OutRun 2006 is divided in two parts, the aforementioned arcade port and the "Coast 2 Coast" mode which has the same stages but includes some challenges and the cars are not equally powerful but have different max speeds and handling making faster cars harder to master. In the end both modes are very similar so playing one or the another is not really important.
After choosing one of the two parts you choose the game mode. You have the original OutRun mode where you just race until the end, a Time Trial mode similar to the OutRun mode but without traffic and the "Heart attack" mode where you must fulfill your girlfriend's request (Such as "Drift" or "Pass through the gates" or driving along a blue line). The OutRun mode is interesting on it's own but the Heart Attack mode is pretty fun and quite challenging, I have yet to get a kiss
The game itself is beautiful even considering it's an "old" game. The scenery so well made that it has surprised me. This is not a cookie-cutter racing game, this is OutRun and the design is as amazing as you can think of. It's not that the graphics are good but the stages themselves. Your run through San Francisco's Bridge, drift around waterfalls and reach the end in an amazing star-covered sky. It never ceases to surprise you how much detail there is in this each stage, it's how driving should be, crusing around the most beautiful landscapes ever not around boring flat surfaces which non-descript buildings.
Talking about flat surfaces, this game follows the original OutRun and has a lot of slopes that makes the game even more impressive. In most driving games you just run with some slight slopes. Here you have to climb mountains and rush downhill while the scenery opens in front of you. I never played any OutRun game before this one but I understand perfectly now what they called "The OutRun experience"
What makes OutRun 2006 a good game are the stages. Not onñy they are beautiful but really fun to play. Every curve screams "fun" and every drift is In OutRun you start on the same stage and after completing it you can choose your path on a fork in the road. If you take the left path the game is easier than if you take the right path. There are two circuits for a total of 30 stages. Unfortunatedly this is the biggest flaw in the game. It's short, hard, but short. I played around 14 hours until I decided to play something else for a while. However in those 14 hours I had a great time. In the end it's your choice but remember, you loved Megaman and Mario and all those old games when they were really short. OutRun is like those games, short, but you don't care because it's so fun you are going to play it again and again.
The game runs at 1024x728 on the PC version, even more than the arcade game, and everything is very well done specially your Ferrari. The traffic looks somewhat boxy but not bad per se, in the end you are the one with the girlfriend and the Ferrari so they would look boxy anyways
Gameplay wise the game is pure arcade. The best addition to the OutRun series is drifting. To drift just push the brake and turn in the direction of the curve (Like in Daytona USA). If you use the manual transmition you can also drift reducing one gear which results in very sharp turns but you loss quite a lot of speed. Drifting helps taking turns but is somewhat slower than not doing it so you will want to speedrun this game like there's no tomorrow.It's really fun to avoid the traffic while drifting and , for some reason, incredibly relaxing. Threre's also the "Slipstream" mechanic. Basically if you run after one of the cars you go faster. This adds to the speedrunning element I mentioned before.
It would be impossible to talk about OutRun without talking about it's music. Let's just say you have the original tracks (Both OutRun and Turbo OutRun!) and two diferent remixes of each (Including an eurobeat version of Magical Sound Sower that must be heard because it's amazing) . Aside from those remixing wonders you have some new tracks that parallel the quality of the first so even if you don't like this game get the soundtrack ASAP. Hell the game even let's you reduce the noise of the engine so as to hear the music better (Or increase it so as to hear the Ferrari better =D )
This game is a must for every collection even if you don't normally play racing games. I got my copy for 3 Euro, playing in the arcade cost 1 euro. Nice deal don't you think? If you want a good racing game this is your pick, if you want a fun game you can pick for short burst get this and if you like speedrunning and competing against yourself then get this now!
I give this game an AA score.
For those who are thinking about getting Xbox's Live Arcade OutRun consider picking this instead as it's the same game but with twice the stages and more options.