OutRun 2 & OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast
Okay, confession time - I suck terribly at racing games, virtually. I remember eons ago when a classmate dragged me to one of the race simulators in the arcade, and Daytona greeted me with its bright, fancy logo, realistic interface and confusing gameplay. Naturally, I was in the last position, but that didn't amuse my other classmates as much as my haphazard driving skills. I thought that the flip was rather stunning. Back then, a Daytona game in the arcade was easily half of my allowance. The embarrassment was probably more costly than anything else. It would be many years later before those past shadows would make way for an even bigger humiliation. Enter OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast, a racing game published by SEGA for the consoles and PC. I own a copy because it was dirt-cheap at a clearance sale. I had conveniently forgotten about my serious handicap. The good thing was, I fell in love with Magical Sound Shower.
In those days at the arcade, aspiring racers would dominate an entire stretch of vehicles for their routine race-offs. I became quite a fan of OutRun 2 at that point, and observed those people work their awesomeness on the steering wheels and such. It was quite the jaw-dropping sight. The different game modes also meant bigger adrenaline rushes throughout the experiences. Strangely, watching them play had never triggered an impulse to take over the wheel. I was terrible at those racing games, and the idea of being anywhere near any of those simulators didn't sound particularly rewarding...in the motivational sense for the lack of a better description. Anyway, those guys only settled for hardcore gameplay. The game had a mind-boggling, heart-wrenching (at least to me) 5-stage continuous race course which the player could more or less spontaneously decide the next route as the road split into two. More than often, even the most hardcore player wouldn't be able to conquer the entire race course. The glaring 80 or 90-odd percent towards the finishing line became an everlasting regret for some.
The colourful transition as the racer moved from one landscape to another was nothing short of breathtaking. I was utterly impressed by the different locations which the game had incorporated into the race course. The day and night alternations were splendid, especially if the racer had chosen Metropolis from Cloudy Highland or Industrial Complex. Metropolis was shaped after Paris, and the iconic Eiffel Tower beckoned the racer from afar as he drove alongside the beautiful night scenery sparsely illuminated. My next favourite destination would be Ghost Forest, because it primarily reminded me of Silent Hill and naturally many elements horror-related. The perpetual gloom and doom (?) challenged the racer with limited visibility and such. It would be rather creative if vengeful ghosts were to appear along the streets and temporarily turn the game into some horror game illusion.
OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast differed greatly from the arcade series whether in terms of gameplay, vehicles, et cetera. Unfortunately, I never did the game any hint of justice due to my severe ineptness at racing games in general. But I had a lot of fun laughing at the mess that I had created over the course of gameplay. The 15-stage continuous race course was beyond my understanding and control, although repeatedly crashing onto things and such seemed to have satisfied the eccentricity in me. I kind of miss those moments, but funnily enough the only thing that remains etched into my head is none other than Magical Sound Shower. Perhaps that also somewhat explains my lack of a driver's licence!
Eccentrically Yours.
Written by J.Fluffysheep ♪
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