OutRun2: Secrets to Blow You Away

Our latest playtest of the stunning Xbox conversion of OutRun2 offers amazing revelations - we say as much as we possibly can inside...

You already know how much we love OutRun2 from our huge coverage here at Kikizo, and you know we're pumped about the flawless Xbox conversion as well. You may even recall the news that there will be Xbox-exclusive tracks from our exclusive AM2 interview, in which the studio's design director Makoto Osaki hinted, "you may be surprised!"

The good news is that we've now played these mythical new Xbox courses. The bad news is we're not allowed to say what these new courses are just yet. Other than that they're currently called Bonus 1 and Bonus 2. But, we can tell you that fans of the Excitement Company will be very, very, pleased indeed.

In fact, the latest build of OutRun2 for Xbox is packed full of so much new content, it is quite extraordinary. Make no mistake, this is not your run-of-the-mill arcade conversion. As an extremely close follower of Sega's arcade conversions for over a decade, let me tell you that this is quite probably the most packed console conversion the company has ever done - and obviously, it's one of the most faithful conversions visually as well.

The new Mission Mode has 101 missions, ranging from powersliding challenges to other Gotham-style technique tests - adding a lot of value. But the Xbox Live compatibility - which the new courses will also be playable on - are what have us really excited.

There's one extra detail we're dying to tell you about a certain somebody involved with a certain aspect of the game, but if we said any more than that, it would totally give it away. Expect to hear more on this, and learn about the new courses within the next month or so.

When all this "new stuff" is combined together in one racing experience, damn, it's the Sega dream! (Nggghh... must... control... Sega obsession...) There are new characters and new end sequences as well.

In the meantime, we snagged a whole load of direct feed video of the game's astonighingly flawless Arcade Mode, which we'll be bringing you next week once AM2 has given it the nod. And we'll continue to bring you the best media when further announcements are made soon as well. You Sega lovers have never had it so good.

I'm really sorry we can't tell you more at this stage - believe me we're dying to - but it's all in the interest of bringing you the very best from Sega's top upcloming releases, including OutRun2 - so keep it Kikizo.

Adam Doree
Editorial Director, Kikizo.com