OutRun 2 from Sega AM2, led by legendary designer Yu Suzuki, brought to Xbox an arcade cabinet that had become one of the most successful racing machines in Japanese arcades in 2003. The game deliberately abandons realism and advanced simulation, returning instead to the philosophy of the original OutRun from the eighties: the goal isn't to win a race in the traditional sense, but to drive through as many branching, picturesque courses as possible, from coastal roads to Alpine switchbacks, before the time limit runs out, with the player choosing which way to go at every junction.
The cars on offer are licensed Ferraris, whose slides through loops and at high speeds form the very core of the game's feel. Drifting is controlled surprisingly simply yet satisfyingly: just time the throttle release and steering correctly, and the car slides sideways out of the corner while the player gains the seconds the whole game is built on. This is accompanied by the series' signature cheerful, jazz-tinged soundtrack, which can be selected on the fly from the in-car radio, and sunny, richly colored environments that set the game apart from the darker racing titles that dominated at the time. The Xbox version added new tracks over the arcade original, game modes focused on time trials and drifting, and online leaderboards letting players compare times with others around the world.
OutRun 2 is still cited as one of the best arcade racers ever made and as proof that pure driving joy doesn't need realism or an open world to work. A run lasts just a couple of minutes, but it tempts you into replaying it immediately in search of a better line and better sequence of turns. Sega later followed up on the concept with the sequel OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast, but the 2004 Xbox version is still remembered as the purest transfer of the arcade classic to a home console.
Game 55 of 176 for Microsoft Xbox
