liseo
Dominguez, the best friend I ever had, introduced me to OutRun way back in the glory days of
8-bit systems. After taking it to school, the always generous "Eli" let me borrow it. I took it
home and was amazed by the game's awesome graphics. The track seemed so ample and realistic,
with multiple lanes to boot. The race car, a red convertible, looked much cooler than OutRun's
main rival over on the NES side, Rad Racer.
Unlike most other racing games that have several tracks, OutRun has a single, challenging,
track that features innovative lane changes. Every so often, one has to decide whether to take
the left or right road, each one having its own beautiful scenery. Deciding which way to go
could be a major factor in determining the outcome of the race, but it has been said that the
easiest route is taken by always turning right.
OutRun features one of the best soundtracks on the SMS. At the beggining of each game, the
player is given the option of choosing from three tracks: Magical Sound Shower, Passing Breeze,
and Splash Wave. If I had to select a favorite, I would choose Passing Breeze, but the other
two tracks are superb as well.
Compared to the arcade version of OutRun, the graphics in the SMS version look years older,
even though the arcade version was actually released earlier. However, that doesn't prevent
SMS OutRun from being a classic and one of the best 8-bit racing games.
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