
	Platform Xbox Genre Racing Publisher Sega Developer Sumo Digital ESRB E (Everyone) Released Q4 2004

- Classic racing - Online play - Great roster of Ferraris - The original Outrun

- No car damage - Not quite the adrenaline rush of other racing games

Review: Crazy Taxi 3 - Highroller (XB) Review: Burnout 3 - Takedown (XB) Review: Crazy Taxi (Dreamcast)
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Outrun 2

Score: 8.1 / 10

Outrun 2 does something I wish more games did: Make me feel like a kid again – quarters clinking together in my pocket and the cornucopia of video game violence hitting my ear drums as I patiently waited to play a popular game. Outrun 2 makes me want to pull Blue Wizard if About to Die off the shelf and read a few poems. The last game that made me want to read was Gabriel Knight II.

In case you missed it, the original Outrun tasked gamers with racing from checkpoint to checkpoint in a car that would take no damage no matter what kind of punishment you sent its way. Outrun 2 does pretty much the same thing only with a few different racing modes, a great visual presentation, a real sense of speed, and

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- Xbox Game Reviews
- Racing Game Reviews
- Games Published by Sega

tunes that – surprise! – don’t rely on licensed heavy metal/hip-hop tracks to heighten the racing experience. (The music component is largely original and always catchy.)

Maybe the best addition is the Challenge mode, which offers Crazy Taxi: High Roller-like challenges. Besides racing CPU opponents you’ll be tasked with math problems (no joke), hitting specific cones, and other

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whacked out things. Players are encouraged to check this mode out since there are a lot of unlockables to discover (including the original Outrun).

For the most part the arcade controls have been replicated here, with the left trigger designated as the brake and the right the accelerator. For the more competent racers there’s the option to choose manual transmission, which provides a definite edge in crossing the next checkpoint. Automatic transmission can still win races but you’re got to more on your game – anticipating straight-aways and properly power-sliding through turns.

Besides the single-player modes and party mode, Outrun 2 also features an Xbox Live component that allows for 8-player races and features a great leader board where you can actually download the ghost data of the best racers.

Outrun 2 may not be the best racer out there but the infusion of nostalgia, speed and fun make for a satisfying arcade racing experience.

- Omni
(November 26, 2004)