View Full Version : New Outrun for Xbox Live/PSN
Gabriel
04-15-2009, 11:14 PM
I bought it. What follows are some impressions from the "Shiney New Love" stage of game ownership.
I was extremely happy to see the game priced at 800 points. Everything had been announcing it at that price, but sources have lied... ahem... "been wrong" before. Lately things on Live Arcade have been overpriced. I skipped Galactrix because the 1600 point price tag just seemed too extravagant. But Outrun seemed high quality and the price made it extremely attractive.
The game certainly doesn't feel like a crap DL title like Mad Tracks. The quality is very high. I'd say it's definitely one of the highest quality Live Arcade games in terms of production. It could easily sit alongside many 360 bargain disc titles in terms of presentation.
Control is great. None of the racers for about the past 5 years have felt very good to me. Outrun has a little bit of wiggly fishtail, but nothing too offensive. The cars are responsive and there's good visual feedback to what you're doing to the controller. Rumble is used sparingly so it isn't the usual constant sextoy vibration style that so many other racing games do.
There's a great sensation of just zipping down the road and soaking in the scenery. I love games like these with open ended tracks and tons of different vistas. Gameplay is quick and it's easy to play "just one more time." The game does show it's arcade roots, though. It's best in short doses, and starts getting samey quick if played for prolonged periods.
The game modes are nothing special but add some variety. I remember hating Heart mode on Outrun 2, but in this version it doesn't seem anywhere near as bad. But truthfully, it's all just a sideshow to the original arcade style Outrun experience, and it's clear most of it was shoehorned in as an afterthought.
I'm not sure if there are any differences in the cars other than aesthetics. If there are no performance differences I don't mind because it lets people pick different cars instead of the same elite set that all other racing games are plagued with. You can customize colors and it all seems geared towards just letting the player differentiate themselves from a sea of red F50s. (I prefer a silver Tesstarosa)
I played quite a few multiplayer races with two other friends. This is probably the only game I've ever enjoyed the Catch Up feature. It kept us closely packed. It didn't ever encourage one player to hang in the back until the last 10 seconds of the race only to jump forward and win after an entire race of sitting in last place (or constant wrecks). There were a few other options such as disabling collisions (immaterial cars).
The main drawback with multiplayer was the lack of a way to put the traffic back into the game. Racing while weaving through the traffic would have been more fun, and is a cornerstone of the Outrun experience.
We didn't notice any bugs in multiplayer. Although one of us was initially suffering lag and teleporting around the track, typical lag symptom.
There are some interesting random bits here and there in the game. One race I saw the dragon from Panzer Dragoon Zwei come out while I was in between track sections.
I think it's a very good game, and a must buy at 800 points. I don't think fans in search of an arcade racer will be disappointed.
otaku
04-15-2009, 11:23 PM
Gonna pick this up soon-probably this weekend or sometime soon. Looks/sounds great.
slip81
04-16-2009, 08:31 AM
well this was just the surprise of the day. I completely forgot aboiut this game, and now it's out.
Graham Mitchell
04-16-2009, 11:24 AM
I got it last night as well. I never played any of the Xbox or PSP releases, but this game is pretty nice, and I haven't noticed any of the mentioned issues.
There was something going on with multiplayer, though. But I think the issue was just that the hosts were being a-holes and not starting the games or there was some kind of error....I sat in one lobby for several minutes and when I checked the host's gamercard, his status was "Away for 3 minutes". Dude probably started a game and just left.
Mayhem
04-16-2009, 11:29 AM
Another strange thing that happened to me in an online race is that when I made my first turn at one of the forks, the game completely glitched and the road disappeared. I don't know if this was because we were supposed to race a certain route but if so, why weren't the other paths blocked off??
A few people have also reported this, but I've not seen it yet myself. I have had the lobby "lock up" on me with the countdown on 1 and not jump to the race several times however.
And Outrun mode Goal D... was fourth, now sixth in the world currently! :D
CosmicMonkey
04-16-2009, 12:36 PM
I downloaded this from the PlayStation Network store earlier and I've been playing it for the past couple of hours.
Absolutely, totally and utterly awesome. 10/10.
norkusa
04-16-2009, 02:47 PM
There was something going on with multiplayer, though. But I think the issue was just that the hosts were being a-holes and not starting the games or there was some kind of error....I sat in one lobby for several minutes and when I checked the host's gamercard, his status was "Away for 3 minutes". Dude probably started a game and just left.
Yeah, the same thing keeps happening to me. At first I figured the race already started and I had to wait for everyone to finish before the new one would start, but it does not take 7+ minuets to finish a race.
Another annoying thing is that the game froze up on me 3 times when I booted it from the 360 dash (right before the 'Sega' logo).
So yeah, the game is fun but VERY glitchy. Hopefully they'll patch it up soon.
BydoEmpire
04-16-2009, 02:52 PM
I haven't bought anything on XLBA in ages, but as a big fan of the series I need to check this out. Sounds like it's well done.
alexkidd2000
04-16-2009, 09:30 PM
Well I just wasted $25 funding entro pay virtual visa card so I could buy this from the UK PSN store. They do not accept any virtual credit cards so please nobody else try you will just throw away your money. I want this soooo bad as I have a Logitech G25 racing wheel. I am pretty bumed out now.
So my last resort is if some kind UK gamer could make a new PSN account, buy the game, share the PSN account with me and I will refund you the total amount for the game. This way you get the game free and everyone is happy. PM if interested thanks!
guitargary75
04-16-2009, 10:04 PM
Why can't they make a tangible product. I would pay a little extra for a solid copy. Oh well, better than nothing I guess.
Well I just wasted $25 funding entro pay virtual visa card so I could buy this from the UK PSN store. They do not accept any virtual credit cards so please nobody else try you will just throw away your money. I want this soooo bad as I have a Logitech G25 racing wheel. I am pretty bumed out now.
So my last resort is if some kind UK gamer could make a new PSN account, buy the game, share the PSN account with me and I will refund you the total amount for the game. This way you get the game free and everyone is happy. PM if interested thanks!
Thanks for the heads up, I was going to do what you did.
So guys, how can I with a US PS3 get this game downloaded from the PSN? I don't mind paying for the game. I'll even pay extra if possible.
Ztype85
04-16-2009, 10:54 PM
This is one of my favorite arcade games of all time. I played through just about every version of C2C except for the lousy PSP version. Now I'm assed out because there's no way for American PS3 users to play it. No luck finding any Euro users to trade with :(
heybtbm
04-17-2009, 06:55 AM
Why can't they make a tangible product. I would pay a little extra for a solid copy. Oh well, better than nothing I guess.
I picked up a copy of Outrun 2 (xbox) a few weeks ago and it's essentially the same game as this new XBLA version. I tried the demo last night and confirmed there really is no substantial difference. One's in HD, the other isn't. That's about it.
One's in HD, the other isn't. That's about it.
That's a HUGE difference. :)
Nebagram
04-17-2009, 09:17 AM
Having bought this yesterday I can honestly say it's the best Arcade-style racer I've ever played. Well worth the 800 points. :-)
Leo_A
04-17-2009, 12:04 PM
I picked up a copy of Outrun 2 (xbox) a few weeks ago and it's essentially the same game as this new XBLA version. I tried the demo last night and confirmed there really is no substantial difference. One's in HD, the other isn't. That's about it.
Completely different set of tracks than Outrun 2 had for starters is one huge difference.
Howie6925
04-17-2009, 12:33 PM
Has the PS3 version been released yet I looked all yesterday at the PS Store and did not see it.
alexkidd2000
04-17-2009, 01:12 PM
Has the PS3 version been released yet I looked all yesterday at the PS Store and did not see it.
Only available in UK store afaik. It is not coming to North American store. I have no idea about Hong Kong or Japan. I am hoping it comes to Hong Kong because they have PSN cards.
old_skoolin_jim
04-17-2009, 01:17 PM
First off, let me say I LOVED OutRun2 on the Xbox. Playing it at 480p/widescreen is a treat to the eyes, and honestly, "true" HD doesn't look very different between these two games.
Some major concerns hit me when I played the demo though, that are probably going to prevent me from shelling out $10 for this release.
1) No Challenge Mode?
Challenge Mode was much of what kept me playing OR2 for so long in the first place. I wanted to unlock everything! The lack of the challenge mode in this one makes me doubt how long I'll really want to play the same basic modes.
2) Handling seemed "dumbed down" somehow.
In the whole demo, I think I only hit one spot where I had to brake, let alone drift. I'm sure the other courses are more involved, but the car's handling in general felt way too easy.
3) The (what seems to be) lack of differences in each car's handling also added to my doubts of longevity/replayability. Where are the cars' stats??
I just might stick with OR2 for now.
/endrant
:D
Mayhem
04-17-2009, 02:19 PM
The demo only allows you about enough time to saunter into stage two... trust me, you've be drifting and braking a bit on the harder courses. Having played the PS2 version to death then I can't feel too much difference, although the 360 analogs are a lot better naturally. I miss the original soundtracks that were available in C2C though.
Currently top 20 in the world for Goals B-E, so that was a worthwhile afternoon spent playing heh...
Frankie_Says_Relax
04-18-2009, 09:53 AM
I really really enjoyed OutRun 2 and Coast 2 Coast 2006.
I wish this had been released on the US PS3 market as I'm still weary about buying big-ticket XBLA downloads due to the fact that they can't usually be transferred and played properly to a new 360 that doesn't hold your "DRM License" and often they won't play outside of demo mode if you're not online with your XBLA account (or they simply won't play at all even if you are).
BUT, since I don't have any non US PSN accounts with the means to purchase from other stores that have it ,and I had seen a few online reviewers give it the thumbs up, I figured this would be a good reason to power up my 360 ... which in semi-related commentary is currently waiting patiently until July until I can use the DRM License Transfer tool again so I can play Vigilante 8, Braid, Castle Crashers and other games that have DRM Transfer issues on new consoles.
I digress.
Spent a few hours with this one yesterday, and in comparison to the most recent OutRun title - Coast 2 Coast on PS2 and PSP (was it on regular XBOX in the US??) - this is most definitely a stripped down, light version of that ... and while Online mode which is my biggest personal draw in this version was never really outstanding in 2006 ... they haven't done much to improve on the formula.
The match-making is currently really lacking and I hope that they improve it in an update. Currently it will auto-drop you in lobbies that are mid-race with NO options to sort for races that are "waiting to begin" ... this leaves you in the likely position to be waiting up-wards of 15 + minutes to race with these players if they've picked "15 track" race ... and the likelihood of them actually playing again is probably pretty slim.
As mentioned by other DP members ... there are some buggy online glitches .... sometimes the red direction arrows that block off a branching road selection don't show up and you wind up driving down a road selection that throws you into "limbo" and you get stuck.
Unfortunately, the game also suffers from (but can't really be blamed for) user "drop-out" syndrome in races ... if you're particularly good at OutRun 2 and you break ahead of the pack online, expect the rest of the racers to QUIT on you one by one mid game at which point the online race ends giving you no credit for being in 1st place or winning.
The control for the cars does seem to be slicker and more balanced in this version, but I also noticed before I shut it down for the night that the default difficulty is set to "VERY EASY" ... I'm interested in changing that today to see if I get a greater scope of difficulty on drifting/sliding and a greater speed reward for maneuvering correctly through S curves, etc.
Also noticed that ALL online races appear to be "player" / non ranked ... which strikes me as pretty strange. The game HAS leader boards, why don't online races count toward that? My guess is that SUMO couldn't think of a way to handle how mid-race quits would count toward online ranking.
Overall, this is a mixed bag ... at its core, it's still has some of the same things that I love about this franchise ... but as a NEW entry, it's lacking some polish and well-thought-out re-design that is typical of bringing a title to XBLA. Seems like a pretty loose & fast port to me, HOWEVER, the price is certainly right at 800 and for anybody looking for a quick OutRun fix this should do if you're willing to deal with a functional but slightly less-than-passable online mode.
BydoEmpire
04-18-2009, 11:20 AM
This is the first game (retail or DL) I've bought in at least six months, and it's awesome. I love the series, and it's everything great about Outrun 2 pumped up a notch. Very fun. I cancelled my XBL gold membership a year ago, but I might have to renew just for this game.
MegaDrive20XX
04-18-2009, 02:23 PM
I'd love to have this on my PS3. Yet I just realized there's no way for NTSC owners to purchase it, since I heard PSN PAL doesn't even sell PS Cards and or Debit/Credit cards won't work on PAL PSN.
otaku
04-18-2009, 09:00 PM
I like it, good fun especially liking the online play and achievements
Mayhem
04-19-2009, 08:15 AM
Finally... got 200/200 cheevo points on 360. Now to race more online and tweak my Outrun mode scores. Beware the yellow Testarossa of doom ;)
c0ldb33r
04-19-2009, 08:56 AM
I tried the demo last night and really liked it.
I wonder if this will end up on a disc at some point. I'd really like a physical copy.
The 1 2 P
04-19-2009, 06:05 PM
I wonder if this will end up on a disc at some point. I'd really like a physical copy.
It's on two disc already: ones called Outrun 2 and the other is called Outrun Coast 2 Coast. Both are available for the original Xbox and are backwards compatible with the 360. You can also get then for the same price as this game;)
c0ldb33r
04-19-2009, 06:39 PM
Quiet you!
Yeah I've got Coast 2 Coast for PSP and the original xbox - I'd just like to have this because it looks great in HD.
The 1 2 P
04-20-2009, 02:54 AM
I'm just passing on what I just read in Official Xbox Magaizine. They gave it a 5.5, not because it's horrible but because it's essencially the same game as the last two with updated graphics for the 360.
Mayhem
04-20-2009, 05:22 AM
Yeah, I'd heard about that. Idiots...
le geek
04-21-2009, 09:01 PM
In the game's defense, online is pretty great! But yeah it is Coast 2 Coast Lite...
Julio III
05-05-2009, 07:39 PM
Anyone else download this? So far I think the music is severely downgraded from Coast 2 Coast, not just in terms of quantity but the quality of each song seems worse - like they are tinnier and are overly compressed or something. Also, this game hurts my hands. Seriously. I stopped playing videogames for 2 or 3 weeks after the night I downloaded this. Played it again today, but just one 15-minute go and then I thought I should stop.
Leo_A
05-05-2009, 08:13 PM
It's on two disc already: ones called Outrun 2 and the other is called Outrun Coast 2 Coast. Both are available for the original Xbox and are backwards compatible with the 360. You can also get then for the same price as this game;)
For anyone that played them extensively on the original Xbox, the 360's emulation of the two is nothing but annoyances with various problems like frame rate drops and long load times. However, I highly recommend anyone to pick them up both, especially if they own a original Xbox.
Anyone else download this? So far I think the music is severely downgraded from Coast 2 Coast, not just in terms of quantity but the quality of each song seems worse - like they are tinnier and are overly compressed or something. Also, this game hurts my hands. Seriously. I stopped playing videogames for 2 or 3 weeks after the night I downloaded this. Played it again today, but just one 15-minute go and then I thought I should stop.
The music sucks, they only kept the modern music and the redone versions of the classic songs. Wouldn't surprise me if they were low quality since they appear to have had issues getting this down to a acceptable download size (Wish they'd abolish XBLA size limits entirely already). But I've been using the custom soundtrack feature of the 360 and using music that doesn't suck (The original Outrun songs that haven't been retouched in order to ruin them, the Turbo Outrun songs, and the music from the first SuperNes Top Gear), so I wouldn't really know. Or perhaps you always used the 1986 original versions of the songs like I did in Outrun 2/Coast2Coast and are finding you really don't care for the remixed versions?
I don't understand how this game could be killing your hands. It doesn't require much steering input if your trying to be as smooth as possible to rub off as little speed as possible, you only need to quickly downshift and upshift again to initiate a drift on average maybe 1-2 times per stage, and your finger is keeping the accelerator down constantly, so I'm puzzled.
Does the 360's triggers just not work well with your hands? I thought the Dreamcast's triggers weren't exactly where I'd prefer them for example, and my hands would get uncomfortable playing something like Metropolis Street Racer (I thought everything on the DC's controller was just slightly off compared to what would be comfortable for my hands). But thankfully for me, that isn't the case with the Xbox controller S or the 360's pads.
alexkidd2000
05-05-2009, 08:55 PM
I am SO HAPPY right now. I got my australian buddy to put 20 bucks in a PSN account for me and downloading on PS3 now !!!! Would have got it for 360 but I got Logitech G25 wheel for PS3. WOOOOT
alexkidd2000
05-05-2009, 09:35 PM
Hmmm well its sweet with the wheel but the force feedback is sooooooooo weak. Was really hoping for more resistence in the wheel :(
Leo_A
05-05-2009, 09:52 PM
I'd love to get the PSN version too, I'll have to find a Australian to befriend I guess. :)
norkusa
05-05-2009, 10:15 PM
Did they fix the bug yet where the game glitches after the road forks in an online race?
Graham Mitchell
05-06-2009, 03:53 AM
Did they fix the bug yet where the game glitches after the road forks in an online race?
I haven't seen that problem and I was playing the game 2 days ago. What sucks is there's still an issue with the multiplayer lobbies where the lobby stays open long after the host quits, so there's nobody in the lobby to start the game. One person with enough brains to figure out what's going on usually has to start a new game on their own and recruit everybody who was in the lobby via game invites. This works for a couple games till the host quits and the cycle starts all over again. They really need to fix this, it's essentially broken.
Julio III
05-07-2009, 08:30 PM
The music sucks, they only kept the modern music and the redone versions of the classic songs. Wouldn't surprise me if they were low quality since they appear to have had issues getting this down to a acceptable download size (Wish they'd abolish XBLA size limits entirely already). But I've been using the custom soundtrack feature of the 360 and using music that doesn't suck (The original Outrun songs that haven't been retouched in order to ruin them, the Turbo Outrun songs, and the music from the first SuperNes Top Gear), so I wouldn't really know. Or perhaps you always used the 1986 original versions of the songs like I did in Outrun 2/Coast2Coast and are finding you really don't care for the remixed versions?
I don't understand how this game could be killing your hands. It doesn't require much steering input if your trying to be as smooth as possible to rub off as little speed as possible, you only need to quickly downshift and upshift again to initiate a drift on average maybe 1-2 times per stage, and your finger is keeping the accelerator down constantly, so I'm puzzled.
Does the 360's triggers just not work well with your hands? I thought the Dreamcast's triggers weren't exactly where I'd prefer them for example, and my hands would get uncomfortable playing something like Metropolis Street Racer (I thought everything on the DC's controller was just slightly off compared to what would be comfortable for my hands). But thankfully for me, that isn't the case with the Xbox controller S or the 360's pads.
Firstly, the music: its a shame that the original Outrun1 versions aren't there but in the PS2 Coast 2 Coast game, I used the Outrun 1 and 2 versions of the songs about equally - and almost ignored all the other songs. However, in the Xbox360 version, I have to increase the music volume a lot over the sound effects volume and the songs don't sound as clear as they do on the PS2. I think it is just over-compression - I should try out the PS2 version again but I said I'd never play it again since my save file got corrupted and I lost all my progress.
Secondly - the Xbox 360 controller is far and away my favourite for 3D games. I've played hours of Project Gotham Racing 4, and it only starts to hurt my hands when its far past the time I should have stopped. I think the issue with Outrun Online Arcade is that I now have discovered manual gears and with triggers (rather than the button for PS2) I have to constantly hold down the right trigger and that starts to aggrevate my hand and arm. I did try once with the buttons for acc/brake and shoulders for gears, but that was when my hand was already hurting so I should try that method again.
Mayhem
05-08-2009, 05:25 AM
Yeah, same issue. Pretty much never release the accelerator so your finger is jammed on there for 5 minutes constantly... several games in a row take its toll eventually.
So no one's found an easy way to get this on a US PS3 yet?
alexkidd2000
05-08-2009, 05:39 PM
How come there is NEVER anyone online on PS3 version?? SUCKS.
alexkidd2000
05-08-2009, 05:40 PM
So no one's found an easy way to get this on a US PS3 yet?
There is no easy way I spent at least 10 hours trying.
There is no easy way I spent at least 10 hours trying.
Damn. I was hoping that there was an easy way to hack to see the Euro game list on your US PS3. :( Guess we'll have to petition Sega...
Mayhem
05-10-2009, 03:35 PM
How come there is NEVER anyone online on PS3 version?? SUCKS.
Maybe because 99% of the players will be in Europe or Japan, so you'll have to try racing when they are awake...?
alexkidd2000
05-11-2009, 04:01 AM
Maybe because 99% of the players will be in Europe or Japan, so you'll have to try racing when they are awake...?
Hmmmmm interesting never thought of that :)
If you go to the leaderboards there are actually alot of people from USA. So I am not the only one in North America to get my hands on this.
Any word on a US PS3 release? Has anyone in the US figured out a way to d/l this?
Leo_A
12-30-2009, 09:33 PM
It's relatively easy and you have two options.
Gameshare with a friend that owns it in a territory where it's been released. Or import a points card from the region whose PSN marketplace you wish to download it from and create a free PSN account for that region.
PSN point cards are locked to the territory they're sold in so you need a points card from the region you wish to purchase the game from that has the game available. You can't enter a North American points card into a United Kingdom PSN account, and North American credit cards can't be utilized to make a purchase on PSN from another region.