OUTRUN 2006: COAST 2 COAST

Feel The Power

Drive high performance, fully-licensed Ferrari cars across America's scenic highways.

• EXCLUSIVE FERRARI SUPERCARS
  Control the horsepower and sport the style in history's greatest Ferrari models.
• 30 EXHILARATING TRACKS
  Race through brand new tracks and original OutRun arcade levels.
• PROVE YOUR SKILL ONLINE
  Highly competitive head-to-head and co-op multiplayer modes for up to eight players.
• PREMIUM UNLOCKABLE CONTENT
  Unlock exclusive new Ferrari cars and tracks as you progress and win your races.

~ from the back of the box

 
Nothing screams summer than a long drive in an open-topped car, cool music blaring from the stereo and not a care in the world except a surprisingly hard-to-please girlfriend. No other game captures that feeling more than OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast.

Before 2006, however, there was 2003. This was the year that SEGA's classic racer got its sequel in arcades. Fittingly dubbed OutRun 2, it would quickly be the pride of any bowling alley. My humble take is that it's perhaps the finest pick-up-and-play arcade racer there is. But your coin collection won't suffer for too long as the very next year saw it arrive in the home exclusively on Microsoft's original X-Box. This is how I truly got to know the game. Until 2006 that is, when a sorta-sequel/sorta-remake came out.

Play the Coast 2 Coast mission mode to unlock new cars and audio tracks (left).

Or play the classic arcade mode. Both OutRun 2 and SP have both (right).

Coast 2 Coast is in effect an upgraded compilation of OutRun 2 and OutRun 2 SP. It features the complete map of the 2003 original - 15 tracks in all - and the additional map of the same size that the arcade-exclusive special edition had. The SP tracks are perhaps the biggest inclusion essentially doubling the size of the game to such an extent it could've gotten away with being called a sequel. The roads travelled in the original took you down Spanish villages, through English castles and past Egyptian pyramids making it a brisk travelogue of the world. Or SEGA AM2's fantastical interpretation of one. 

SP sticks to the New World, with familiar American landmarks and tropes flying by at great speeds. Through a variety of routes, it takes you from the west coast to the east (and I now realise why the compilation was given that subtitle) but the lack of countries visited doesn't translate to a lack of imagination in track design. Many of these new roads are just as memorable as the old ones.

Drive behind another car to enter their slipstream and gain a speed boost when you do so (left).

The map for OutRun 2 SP. At the crossroads, turn left for an easy route or right for a hard one (right).

Coming back from the arcade games are the same three modes of play neatly categorised under the OutRun Arcade header. OutRun Mode is your traditional race. Reach the end of the map going down whatever route you choose before the timer runs out. The may sound like a Time Attack Mode, but that option has you battle against ghost cars - either yours or the computer's - to improve your driving. Heart Attack Mode is by far the most original mode ever to grace a racing game. Periodically, your demanding girlfriend will bark out order that you need to follow, each one earning you hearts and the promise of a good time later. Whether hitting all the cars on the road, escaping UFOs or mowing down ghosts is worth the special love time is debateable but your name on a high score table most definitely is.

New modes added to the X-Box port (which itself was ported perfectly by Sheffield-based Sumo Digital - as was this!) return here. Called OutRun Challenge to differentiate between the three arcade modes, it includes single-player missions, party missions a more traditional race against computer or human opponents (online multiplayer remains untested, though it seems to be functional again thanks to a patch). The challenges  in mission mode vary, but they test your drifting and driving skills by passing coaches, knocking down cones, keeping to the coloured side of the road or holding your drift for as long as possible until your heart meter fills up. 

Standard races force you down a set path to guide you to a specifically placed goal (left).

Earn hearts by doing what your girlfriend demands in Heart Attack Mode (right).

You can unlock new cars, music and modes by playing through the missions which, much like the number of tracks, is doubled thanks to the SP stages. In fact, all modes - including the super fun Heart Attack Mode - is doubled in size because of it. There is literal hours of content here. In fact, I'm trying my best to think of some constructive criticism. Maybe the drifting mechanic looks overly unrealistic in motion, snapping you to a route as you careen around corners - but it's insanely satisfying to pull off. Perhaps I'll talk about the inability to reverse, turn around or otherwise go backwards - but that's an innate necessity of the winning game design. Is the time limit a bit too stingy - a little, yes, but now that you don't have to put a pound in every time you lose, you can replay to your hearts content until you know every inch of the tarmac. Seriously, I think this is as perfect an arcade racing game can be.

For a game that's 20 years old (I feel ill just thinking about that), the bright art style and visual variety hold up admirably when upscaled to a modern resolution. In fact, I'd say it could easily hold its own alongside some of the newer racers arriving on Steam to this day (the fact that many of them like Horizon Chase Turbo or Slipstream take obvious inspiration from it says it all), though few of them can match it for charm. OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast is one of - if not the best - arcade racers out there. And this PC port does it incredible justice.

To download the game, follow the link below. This custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber runs natively on Windows using emoose's OutRun2006Tweaks patch. Manual included. Read the ChamberNotes.txt for more detailed information. Tested on Windows 10.
  23.11.2024 - Version 2 -  Adds the OutRun2006Tweaks patch

                                         Patch includes improved graphics, control tweaks and a fully implemented on-line multi-player.
                                         Added HD textures.
                                         Added .bat file to launch the game without intros.
                                         Added .bat file to launch the game without timer for a leisurely drive.

File Size: 1.03 Gb.  Install Size: 2.10 Gb.  Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

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OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast is © SEGA Corporation
Review, Cover Design and Installer created by me

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