Run in feel. As per usual, you want to keep at max speed unless a tight turn is coming up. In which case, you want to slam the brakes, and switch down gears, so you don't go flying off the road.
Traffic is also now more interactive, with both the rival and the newly added police car trying to knock you off balance. Though the penalty for a vehicle-to-vehicle collision is far more forgiving than the first game, possibly due to it being a more dynamic obstacle in Turbo Outrun. I actually felt encouraged to smash into rival cars, to kick them out of the race for a moment.
There's also the titular Turbo, which raises your acceleration to ridiculous levels, and sends you flying forward. As to be expected, there's a give and take with this mechanic. Use it right before a tight turn, and you'll have to slam the brakes, which doesn't necessarily result in a wasted boost, but definitely denies you of the full the advantage it could've given you. Use it twice in a row, and the engine overheats, preventing you from using it for a moment.
The main complaint I see raised against Turbo Outrun, and one I can't help but agree with, is the linearity in contrast to its prequel. In Out Run, you are always given a choice of two roads at the end of an area, which resulted in a unique experience each playthrough. In Turbo Outrun, you must drive through all sixteen courses, with little to no diversity between each playthrough. The original's radio is also thrown out; there are now preset themes for each area. I'm always itching to replay Out Run, because I can go visit locales that I haven't in a while, or tune the radio to a different station. In Turbo Outrun, once all stages and mechanics are mastered, there isn't much incentive to return to the game.
Though Turbo Outrun is undeniably a flawed sequel, I would not say it is a bad game by any means. The improvement to visuals, and the more complex mechanics thrown in definitely are interesting additions. Its undeniable that its attempt to one-up Out Run resulted in it becoming as influential as its predecessor. I'm not sure if this is the first racer with a Turbo Boost, but it only became more and more of a staple following its release. The police car was eventually experimented with in future racers, to mixed degrees of success. All in all, Turbo Outrun doesn't get close to the fun of the first, but I do believe its worth your time if you're a fan of the series.
Turbo Outrun is the sequel to the 1986 classic. It trades away tight, minimalist design for a sprite-scaling spectacle. Weather changes within certain areas, the drive is now full of crowds, vistas are more detailed, more complex, and a variety of obstacles now litter the interior of the road. Its to the point where the 68000 chips completely choke at certain points during a playthrough, bringing the experience to a near-halt. There are definitely better games released by Sega down the road using this visual effect, though Turbo Outrun is still a graphically impressive game, in my opinion.
Character interactions are no longer limited to finish screens. For starters, your partner is now active throughout your drive. At the start of each course, she will praise you for your victory, or leave you for your rival in the race. A long haired, bearded blonde man who is constantly getting in your way, making snide remarks as he leaves you in the dust. The premise is unfortunately dated, as your partner is now even more of an object than in the first game, but the added goal does at least make races more interesting.
It definitely feels the intent here was possibly to mimic the original's design document closely. Interestingly, most of the team is fresh blood, possibly fans of the first who were inspired by the original vision. Yu doesn't seem to be heavily involved with the project, and only about two names from the Out Run team appear in its credits. This doesn't necessarily mean this game could never be as good as the first, of course. So, mechanically, how does it stand up?
Controls are about as good as the first game. I sort of felt they were worse initially, but after playing for a while, I realized there's just a lot more to account for. Wet pavement, oil slicks, and rocky roads throw off your tires traction. Barrels and road block signs occasionally litter chunks of the road, bringing your speed down with every collision. Though all in all, it is still Out Run in feel. As per usual, you want to keep at max speed unless a tight turn is coming up. In which case, you want to slam the brakes, and switch down gears, so you don't go flying off the road.
Traffic is also now more interactive, with both the rival and the newly added police car trying to knock you off balance. Though the penalty for a vehicle-to-vehicle collision is far more forgiving than the first game, possibly due to it being a more dynamic obstacle in Turbo Outrun. I actually felt encouraged to smash into rival cars, to kick them out of the race for a moment.
There's also the titular Turbo, which raises your acceleration to ridiculous levels, and sends you flying forward. As to be expected, there's a give and take with this mechanic. Use it right before a tight turn, and you'll have to slam the brakes, which doesn't necessarily result in a wasted boost, but definitely denies you of the full the advantage it could've given you. Use it twice in a row, and the engine overheats, preventing you from using it for a moment.
The main complaint I see raised against Turbo Outrun, and one I can't help but agree with, is the linearity in contrast to its prequel. In Out Run, you are always given a choice of two roads at the end of an area, which resulted in a unique experience each playthrough. In Turbo Outrun, you must drive through all sixteen courses, with little to no diversity between each playthrough. The original's radio is also thrown out; there are now preset themes for each area. I'm always itching to replay Out Run, because I can go visit locales that I haven't in a while, or tune the radio to a different station. In Turbo Outrun, once all stages and mechanics are mastered, there isn't much incentive to return to the game.
Though Turbo Outrun is undeniably a flawed sequel, I would not say it is a bad game by any means. The improvement to visuals, and the more complex mechanics thrown in definitely are interesting additions. Its undeniable that its attempt to one-up Out Run resulted in it becoming as influential as its predecessor. I'm not sure if this is the first racer with a Turbo Boost, but it only became more and more of a staple following its release. The police car was eventually experimented with in future racers, to mixed degrees of success. All in all, Turbo Outrun doesn't get close to the fun of the first, but I do believe its worth your time if you're a fan of the series.