Out Run Europa Longplay (C64) [50 FPS]
133Developed by Probe Software and published by US Gold in 1991
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Following up with their arcade smash successes, Sega licensed the Out Run name for this home computer/console game that saw the series take a more gritty, action-oriented tone than previous games in the franchise. Rather than simply driving for pleasure/impress the ladies, Europa has an actual plot more akin to a James Bond super-soy thriller than a simple driving game.
The player takes on the role of Simeon Kurtz, an agent for a secret government organisation who is trying to catch a group of thieves who have stolen both a set of secret files along with Kurtz Ferrari F40 supercar. Spotting an unattended sports bike, Simeon sets off in hot pursuit in a race to the British coast in an attempt to catch the thieves.
As with previous games, the principle object of each stage is to reach the end of the level before time runs out. Every game in the OutRun series is tough, but this is probably the most difficult of them an incredibly strict time limit - in the last few levels of the game there is practically zero margin for error and you'll see that I cross the finish line with barely half a second on the clock!
To make things harder, the player must contend with enemy agents in league with the thieves, as well as members of the local constabulary who haven't taken too kindly to you breaking the speed laws. Both criminals and coppers slow the player down by getting in the way, as well as deliberately ramming you off the road - merely touching a police car sends you own vehicle into a spin, costing you precious seconds in the process.
Fortunately, each of the game's cars comes equipped with a special turbo boost, temporarily increasing the top speed of the vehicle when the fire button is depressed. Boosting is incredibly useful for outrunning other cars, but is limited and should be used sparingly. Additional boost canisters appear in the road and can be collected by driving over them, although some slightly iffy collision detection makes this more difficult than you would think.
One area where driving games can really let themselves down is through poorly implemented controls, but I'm pleased to say that's not the case here. Pushing up and down causes your vehicle to accelerate/brake respectively, whilst left and right steer in the corresponding direction. The vehicle responsiveness is pretty good and you'll have no problem taking corners at high speed after a bit of practice.
One of the things that makes the game standout from other games in the Out Run series, as well as being one of the most innovative things about this particular title, has to be the inclusion of the water levels where Simeon commandeers a jet-ski (and later a speedboat) in his continental chase. Here, the player gains access to a vehicle-mounted rocket mortar that can be used to sink other boats, as well as dealing with enemy attack helicopters that appear periodically. It's during these stages that the game shows off some of it's best graphics, with structures and clouds casting reflections in the water and rockets causing huge spouts of water to fill the air.
In fact, the coders included a number of small (but really cool) features that are easy to miss. Cars change to a darker colour when driving through tunnels, simulating the change in light level, and objects on the horizon increase in size as the player gets closer to the objective.
It's a shame the same level of praise can't be extended to the player car graphics. Whilst I have no real complaints about the level or background art, the car sprites are blocky and devoid of any real detail. Simeon's Ferrari is the worst of the bunch, looking more like a cross between a station wagon and a hovercraft than an Italian supercar!
In any case, the game's standout feature as far as I'm concerned, has to be the intro music, courtesy of Jeroen Tel. Programmers and musicians figured out various tricks to push the envelope in terms of what the C64 could deliver, but playback of digital samples on the SID remains one of the most impressive - even more so when they sound as clear as these do!
Despite it's problems, Out Run Europe is a solid, action-packed racing title that is worthy to bear the Out Run moniker. It's not what I'd call a classic, but it's still a damn fine racer that should be near the top of any C64 fan's list of games to play.
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