ChinnyVision: Outrun

[chinnyhill10]

A look at all the 8 bit versions of Outrun:


[youtube]! No longer available[/youtube]


I expect one member of this forum will be unhappy with what I say about the CPC version but I fear they are swimming against the tide! 

[seanb]

Got my copy (with music cassette) the other day. I'll post pics at some point.
So looking forward to playing it when I'm home in a few days.
I'm going to hold off watching your video until I've played it myself but expecting to hear good things @chinnyhill10

So happy

[EgoTrip]

@seanb you might want to skip the rest of this post.

I know that 8-bit systems were limited, but come on. The Z80 ports of this were atrocious. Just proof that the companies only cared about getting a product out there to milk the brand, rather than giving their customers a quality game that they deserved. Racing games have been done well, so theres no real excuses.

[Carnivius]

I always preferred the likes of Chase HQ in the arcades to Outrun.  Thank god the CPC port of Chase HQ was actually awesome.

[chinnyhill10]

Thank god the CPC port of Chase HQ was actually awesome.

If by awesome you mean horrifically slow, repetitive and mute then indeed. 


Still at least the cornering works. I'm looking at you MSX version!

[Carnivius]

If by awesome you mean horrifically slow, repetitive and mute then indeed. 

Um... what?   Is quite fast and certainly has sound.

[chinnyhill10]

Um... what?   Is quite fast and certainly has sound.

BEEP BEEP [Silence] BEEP [Silence] BEEP BEEP.


It's also not fast at all. It chugs along slower than any other version.

[Carnivius]

BEEP BEEP [Silence] BEEP [Silence] BEEP BEEP.


It's also not fast at all. It chugs along slower than any other version.

Are we talking about the same game here?  I'm referring to Chase HQ which certainly has speed and a lot of sound.

[seanb]

Are we talking about the same game here?  I'm referring to Chase HQ which certainly has speed and a lot of sound.

Can't be talking about outrun either.
I imagine it is plenty fast and has lots of sound.
Can't wait to find out.

[arnoldemu]

 

You'll be playing it on a real CPC right?

[remax]

Can't be talking about outrun either.
I imagine it is plenty fast and has lots of sound.
Can't wait to find out.

That's one of the best game i ever played, when you think it was on Amstrad... Got it by a friend developper when it was in beta stage, but i guess it can't be that different when released 

[chinnyhill10]

Are we talking about the same game here?  I'm referring to Chase HQ which certainly has speed and a lot of sound.

Apologies! I misread it! Assumed you meant Outrun. There was someone on here a while ago trying to sell the virtues of CPC Outrun when it is clearly a stinker.


Chase HQ is great. It's Outrun that sucks.

[Carnivius]

Heh yeah. I was mainly using Chase HQ as an example of the same sort of game type (with slightly different gameplay) being ported superbly to CPC which just makes the Outrun port look even more shoddy and pathetic.

[chinnyhill10]

Heh yeah. I was mainly using Chase HQ as an example of the same sort of game type (with slightly different gameplay) being ported superbly to CPC which just makes the Outrun port look even more shoddy and pathetic.

For all we complain about the CPC version, at least our version handles corners. The poor old MSX could have at least been a Speccy version with a red car but as soon as you get to a corner it jerks around. Its like the car is going straight, jerks, goes straight again. Such a shame.


The one feeling you get about both the Spectrum and Amstrad versions is that given a few more weeks it could have been a good game. Although I don't think we would have ever got sound on 128k models, US Gold being the publisher.


I'll review Chase HQ another day! But it's not secret that I think it's great on the CPC and Speccy.

[Morn]

OutRun sucked on all 8- and 16-bit home computers, so at least for once the CPC version isn't any worse than the rest. While C64 OutRun is quite playable, the graphics are also extremely simplified compared to the arcade and don't look much like it. Meh.

Oh well, at least the Amiga/Atari ST version looked great in stills, like so many games of that era. It's when you try to play them that the problems start. 

[chinnyhill10]

OutRun sucked on all 8- and 16-bit home computers, so at least for once the CPC version isn't any worse than the rest. While C64 OutRun is quite playable, the graphics are also extremely simplified compared to the arcade and don't look much like it. Meh.

Oh well, at least the Amiga/Atari ST version looked great in stills, like so many games of that era. It's when you try to play them that the problems start. 

C64 version works but is rather hard on the eyes. All that flashing stripey roads.


If you use an emulator I'm told the Speccy version is quite a reasonable game if you turn up the speed. Obviously I didn't mention that as that isn't an option with the +2 I used for capture.

[arnoldemu]

C64 version works but is rather hard on the eyes. All that flashing stripey roads.


If you use an emulator I'm told the Speccy version is quite a reasonable game if you turn up the speed. Obviously I didn't mention that as that isn't an option with the +2 I used for capture.

the amstrad version of outrun has nice graphics. It has a music on the title screen I believe.
If it was twice as fast it would be great. If you have patience it is possible to enjoy.

The c64 one has a good speed to it.

[seanb]

So I finally played my copy of Outrun

What a great experience.
Decided to listen to the audio cassette whilst playing and only a few minutes after I finally figured out the controls (only listed keyboard controls in the instructions was for the speccy) and started playing I was in such a nostalgic mood listening to the music that I stopped playing and simply listened to it.

That took me back. I can remember playing it in the arcades and imagine the palm trees whipping past me everytime I heard the waves on the cassette.

What a great time. I miss the 80s so much.


The game stinks. Wouldn't know where to start with the problems but at least the girlfriend doesn't bitch at you when you crash.
I can't be the only one who wished there was a way to throw her out of the car at top speed.

[arnoldemu]

it is a shame it's so slow.

if it was like chase hq or continental circus in smoothness and playability then it would be a fantastic port.

I think it was the first by that team (ICE).
They went on to do Cisco Heat and Chase HQ 2.

[seanb]

My problem was the other vehicles.
Had it on easy for traffic and they would veer into your lane deliberately fat too often.
Too many times all the lanes had traffic in them and I couldn't get past plus the traffic was far too erratic graphics wise that they would almost completely jump across lanes.

You couldn't predict or follow them.
Chase hq got the traffic right

[Bryce]

My problem was the other vehicles.
Had it on easy for traffic and they would veer into your lane deliberately fat too often.
Too many times all the lanes had traffic in them and I couldn't get past plus the traffic was far too erratic graphics wise that they would almost completely jump across lanes.

You couldn't predict or follow them.
Chase hq got the traffic right

That all sounds pretty realistic to me, you should try my normal route to work!

Bryce.

[seanb]

I've heard about the autobahn 

[TFM]

Well, in London you can walk over the biggest street an have 97% chances of survival.

In Germany try to cross a street: Life expectation: Less than 0.3 seconds.


Fun at side. The traffic situation REALLY depends where you drive. And there is not a single game able to simulate all the giant holes in the streets of New Orleans.

[Gryzor]

That all sounds pretty realistic to me, you should try my normal route to work!

Bryce.

You got erratic graphics on that route? Wow, super drugs.


Right, not much that hasn't been said about the CPC onversion before, but I really liked the comment at the beginning of the video, regarding the title screen: THIS is what it should look like in-game!

[Shaun M. Neary]

I remember buying this in 87 with my communion money. The mother went in while she was in town and bought the disk version... for a CPC464. So I was waiting days before it got changed to a cassette version.
I couldn't wait to load the thing up...

Saw the loading screen... so far so good.
Heard the music playing after the main portion had loaded... not bad.

Got to the title screen... this looks sort of bland.

Saw that I had to make a note of the counter for each level for loading. What in the actual fuck?
Game started playing... this is kinda shit.

11 year old me still tried to convince himself that it was worth the wait.
Now, 39 year old me wants to beat that 11 year old kid senseless! xD