OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast
We go from zero to seventy and forgot to take off the emergency brake
Tags: OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast Categories: Reviews, Xbox Reviews
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Jun 11th, 2006
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast (title page) | 1 - 6 | ||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Racing | Yes | ||
OutRun 2006: Coast 2Coast is a basic arcade driving game, which is not quite a racing game but you are fighting the clock getting from checkpoint to checkpoint. With a number of branching paths (left for an easier time of it, right for more of a challenge) there’s plenty to get through the main game. Sadly, it’s much the same as before – very much.
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The courses of OutRun 2 and Outrun 2SP are included in the game. Makes you wonder why Outrun 2 was even released outside of the arcades (it was an Xbox exclusive). Think of OutRun 2006 Cost 2 Coast as something more like Outrun 2.5 with all the good bits and more.
That’s not a bad thing, but those that picked up OutRun 2 will feel a bit bilked out of their money.
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While driving along you’ll rack up OutRun Miles which can be used to cash in unlocking more rides, courses and more. This ties in directly to the arcade gameplay nature of the title, where there isn’t a lot of depth, but heavy replay value. Many people think that this is a bad thing, but that just isn’t the case. Yes, there is a certain amount of depth with the number of courses, but the real draw is the gameplay itself – being able to get through in quick bursts and feel a sense of accomplishment is something that many racers just don’t have these days.
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That gameplay is what shines, and there’s plenty of it. Outrun 2006: Coast 2 Coast has several modes of play. Aside from the straight ahead point to point timed driving there’s a mode where you perform various activities in order to impress the girl in the passenger seat. These things can range from performing drifts around corners and passing a number of cars to driving into a massive beach ball and keeping it going down the road for a certain distance. OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast also has a series of races that have cars to compete against. There are variations on all of these, but the basic premise is to get from point A to point B either timed, under certain conditions, or both.
Multiplayer is present, but only online. It would have been nice to have some splitscreen action going on. It’s definitely missed, especially with everybody playing online with their Xbox 360’s these days.
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Graphically this isn’t up to what we had expected, but it doesn’t look bad. Initially we had hoped for less of an “arcade” look and a bit more realism pumped into the graphics. What we have is solid, if a bit underwhelming.
Also the sound just isn’t what one would hope for. Yes, the OutRun tunes present (both original flavor and remixed) are nice and laid back, but that’s not what I like to listen to when barreling down the road over a hundred miles an hour trying not to crash into other vehicles. There are some nice sound effects, but each of the various cars engines each sound the same. Yes, they are all the same make, but really there doesn’t seem to be any difference in motor for each vehicle.
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The bottom line, however, is how much enjoyment will be gained by picking up OutRun 2: Coast 2 Coast – and it’s a lot. Those that find the Project Gotham or Gran Turismo franchises a bit intimidating have a game to pick up and play for a long time.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
|
+ Tried and true driving gameplay + Plenty of courses and challenge + Reward system for unlocking items is super friendly |
8.2 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
- No split screen multiplayer - Audio a bit lacking - Too bad if you bought OutRun 2 |
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| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| A fun, if flawed, title that many will pass over in favor of something for their Xbox 360. A shame, really. A solid arcade racer that deserves a wider audience. | |
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Tags: OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Jun 11th, 2006 and is filed under Reviews, Xbox Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
