Out Run
Drive into the sunset
Sega's 1986 arcade racer combined stunning visuals, branching routes, and a Ferrari Testarossa into the definitive driving fantasy.
Overview
Out Run wasn’t about winning races—it was about the feeling of driving. Sega’s 1986 arcade masterpiece put players in a Ferrari Testarossa with a blonde companion, racing through sun-drenched landscapes as the radio played your choice of three songs. The deluxe cabinet moved with the action. Nothing at home could match it.
Fast facts
- Developer: Sega AM2 (Yu Suzuki).
- Release: September 1986 (arcade).
- Cabinet: sit-down with steering wheel, gear shift, and hydraulic motion (deluxe version).
- Pseudo-3D: sprite scaling created convincing depth without true 3D hardware.
- Music selection: “Passing Breeze,” “Splash Wave,” “Magical Sound Shower”—player chose the radio station.
- Branching paths: five possible endings depending on route choices.
The experience
Out Run sold a fantasy:
- The car: Ferrari Testarossa, aspirational and gorgeous.
- The companion: blonde woman in the passenger seat (problematic by modern standards, iconic in 1986).
- The scenery: beaches, deserts, cities, forests—each route a postcard.
- The music: Hiroshi Kawaguchi’s compositions became legends.
- The cabinet: hydraulics tilted you into turns.
You weren’t competing. You were escaping.
Yu Suzuki’s vision
Sega’s star designer brought his philosophy:
- Spectacle first: the game had to impress visually.
- Accessible depth: easy to play, hard to master.
- Emotional engagement: music and visuals created mood.
- Hardware pushing: Sega’s arcade boards existed to enable his visions.
Out Run followed Hang-On and preceded After Burner in Suzuki’s arcade trilogy of aspiration.
Technical achievement
The arcade hardware delivered:
- Sprite scaling: objects grew smoothly as you approached—no polygon pop-in.
- Smooth framerate: buttery movement essential for driving feel.
- Parallax backgrounds: multiple scroll layers created depth.
- Road rendering: curves, hills, and undulations all convincing.
Home conversions
Out Run came home—with compromises:
- C64: impressive attempt, capturing the essence despite hardware limits.
- Spectrum: attribute clash couldn’t stop dedicated fans.
- Amiga/ST: closer to arcade, still not the cabinet experience.
- Master System/Genesis: Sega’s own consoles got quality versions.
No home version matched the arcade. That was the point—Sega wanted you in arcades.
The soundtrack
Hiroshi Kawaguchi’s music defined the game:
- “Magical Sound Shower”: upbeat, sunny, the default choice.
- “Passing Breeze”: laid-back, cruising music.
- “Splash Wave”: energetic, Latin-influenced.
Players debated favourites. The music selection screen—a car radio—was itself innovative.
Legacy
Out Run established the aspirational racing genre. It wasn’t simulation; it was fantasy. The sequels (Turbo OutRun, OutRun 2) and spiritual successors (Horizon Chase, 80’s Overdrive) chase that same feeling: sun, speed, and escape.