14 years ago
Rewind Review: OutRun Online Arcade (XBLA)
OutRun Online Arcade was developed by Sumo Digital in conjunction with Sega and published by Sega. It was released April 15, 2009 for 800MSP. It is available for a limited time, and will be removed from Xbox Live at the end of 2011.
Sega’s OutRun series has been a staple in racing games for years. So many games spun out of the influence of the original, motion chair enabled, arcade game; Ridge Racer, Daytona USA, even several sequels to OutRun itself. In 2003 Sega released OutRun 2 in arcades around the world. A fully 3D reimagination of the original game, it featured the original split-stage gameplay combined with new challenges and vehicles. The success of OutRun 2 prompted a special edition arcade game, OutRun 2 SP, which featured all new courses and music, as well as a port to the original Xbox. These were all later combined in to the console-exclusive OutRun 2006: Coast to Coast, which featured all the cars, courses and music from both OutRun 2 and its SP counterpart.
In December 2008 Sega announced a new spinoff to the OutRun 2 sub-series, OutRun Online Arcade. Boasting high-definition (1080p) graphics, Dolby 5.1 surround sound, and online play it was truly an OutRun for today’s consoles. Unfortunately due to an upcoming expiration of contract with Ferrari the game will be pulled fro XBLA in December of this year. Are shiny graphics and typical next-gen features do enough to merit the 800MSP price? Find out in today’s Rewind Review.