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Why is "Outrun" so pricey?


LynxVGL

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Better yet, the 32X which brought home two excellent conversions of Sega's famous arcade scaling lineup where as the original effort called Afterburner III on the Sega CD was rather shoddy and didn't approach living up to its arcade pedigree. I don't care for Space Harrier but the 32X release seems arcade perfect and it's on cartridge with no load times and on more durable hardware. And Afterburner is great as well on the 32X.

 

I love Outrun 2019. Not only is a technical showcase for the Genesis but it's also a nice game. And Outrunners in the arcade is great but I have no love for the 16 bit conversions of it or Turbo Outrun. At least Genesis Outrun is reasonably close especially for the time (I bet a few years later that they could've gotten much closer with that and Super Hang-On).

Edited by Atariboy
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Do it, you won't be disappointed.

So I was playing the Coast to Coast mode for hours yesterday trying to win that last intermediate race... until I learned from reading the instruction manual that you can purchase other cars in the showroom. All I had to do was buy the car with poor handling but great top speed and acceleration, then I was able to beat that race no problem.

Edited by mbd30
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  • 3 weeks later...

How does the PC version of Outrun as on Steam compare to the PS2 or XBox versions? Also, no love for the GBA port? I think that version is the closest there is to the arcade. Certainly closer than the Megadrive version... :P

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I like the GBA port but it definitely isn't the closest there is to the arcade.

 

It's closer than the Genesis version though like you said. The soundtracks are shortened and some trackside objects are missing for some examples of why it isn't arcade perfect. And it's also far too easy and essentially offers no challenge. The same goes for Super Hang-On which is the other racer in Sega Arcade Gallery. Much better than the Genesis conversion but far from arcade perfect like the Wii/PS3/360/3DS download is.

 

Arcade Outrun has appeared on the Sega Saturn as part of the Sega Ages compilation in the West and a standalone release in Japan, on the Dreamcast as one of the arcade games in Shenmue II which North America didn't get and on the Japanese only compilation Yu Suzuki Game Works Vol. 1, and on the Xbox on Shenmue II and on Outrun 2 both of which North America got.

 

The Saturn version is particularly nice. It supports the analog pad and the wheel, has a 60 FPS mode, and the gear indicator correctly shows if you're in low or high unlike the more recent conversions like on the Xbox that have a bug that leaves that indicator dead. Afterburner and Space Harrier are also arcade perfect on Sega Ages for the Saturn (Afterburner is a horrible conversion on the GBA).

Edited by Atariboy
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That stinks.

 

Another nice thing I forgot to mention is high score support on Sega Ages. Sega Arcade Gallery on the GBA, like the vast majority of classic arcade collections on cartridge, has no ability to retain your high score which is a significant annoyance in games that were all about earning a high score.

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Yeah, that is something that drives me crazy about a LOT of GBA games. There really was no excuse for it. Just a cheap move, if you ask me. And it ultimately hurts the legacy of the system too.

 

Back to Saturn outrun though; Does anyone know if it runs at 25 FPS or 30 FPS? I know that it doesn't have the 60 frames option...

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The Europe version stripped out the 60 FPS option that it had in NTSC regions? That's a shame since once you see it running at 60 FPS, it's hard to go back. Doesn't sound very appealing all around over there if they didn't optimize it for PAL.

 

No clue on what it would run at over in Europe. I'm assuming if 25 FPS is your guys version of the 30 FPS standard many developers have aimed for over here over the years, then it's probably 25 FPS.

Edited by Atariboy
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  • 2 weeks later...

The Saturn version is particularly nice. It supports the analog pad and the wheel, has a 60 FPS mode, and the gear indicator correctly shows if you're in low or high unlike the more recent conversions like on the Xbox that have a bug that leaves that indicator dead.

I reread this thread just now and noticed a slight misrepresentation with this statement I made. The arcade original of course has no on-screen gear indicator since with the physical shifter, there's absolutely no need for one. But ideally when brought home, an on-screen indicator is added. Classic ports did this as does the modern 3D remake on the PS2, the Sega Arcade Gallery conversion on the GBA, and the Saturn port.

 

If nothing else, it's an aid for the first few minutes in learning what the correct buttons to shift with are (Which as I recall in the Outrun unlockable on Outrun 2, aren't even the same buttons you're shifting up and down with in the main game). And for the uninitiated that is used to automatic transmissions in their racers, it's a clear reminder that you're supposed to be shifting in this game.

 

Yet the Sega port that was released twice on the Dreamcast and then twice on the Xbox lacked it each time as I recall. There's just no indicator at all. I was thinking that there was and that it just didn't correctly respond.

 

So it's not a bug.

Edited by Atariboy
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  • 6 months later...

Just picked up a copy of outrun for $31 bucks off ebay. Cart in nice shape, complete with case and manual. I do have to say I was surprised to see how pricey it was given that I thought it was a common game. Even the loose carts were up there.

 

I think it was worth it though as it's a fun game and a "must have" for any genesis collector. I'm curious to see how it stacks up against the arcade game, as I grew up with that at the local pizza place.

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I'm curious to see how it stacks up against the arcade game, as I grew up with that at the local pizza place.

It does justice to it, but it's very far from being arcade perfect.

 

I almost wish this version didn't exist since I think we'd of stood a good chance of seeing an arcade perfect release on the 32X just like Space Harrier and Afterburner II saw. I'd love to have an arcade accurate port of this on cartridge.

 

Here's a nice video of the Saturn conversion that actually takes the arcade game one step further by doubling the frame rate to 60 FPS. Gives a good idea of the limitations of the Genesis port.

 

Edited by Atariboy
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Recently picked up a loose cart for the Genesis for $2.99 at a retro gamestore in a neighboring town several weeks back. I already had a case and manual and just needed the cart to complete. Mission accomplished!

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  • 2 weeks later...

I know I'm a little late to his discussion, but as a kid I think I remember a small disribution for this game. It seemed like Outrun, Flicky, and Bonanza Bros were at shops like Electronics Boutique, but large retailers like WalMart didn't have it. Not sure why the big shops took a pass, but I didn't even know Outrun was on Genesis until I went to a mall that was over an hour away from my home. Locally, we had Kmart, Walmart, KayBee Toys, and a few other places, but none had Outrun.

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  • 5 weeks later...

you're not wrong OP; i picked it up for like $15 loose a while back, and sadly it (and Gunstar Heroes, ugh) were the only titles i lost part of the label in trying to remove rental stickers from em. totally worth it, but at this point the Sega Ages release for Saturn totally trumps it anyway...real tragedy that Sega lost the Ferrari license & let the XBLA/PSN ports go, those were fantastic.

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  • 2 months later...
  • 2 months later...

the outrun on xbox is pretty neat

 

Other than only being 30 fps (Saturn and 3DS are 60), it's an excellent conversion as far as I'm concerned except for one thing.

 

For some crazy reason, Sumo Digital didn't switch the downshift and upshift buttons from their configuration as seen in Shenmue 2 on the Xbox, to match what you use in Outrun 2. And an on-screen gear indicator, something the arcade original lacked for obvious reasons, would be welcomed thanks in part due to this.

 

I don't think I've ever jumped in and not had to fumble around for the correct buttons to shift gears.

Edited by Atariboy
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  • 1 month later...

I wasn't sure if I should post this here or somewhere else, but the other night I had quite the out-run-riffic evening.

 

I recently traded away some of my games to get a hold of Outrun on Genesis, and I also picked up Outrun 2019. To be on topic, I had to trade a game that is going on ebay for about 20$ for this copy of outrun, complete with manual and box. Outrun 2019 complete was about 10$ in trade value.

 

Having not played a ton of Outrun, outside of Arcades here and there as a kid, and on Mastersystem. I was fairly familiar with the game and wanted to try out what I had heard was the inferior sequel/spin-off, Outrun 2019. I should start off by saying that I've never been good racing games. The Outrun/Enduro style linear driving games have been the only ones I pick up and play repeatedly and get anywhere in, saving for maybe Mario Kart and Wacky Racers.

 

My impression of 2019 was amazing right off the bat. A friend of mine was over, and we had a great chuckle seeing the world as it will be in 4 years. The design of the vehicle, and the art as a whole, was really cool and stylish. While the level design was not as open as outrun, the branching paths were nice and encouraged us to play a second time after finishing our first play through. what really blew my mind was the verticality in the levels. Jumping over trees, driving under or jumping up onto overpasses, and the clear bridges with no guard rails. Really impressive stuff that I was not expecting.

 

I jumped onto regular outrun after completing a playthrough of 2019 on easy, and honestly I was a little let down. Still fun, and I enjoyed the graphics and sound, but after playing through 2019 I was amazed that people are as down on that game as they are. I'd say give it a shot, if you haven't. I can see why outrun is holding value, but don't understand why 2019 is not.

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