Developer: Sumo Digital
Publisher: Sega
Genre: Racing
Region: NTSC
Format:
Release Date: 25 Apr 06

User Rating
9.5 (2 votes)

Score 10 (Best) 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 (Worst)

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Overview

Arcade racers have always been a big part of gaming, and although there are a ton of different racers on the consoles, a lot of them just haven't been able to make a big mark on the industry the way others have. Some of it because of timing, and other times it's just the lack of innovation. Whatever the case may be, in my opinion, the Outrun series from SEGA has never made that "major" impact on the market, and I am sure there are many of you who have no idea what the Outrun series is. So today we are checking out the latest Outrun title from SEGA, which is Outrun 2006: Coast 2 Coast for the Xbox. The big question is, can this game make an impact on a very crowded market? Read our full review to find out!

Gameplay

For those who haven't heard of the Outrun series in the past, it actually has had quite a long history in the gaming industry. It was about twenty years ago that the first Outrun game was released, and the series has seen releases on consoles and in arcades for years now. But like I mentioned before, this series is not a front liner, it still has not had that one game that has taken it over the top to racing glory. Could Coast 2 Coast be the game to do just that?

So it wasn't long ago that Outrun 2 was released for the Xbox, and it was a title that just combined high speed racing with some insane courses, and with moderate amount of success. For those of you who have played that game, Outrun 2006 borrow a lot from it and adds some new features in the mix. The game consists of thirty levels, but most of which you have seen before if you have played Outrun 2, which is kind of disappointing.

The driving mechanics found in Outrun 2006 are exactly what you would expect from a game from this series. The controls are extremely arcade-styled, in that they give you a lot of room to mess about. This also means that you won't have a whole lot of challenge on many of the courses, as you will easily be able to fly through them. The controls although a bit on the easy side (which makes sense because this is an arcade racer) are still very good and do help you enjoy the game.

The game does give some incentive to continue on racing, as with the more wins you get the more unlockable content you do uncover. Thish is actually a pretty cool feature of the game, because there are a good deal of exotic cars to be unlocked. Now some of the unlockable content is not the most exciting, but the game keeps it coming at a pace in which you will at least be pleased to see you are getting something for your hard work.

The game does have multiplayer, which consists of Xbox Live support with up to six racers. The races online are average at best, with some lag issues I found to be an annoyance. The net code however still manages to work and still brings in a very good arcade racing experience. The developers didn't add any sorts of special features online, so you can just expect your average racing experience online.

And that is exactly what Outrun 2006 ends up being an average arcade racing experience. Outrun 2006 seems to borrow a bit too much from its predecessor, and this to me will turn many fans off right from the get go. Although the game has a ton of tracks, cars, and modes, it just doesn't manage to bring enough on the gameplay level to be anything more than just good.

Graphics

Visually you get exactly what you would expect from the game, and that is some extremely bright and vibrant colors combines with good looking cars. The developers did a nice job with just making the whole visual style very warm and welcoming. I have to say that the color palette of the game is extremely well chosen, and it works really well for the experience at hand. I would have liked some more variety in the environments in that many of them are lacking detail, which in turn makes them all start feeling much too similar.

Fun Factor

For an arcade racer you should be having the time of your life, mainly because the game is not so much trying to be challenging but instead exciting. Outrun 2006 Coast 2 Coast has some thrills at the beginning, but many of these are overused and just make for what I would consider an aging arcade racer. That is not to say that Outrun 2006 is a terminally boring game either, as it does manage to have some good moments and manages to get all the basics down to make for a good racer.

Overall

I have a feeling by now most of you know where I am going with this review, and that is just by ending off by saying that Outrun 2006 is a good game. It is nothing more and nothing less than that. Fans of the series may be disappointed by the many reused courses, but rest assured the game is still fun and looks even better here in 2006.

Gameplay
7.0

Graphics
8.0

Fun Factor
7.0

Overall
7.0

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