Ferraris and Fighting Robots- OutRun and Virtual On Reviewed

Recently, Sega released two titles for the Xbox Live Arcade- OutRun Online Arcade and Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram. Past remakes of our beloved Sega games have often left us bewildered, from the lackluster Golden Axe: Beast Rider to the superfluous enhancements in Sega Classics Collection. Fortunately, the restoration and enhancement of OutRun and Virtual On have been given the required amount of loving care that should please veterans of the originals titles, as well as earn some new fans.

During the late 1980’s the original OutRun was an arcade staple. For a few years, it seemed that nearly every token-trafficking establishment had at least one of the coin-operated cabinets. Yu Suzuki’s racer incorporated a number of signature elements- players could choose the game’s driving route and soundtrack, while the steering wheel would vibrate violently when the player came into contact with the track’s fringes.   Most notable was the game’s reliance on drifting; players would slide wildly though the game’s frequent curves.

Mastering this turning mechanic contributed to OutRun’s longevity. While vehicles teetered on the edge of control for novice players, soon gamers would careen around the track, narrowly missing traffic. Racing cost-prohibitive automobiles along coastal vista at breakneck speeds tapped into a primal desire, which would later be substantiated by the Burnout series, and a Gizmondo executive.

Sega’s Outrun Online Arcade still contains those extended sweeps around corners, adding a few gameplay mechanics and a thick coat of high-definition gloss. Although the original game left little doubt that the oversteering monstrosities which the player was driving were Ferraris, now Sega has licensed the vehicle line-up, and allowed vehicle aesthetics to complement the game’s picturesque scenery. Slipstreaming allows the player to trail behind both CPU traffic for a boost in both speed and score. Heart Attack mode is an enjoyable diversion, where players are at the whim of their blond passenger. Her superfluous requests range from collecting on-screen hearts to avoiding any contact with traffic, and must be completed while still maintaining an expeditious pace.

Outrun’s Online Arcade’s fifteen different tracks affectionately exhibit the beauty of the United States. All the post-card popularized locations from the Golden Gate Bridge, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Cape Canaveral to Manhattan are artistically memorialized. While the framerate is typically a solid 60 frames per second, drops do occur in the title’s ‘heart attack mode’, putting a slight damper on the proceedings.

The game’s online component allows up to six players to race, with the ability to toggle collisions between drivers. Rebuffing its arcade roots, OOA has no leaderboards or player rankings, so competition lacks ferocity. While most of our matches run smoothly, a bit of lag was occasionally evident. Hopefully, a patch can correct this misgiving.

OutRun Online Arcade is the prototypical DLC title. The game can be enjoyed in quick bursts, yet has enough content to hold a players attention through an extended sitting. Beyond the lively single player diversion, online races were surprisingly fun. Let’s hope that Daytona USA and Sega Rally Championship get this type of attentive make-over.

As a youngster, the concept of fighting robots was ubiquitous. Transformers and GoBots filled the television airwaves and store shelves. My geeky circle friends clandestinely traded VHS copies of RobotJox, Crash and Burn, and the Robot Wars, marveling at each cybernetic melee. To satisfy the urge of mechanized mayhem, we retrofitted remote control cars with parts designed to overturn a rival.

When Virtual On: Cyber Troopers made its way a few years later to the local arcade, its fighting mechanic satisfied my robo-lust.  The title featured eight mechanized warriors, each with a distinctive loadout, and a novel two-stick control scheme. The game delicately balanced a reliance on quick reflexes along with a dependence of tactics, making it a fan favorite.

Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram, affectionately known as VOOT, represents a culmination of the series, having slowly evolved across the Saturn and Dreamcast hardware. As a testament to the original game, the combat is still intensely satisfying, and shows a neglected side of robot discord- speed. Whereas, most games envision mechanized war as sluggish and clunky, the series has always been refreshingly nimble. The combatant list offers a selection that varies in swiftness, firepower, and agility. Although the game’s pace and core mechanics might be unfamiliar to some, the title includes a handful of tutorial videos.

Like most fighting games, the single player game is little more than preparation for two player matches. Virtual On has always shined as a competition be
tween two rivals. Sadly, an option for split-screen, local matches is nowhere to be found; VOOT is an online only affair. Players can take solace in knowing that the online games are lag-free, although there were a limited number of players online when I reviewed the title.

The polygon-pushing power of the Xbox 360 has allowed VOOT’s combatants to be dotingly rendered and smoothed out, making this the best looking Virtual On to date. In combat, the game maintains a necessary level of fluidity, although game-ending replays display the game’s decade-old roots. I’ve always been a fan of the series’ futuristic aesthetic, which has now crossed the threshold into retro-hip.