Floppyshop 2/Floppyshop - 2.zip/Floppyshop - 2.iso/diskmags/0022-3.564/dmg-0107/outrun.txt

Text File | 1997-04-16 | 6KB | 110 lines

NOTICE: This article originally appeared in the February issue of Atari
Interface Magazine and may be freely distributed or reprinted in non-profit
User Group publications as long as the article's author and Atari Interface
Magazine are credited AND this notice is reprinted with the article.  All
other publications must obtain written permission from Unicorn Publications,
3487 Braeburn Circle, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, Phone: [phone] before using
this article.

Outrun Turbo by Tim Holt (El Paso)

Hop in your Porche 959, pop down the roof, pop the clutch and
head for the open road.  Go from New York City to Los Angeles in
the quickest amount of time.  On the way, encounter police, road
barriers and other drivers that do not have your feel for the
open road.  Sound good?  Yeah, I thought so too, so I picked up U.S.
Gold's latest: OUTRUN TURBO.  The package says that "Driving's
Biggest Game Just Got Bigger" and "More Car, More Road, More
Action."  I am a sucker for packaging.  Just ask the club members
that saw my review of "Roadwars" my all-time golden turkey award
winner.  I was duped by the pretty pictures.  I was drawn in by the
hope that maybe, just maybe, this version of Outrun would work on
my ST, unlike it's brother, who never ran on my computer even
after returning it to the mail order place three times.  Sad to
report, I must add Outrun Turbo to my list of ST Turkeys.

Well, I was happy to see that OutRun Turbo did in fact, run on my
ST.  However, I realized this game left something to be desired when I
first started, unfamiliar with the controlling, and promptly ran
over a crowd of spectators.  Did this stop my car?  No, I just kept
going!  (Mass murderer lose on the streets!)  But I digress...let me get
to the game, then I will get to carving the turkey.

The premise of Outrun Turbo is that you and your girlfriend are
driving in a race from New York to Los Angeles.  Along the way, you
must negotiate road hazards and out run (hence the name) the
police.  You must also get through each stage in a certain amount
of time.  Usually, this amount of time is in seconds, so you can
get from New York to Washington D.C. in 55 seconds.  If only Amtrak
could be so lucky.  Getting to certain places allows you to add
options to your car, such as the type of tire you want.  You may
even change cars at certain places.  The first option you get is
whether or not you want manual or automatic transmission.  (I
suggest you use the mouse to control your car, and get automatic
transmission.)  At every stage, the scenes change.  For instance, if
you get to Pittsburgh, it will be snowing.  Get the idea?  Okay,
now, let's talk turkey:

Turkey Award #1: Outrun Turbo's car is difficult to control no
matter what option, mouse or joystick, you chose.  The space bar
controls the "Turbo booster," moving the mouse left or right turns
the car, left mouse button accelerates, right mouse button
decelerates (and shifts if you chose the manual transmission).
No matter what you do, the car simply cannot be controlled unless
you stop the car, and the turbo cannot be turned off unless you
run into something, flip over or stop your car.

Turkey Award #2: The amount of time given for each stage makes
little or no sense.  I could understand if the time decreased
mathematically say 5 seconds for each stage, but it doesn't.  Let
me give you an example: From New York to Washington D.C., the
driver is given 55 seconds.  If you make it there BEFORE your time
is up, you are given 40 seconds to make it from Washington to
Pittsburgh.  If you crash and have to start from the beginning in
Washington, then you have 50 seconds.  In other words, you are not
given any reward for good driving!  As a matter of fact, you are
penalized for making it ahead of time.  If you crash and have to
start again, the time has little to do with anything.  What do the
instructions have to say?  "Watch out for trees."  WOW!  How helpful.

Turkey Award #3: The scenes are hilarious!  Towering mountains near
Washington D.C.  A blinding snowstorm in Pittsburgh is three
snowflakes blowing across the screen!  Skyscrapers look like
sheets and are two dimensional.  The "road hazards" can simply be
run through as if they do not exist.  Even the dreaded police cars
can simply be run through.  Go ahead, aim right for them!  They
simply will disappear after you run up to them.  Barrels in the
road?  No problem, run right through them.  They won't hurt your
car.  And who knows, the more road hazards you pop, your time may
increase.  Only if you run completely off the road will your car
flip over in the famous "Outrun Flip."

Turkey Award #4: The instructions are terrible.  Of course, they
also happen to be in about 15 other languages, and might help you
in any foreign language classes you are taking.  Want to know the
Italian word for Turbo?  Of course, it's Turbo!  The instructions
help only for the first time you drive.  After that, you are on
your own.  Kind of like life, huh? (Excuse me, I got profound for a
second.)

Turkey Award #5: The music is really bad.  After about two minutes
of that mindless dribble, you feel like ripping the guts out of
your monitor's speaker.

Okay, don't take my word for it.  Go out and buy Turbo Outrun!  Dump
$40!  I did!  But remember the famous saying on the side of the box:
"U.S. Gold have (that is their grammar mistake, not mine) created the 'Gold
Standard' others can only seek to emulate." God, I hope not!  If this is the
type of program other try to emulate, we are in BIG BIG trouble!

[Ed. Note: In all fairness to U.S. Gold, the usage of "have" is correct in
the U.K. when referring to a single company or other organization.  U.S.
Gold is actually based in Britain, so their use of "have" is not a
mistake of grammer.  Of course, this bit of trivia is absolutely of no
importance whatsoever, so please disregard this editor's note and pretend
you never saw it.]

Outrun Turbo  $39.95
US Gold/Sega