Click it, or you are likely gonna fly out of the car.
I enjoy the classics. That’s one of the reasons I host a game club podcast focused on replaying classic games both old and new. Remember the arcade game Out Run, the game with the guy and his girlfriend racing down a twisting road trying not to flip his Ferrari? Well, it has returned with a few additions along with a fancy new 3D effect for the Nintendo 3DS. While still a fun ride, it will only last players a few runs.
In classic 16-bit fashion, players will race the roads of various types while trying not necessarily to beat other cars, but reach checkpoints to add time to the countdown. If time runs out, it’s Game Over. So making it to the checkpoints as fast and efficiently as possible is the key to winning. Of course, hitting cars or worse, hitting a sign or tree on the side of the road will flip the car and force a five second reset that eats up precious time. While racing, players can choose where to turn at intersections that will eventually lead to the end that change up the “ending” of the game. That’s the basics of Out Run.
Platforms: 3DS
MSRP: $5.99
Price I’d pay: $3
With a few different roads to take and a couple of extra songs to listen to, the original game is pretty much intact. Getting the different endings will unlock performance upgrades like better control when taking corners or running off the road. These can be turned on or off at the menu so players can pick and choose what they want on. Other than that, it is Out Run people know and love.
The 3D effect is the biggest addition to this version. I have to say, I was impressed. It looked great and worked really well with the simplistic look of the game itself. It seemed to work better than even a 3D rendered game at times since the game already had to convey a 3D feel with the driving.
While still a fun game that holds up to this day, Out Run is essentially a quarter-eater. A full race will last maybe five minutes and after getting all the upgrades and seeing all the “endings” I was pretty much done with the game. What was a full game in the arcades is now a time waster when not having to worry about continuing. With the experience lasting me at the most an hour, it will grow stale after long play sessions. This is one of those games where I will have five or ten minutes to kill and boot up Out Run for a quick game. That’s about it.
For $6, it’s a fun time for about an hour and then you’re going to be booting the game up every once in a while for about ten minute chunks. That is a bit of a steep price, but in its own right, it is still a fun game to play, but for that price it may be a bit too much. Still, it is all up to the player. If they’re looking for a good version of Out Run and have a 3DS, this is the best one to have. The 3D really does work very well with the game. Still, I only suggest this for the hardcore 3DS players and Out Run fans.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.