OutRun 2006 is a sunny arcade racing game and nothing more, so Parents can be satisfied that this is about as universal as gaming gets. The only concern might be in the theme of having to drive recklessly in order to satisfy the demands of your girlfriend passenger; although any sexual connotations are only likely to dawn upon the more imaginative male psyches ("How far are you going to take me?"; "I like to go fast!").
Of course, OutRun 2006 is also very similar to the version of OutRun 2 we saw on Xbox in 2004. It's yet another consumer caveat for a game already cursed by them, but if you bought its predecessor then it's probably the only one you'll have concerns over, and if you didn't then this ought to be comprehensive enough of a package to alleviate any previous fears over value for money.
The real winners are the PS2 and PSP owners who can finally get to grips with the series' guilty pleasures for themselves, with surprisingly little lost in translation—although I hear the handheld version suffers from predictable frame rate issues. But to taint a game this joyful with consumer advice seems almost unfair; suffice to say that if you think you want it, then you probably do.
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Gamers will find enough visual signifiers to be able to play the game confidently, although in Heart Attack mode sharp eyes will be needed to quickly discern the nature of a new challenge without the explanatory dialogue.
- Critical News Rundown - May 6, 2008
- Critical News Rundown - April 29, 2008
- Audiosurf – Review - April 21, 2008
