The graphics are beautiful. OutRun 2006 not only benefits from a blazing engine that run at 60 frames per second, but it’s one of the only racers in the Xbox/PS2/Gamecube generation that sports beautiful car models along with fantastic background designs. This is one of the few games I enjoy observing as much as I do playing (for now anyway).
The visuals in this title are more satisfying than the bland, jagged, realistic visuals in titles such as Project Gotham 3 on Xbox 360, which only runs at 30 frames per second (you can send your hate mail directly to me). The fantastic choice of color and design in the backgrounds along with awesomely rendered Ferraris make OutRun 2006 a visual tour de force. That statement is not made lightly.
It’s unfortunate that the audio doesn’t quite match the visuals. Effects such as engines running and cars crashing are well done and perhaps too realistic for this fantasy racer. The soundtrack is extremely limited and all of the tracks from OutRun 2 return. Sega seems to neglect racing/driving game soundtracks for whatever reason. Remember the four songs that would cycle through while playing Crazy Taxi on the Dreamcast?
In the future please include a larger soundtrack Sega! It’s not that the audio is bad; it’s just far too limited, especially for people seeking to unlock all the different game modes.
OutRun 2 was a fairly barebones arcade conversion. Fans didn’t complain at the time because there was doubt that OutRun 2 would even be ported to the Xbox! OutRun 2006 certainly shines in the features department.
You can play the OutRun 2 and OutRun 2 SP arcade experiences if you’d like, which is great for folks that don’t have the desire or time to unlock paint jobs and extra audio tracks. Or you can play through a single-player campaign and unlock cars, paint jobs, challenge stages, and more.
I found myself playing through OutRun 2 SP a majority of the time in OutRun Mode. It allows you to race through every stage the game has to offer enabling you to view every wonderful background in a single race. If that’s not for you, you can still race through the novel branching path system. Major thumbs up to the OutRun Mode, the most significant addition to the series.
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