OutRun 2

If anybody knows me well, then they know that I love great games from the past, regardless of how old they are. One of my all time favourites when it comes to arcade racing was Sega's legendary Out Run. The game was fast, it looked incredible for its day, and even though it was an easy to learn arcade game it still had a lot of depth. It has been over 18 years since the first Out Run appeared at the arcades (1986), so imagine my surprise when Sega announced that there would be an Out Run 2. This long-awaited sequel is already currently available at arcades around the world, but the big question now is: when is it coming home? After months of rumours and speculation, Sega made it official at the 2004 E3 show and they announced that their arcade racer Out Run 2 is coming to the Xbox this fall.

What made the original Out Run so famous was that it skips all the boring car maintenance stuff and it relies solely on speed and style instead. Who could forget the cute girl that was by your side while you drive wildly down unforgiving roads at over 250 miles per hour? Another cool thing about the game was the branching path system. You can choose to either play it safe in the easier route, or you can try your luck in the more difficult road. Your time was limited and one wrong move can send your car spinning about fourteen times in the air before it crashes. The risks can be high, but it's worth it just so you can get that important top score. Out Run 2 isn't too different from the original in terms of game play, but it does come with a fresh coat of paint so everything now looks photo realistic, and the cars look like real Ferrari's this time too. One new addition includes the Heart Attack mode where your female passenger will ask you to do techniques like powerslides or jumps to earn her affection. The points you earn in this mode will affect the ending you get.

The Xbox edition is not only going to be a perfect port of the arcade game, but Sega is also adding some exclusive home options as well. For single-player gamers there is something called Mission mode -- if the standard Arcade ends too quickly -- plus for multi-player action you can play this game over Xbox Live. Sega is also promising some other unlockable features to increase the replay value, and hopefully this means that some of older Out Run games will be included as well, eh?