OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast (PS2 Version)

(UPDATED: June 22, 2012)

"OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast" was a 21st Century makeover of one of the best racing game series in history. This game's roots come from OutRun 2 released for the XBOX and arcade. It was "OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast" that got me to wonder if this game was created as a last hurrah for all the classic Sega racing experiences of the 1990s because this game delivers a 1990s-quality experience. It is one of the first Sega racing games to utilize Ferraris since "Ferrari F355 Challenge." Unlike "Ferrari F355 Challenge, however, "OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast" is exclusively arcade. This blog entry is my own review and look at the PS2 version of this game.

--- OutRun 2006: Coast-to-Coast at a Glance ---

^ from: ptinformacao.wordpress.com (best I could find) - "OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast" for the PS2.

A total of 30 different courses are available. Including options like reverse layouts, two courses that can be run in two different times of day and with Reverse option, you are looking at 64 tracks. There are 24 Ferraris to choose from with 12 cars in the two classes.

If you are not familiar with the OutRun format, you begin in one fairly easy stage. After clearing the first stage, you can choose to go left or right. The divided road takes you to two different venues. The left road takes you to an easier course while the right road takes you to a harder stage. The layout is a five-tier pyramid. Want the easiest road to the goal? Take all the left roads at the divider. Want the hardest road to the goal? Take all the right right roads at the divider. At the end of each section, you may elect to run a series of roads. For example, you can go left, right, right, right, and left. The main goal is to reach the goal at the end of either stage.

Among other options, you can play the original OutRun 2 SP from the main menu. How much content you are unable to unlock depends on your earning of OutRun Miles (or OR Miles). The more you collect, the more you can exchange them to unlock more items to enhance your experience. This includes new cars, tracks, music, and more. They are earned by doing things like drifting and earning points during races.

Online play is also available for this game. But from what I've read, the servers have shut down for at least a year. So you may be better off playing solo for this game.

--- OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast - Tracks ---

Now a look at all of the courses in this game.

OutRun 2 Tracks.

The original OutRun 2 courses are available in this game for you to race. The OutRun 2 courses are more international in flavor. You start at Palm Beach and work your way to one of five different goals.

FIRST OR2 TRACKS:
• Palm Beach - an easy course with only a few slightly tough corners and plenty of great corners to drift around.

SECOND OR2 TRACKS:
• Deep Lake - a beautiful Irish(?) setting with some tricky corners to drift around.
• Alpine - take to the mountains in this stage executing great drifts on some moderately challenging roads.

THIRD OR2 TRACKS:
• Castle Wall - it won't be easy trying to navigate the roads of this Medieval European castle stage.
• Coniferous Forest - whether or not you finish strong here depends on your ability to take this course's sudden switchbacks.
• Desert - to avoid becoming ancient history in this Egyptian course, you need to drift cautiously to avoid crashing big. Handle the switchbacks and go full throttle in the high-speed sections.

FOURTH OR2 TRACKS:
• Cloudy Highland - winding, weaving roads await you in this course blanketed with low clouds.
• Industrial Complex - this course winds through factories and features many decisive corners. Race carefully here.
• Snow Mountain - undulations and blind sections will make this uphill stretch of road tough to navigate and drift.
• Ghost Forest - unlike most other courses, the road is pretty narrow with foggy visibility and difficult winding roads.

FINAL OR2 TRACKS:
• Tulip Garden - a Netherlands-inspired course with loads of beautiful flora and trees. The track is fast, but features some tough switchbacks and undulating roads.
• Metropolis - race the streets of this Paris-inspired stage. It is very fast with some fun corners to drift around.
• Ancient Ruins - this historic Middle Eastern venue features some tricky roads to race and drift on.
• Imperial Avenue - this Roman course combines ancient and modern Rome in an action-packed thrill ride.
• Cape Way - drawing inspiration from the beautiful Greek island of Mykonos, this is a challenging stretch of narrow roads, tricky switchbacks, and intense corners. This is the ultimate challenge of the OR2 tracks.

OutRun 2 SP Tracks.

These are the courses unique to OutRun 2 SP. Each course offers up its own unique challenge.

FIRST OR2SP TRACKS:
• Sunny Beach - an easy course that is a bit faster than Palm Beach and with not as many tricky corners.

SECOND OR2SP TRACKS:
• Bay Area - A high-speed stage through a San Francisco-inspired locale.
• National Park - passing will be tough on this course inspired by Yosemite National Park. Narrow and sharp corners will make driving difficult here.

THIRD OR2SP TRACKS:
• Waterfalls - go around this Niagara Falls-inspired course. Finding the best line will lead to smooth drifting here.
• Big Forest - take your Ferrari through a Sequoia forest, but drive carefully with the narrow three-lane roads.
• Canyon - challenge this Grand Canyon-inspired stage with blind corners and sufficiently banked roads. This will NOT be easy.

FOURTH OR2SP TRACKS:
• Lost City - a beautiful and fun stage around a locale inspired by the ancient city of Machu Picchu in Peru. Beware of winding roads and tricky switchbacks.
• Casino Town - drift around the rain-soaked streets of this Las Vegas-style venue. Features a loop that makes the best long corner to drift around in the entire game. Be careful switching lanes here as well.
• Ice Scape - many corners will greet you one-by-one in this icy and dreary stage. Watch out for the walls.
• Jungle - drifting and passing will be difficult here. Just about all major corners are switchbacks.

FINAL SP TRACKS:
• Giant Statues - inspired by the moai statues of Easter Island (Rapa Nui), take advantage of the wide roads, but be careful drifting hard into the various corners.
• Legend - take on this ancient Mayan temple in this Mexican venue. Stay on the road as much as you can and time your drifts to safely clear this stage.
• Floral Village - this European course boasts tricky roads. Handling the final three corners is CRITICAL to win.
• Milky Way - easy to learn, difficult to master. Pick between two different sides of the highway while avoiding the outside walls. You may need to practice this stage a few times to be a shining star here.
• Skyscrapers - a difficult romp through the urban jungle of a New York City-inspired course. The ultimate final challenge for any OutRun racer.

Other Bonuses...

Every track can be raced on in Reverse. Some even with different variations. These reverse variations bring the total track count to 30. Sunny Beach can be raced at night and in Reverse at Night (which would defeat the purpose of a SUNNY Beach, right?), and Palm Beach can be raced in dusk and in Reverse at Dusk.

When looking at the races, you can also race all five goals for both OutRun 2 and OutRun 2 SP in reverse. You can even race all 15 stages in continuous fashion for both OutRun 2 and OutRun 2 SP courses normal or in reverse. The Palm Beach Dusk bonuses must be unlocked with the PSP version.

--- OutRun 2: Coast-to-Coast - The Cars ---

Since you've basically raced a Ferrari in just about every OutRun title (even if there wasn't any Ferrari branding), you now race Ferraris proper. This game gives you a great Ferrari to start with- the beautiful Ferrari Dino 246 GTS. Every other car can be won by exchanging your OutRun Miles to acquire each car. With each purchased car, you can purchase individual colors to choose from other colors for your Ferrari.

One other important thing to note is that there are two classes of car- your basic cars and the OutRun class cars. The OutRun cars are tuned-up versions that deliver much better performance than the original cars. You basically NEED the class of OutRun Ferraris when you make it to the final Flagman events in Coast 2 Coast mode.

Rather than sort cars by horsepower or whatever, the cars are all sorted in four classes: Novice (the lowest), Intermediate A, Intermediate B, and Professional (the highest). The novice cars are primarily designed as a gateway to what this game has to offer. Use these cars to learn how the game operates as well as to enjoy racing as well. Intermediate A cars have great handling and max speed, but don't have great acceleration. Intermediate B cars have outstanding acceleration, but greatly lack handling and max speed. Professional cars have the best max speed, but possess average acceleration and mediocre handling. Here is a look at all the cars in this game...

NOTE: If you see an item bold and underlined, you need to purchase the item in the PlayStation Portable version of "OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast." You can not unlock these items in the PS2 version.

--- Normal Cars ---
• Ferrari Dino 246 GTS (already available) - a fun-to-drive and fun-to-drift beautiful Ferrari that isn't very fast.
• Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona (already available) - a classic Ferrari with about the same stats as the Dino 246 GTS.

• Ferrari F50 - this car is an exotic beast with great top speed and great handling.
• Ferrari 360 Spider - this beautiful machine is very fun to race.
• Ferrari F355 Spider - the F355 is plenty capable in its own right.
• Ferrari Superamerica - more than just a tuned 550 Maranello, this car is a total beast.

• Ferrari Testarossa - "awesome" turned into a car. A blast to drive.
• 288 GTO - a quick, powerful, and fast Ferrari.
• 328 GTS - a competitive car with great performance.

• Ferrari 250 GTO - one of the most beautiful Ferraris of all-time with classic style and performance.
• Ferrari 512 BB - let this boxer engine Ferrari make your lead foot dreams come true.
• Ferrari F40 - a highly-respected Ferrari with exceptional performance.
• Ferrari 550 Barchetta - a very powerful and fast front-engine Ferrari.
• Ferrari F430 - the 360 Modena's replacement, it is much quicker and faster than its predecessor.
• Ferrari Enzo Ferrari - the most powerful car in the game delivering the fastest speeds.


--- OutRun Class ---
• Ferrari Dino 246 GTS (OR) - same characteristics as the original, but delivers better acceleration.
• Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona (OR) - this car is faster and more capable than the original car.
• Ferrari F50 (OR) - a GT1-style upgraded version of the original car. Handling is unchanged while max speed and acceleration have been enhanced.
• Ferrari 360 Spider (OR) - a racy version of the original with more aerodynamic bodywork. Max speed and acceleration are enhanced.
• Ferrari F355 Spider (OR) - improves upon the F355 normal car with upgrades in speed and acceleration.
• Ferrari Superamerica (OR) - much more aggressive bodywork added to this model along with boosts in max speed and acceleration.
• Ferrari Testarossa (OR) - more aerodynamic bodywork than the original, and it also delivers a significant speed increase as well as a slight increase in handling.
• Ferrari 288 GTO (OR) - a slight handling increase and a big max speed increase makes this 288 GTO better than the original.
• Ferrari 328 GTS (OR) - extra bodywork, along with upgraded handling and a big speed upgrade makes this car plenty capable.
• Ferrari 250 GTO (OR) - this upgraded 250 GTO offers incredible max speed, better acceleration, and slightly better handling than the original car.
• Ferrari 512 BB (OR) - this Berlinetta Boxer has racy aerodynamics along with across-the-board enhancements. Incredible max speed.
• Ferrari F40 (OR) - the biggest upgrade is in acceleration, up two units. Handling and Max Speed are increased by one unit each from the original.
• Ferrari 550 Barchetta (OR) - besides more aggressive bodywork, top speed is maxed out with added boosts in acceleration and handling.
• Ferrari F430 Spider (OR) - drop the top to the original F430 with this model. Speed is maxed out, and extra enhancements go towards handling and acceleration.
• Ferrari Enzo Ferrari (OR) - the fastest car in the game, minus the top. Its already fast character is even more so along with acceleration upgrades. Handling is still weak for such a fast car.

--- Let's Go Racing! ---

Here are the various racing events you take part in...

Coast 2 Coast: Flagman Events.

There are four classes of Flagman events. All classes are defined by a set road map leading to the finish. Try to clear all events with a AAA rating to successfully clear that stage. The Novice races feature a straight path to the goal of the Flagman 1 events. As you reach the 8th point of the Flagman 2 races (Intermediate Races), the road divides up into two different directions before linking back up at the 13th point. The road divides up after you clear the 16th point of the Professional Class (Flagman 3) races. Finally, the OutRun Class (Flagman 4) features the most intense and winding challenges of Coast 2 Coast races.

• Race the Rivals! - you race against any number of rivals at once. Win the race to get the highest ranking.
• Drift - you earn points towards drifting. Collect more points than the other driver to win.
• Don't Lose Your Girlfriend! - a one-on-one race against a rival and his girlfriend. Leading the race and avoiding crashes helps you keep your girl. The one who loses all of their points or fails to reach the finish before the other loses.
• Test Your Slipstream! - Get behind your rival as much as possible to accumulate points. Collect more points than the other driver to win.
• Avoid the Knockout! - In this challenge, your job is to avoid being the last-placed car. If you are the last-placed car after a countdown, the race is over. The action continues until one is left standing.

Coast 2 Coast: Heart Attack.

Three girls want you to perform various tasks while racing each stage. These are skill challenges for you while driving. Meet her demands and clear each task to gain the highest scores. Fail to meet her demands, and you will make her unhappy. The tasks can range from fun to frustrating. You will be asked to clear a number of tasks based on your performance in each section. You must average an A ranking for all completed events to advance to another girlfriend with her own set of tasks. This mode features the same pyramid format as the OutRun stages. The first two stages of the pyramid layout feature only one set of challenges. The third stages feature two challenges. The fourth stages feature three challenges. And when you reach the final stages, you will be faced with four challenges for each stage.

These are the three ladies you will look to impress:
• Clarissa - you will be racing OutRun 2 SP courses. Her challenges test your racing ability with fun tasks to complete.
• Jennifer - you will be racing OutRun 2 courses. Her challenges test your driving technique.
• Holly - you will be racing both OutRun 2 and OutRun 2 SP courses. Her challenges test your thinking ability in addition to driving a course with precision.

Here is a brief look at some of the many tasks you will be asked to complete:
• Hit the Cars! - you earn credit for hitting traffic on the road.
• Keep Passing Cars! - you earn credit for passing cars without hitting them or going off the road attempting passes.
• Dribble the Beach Ball! - keep the ball rolling straight to earn credit.
• Don't Crash! - you are credited for avoiding walls and oncoming traffic.
• Cut the Lines! - drive in-between two oncoming cars and try to snap the line between the two cars. Credit is earned for each successful cut of the lines.
• Pass the Convoy! - pass convoy trucks without hitting them or going off the road attempting a pass.
• Avoid UFO's! - if your car runs into a tractor beam from a UFO, you lose credit. So make sure to avoid these at all costs!
• Avoid the Meteors! - drive around meteors that strike the road to receive credit.
• Hit the Ghosts! - this can be frustrating. Successfully hit ghosts on the road to receive credit.

All of these are tasks for Clarissa. Here are some others I will touch up on with Jennifer and Holly, but won't discuss:
• Drive Above the Speed!
• Drift More!
• Feed the Girl!
• Run Through [Color]!
• Count the Cars!
• Memorize the Sequence!
• Match the Total!

OutRun.

Reach the goal with your girlfriend. Race around each of the stages to reach the final stages. Clear the entire deal by picking various routes. Make your trail as easy or as hard as you like. If you have unlocked the 15 Stage Continuous trails, you can race all 15 stages either in normal or reverse direction for the OutRun 2 or OutRun 2 SP courses.

Heart Attack.

This mode is not as unpleasant as it sounds. Actually, you are taking on a set of challenge put together by your girlfriend. Complete the tasks to earn credit; fail at the tasks to be heartbroken.

Time Attack.

It is just you, your girlfriend, and your Ferrari across certain stages. Use this mode to try to finish with the fastest time. Race certain goals or practice completing certain stages in the quickest possible time. You can race each stage for as long as you like. Enter the left lane at the finish to re-do the stage and try to get a better time, or enter the right lane to end the session. If trying to beat a lap record, you will NOT be able to beat it on just the first lap, so you will need to do another lap to have a better chance at beating the lap record.

--- Final Thoughts on OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast (PS2 Version) ---

This game, for the most part, is a PS2 version of the fun game XBOX and PC gamers have been accustomed to. I strongly believe this is a treat for all old-school racing game fans as it merges 21st Century visuals with old-style gameplay. I think this is one of the greatest OutRun games since the 1992 game "OutRunners." The cars and the action are all impressive. The drifting action is classic Sega goodness. The game is purely arcade with some amazing details. The 24 Ferraris (counting the 12 OutRun Ferraris) are all styled beautifully and sound great. The game delivers a serious fun factor that is pure Sega. The music for the game is stellar. You can purchase extra OutRun 2 BGM songs to enhance the experience. You can also pick up Original songs featuring musical scores from classic OutRun titles. As a final gift, you can purchase remixed versions of OutRun songs with the Remix collection.

However... there are some great disappointments with this game that prevents it from becoming greater than it is. My inspiration to buy "OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast" was to race the two bonus courses. These two bonus courses are two long stages based on "Daytona USA 2: Battle on the Edge" and "Super GT (or SCUD Race)." Sadly, both of these courses are NOWHERE to be found in the PS2 version. Even with the non-PS2 and non-PSP version, the two courses were very graphics-intensive, and they even suffer in FPS on the XBOX and maybe the PC version as well. The fact that you have to unlock certain extras with the PSP version just means extra money to waste and extra time to waste trying to unlock all extras. Think about it- the game cost about maybe 30 or 40 US dollars when I bought it long ago. Throw in a PSP and the PSP version, and you're paying at least $200 USD to try to unlock EVERYTHING.

I'm sorry- I hate the idea of having a portable console also serve as a glorified controller. Why pay extra money and get a version of a game for a portable console to simply use as an extra way to unlock things? It's not like the PS2 and PSP are like the Sega Dreamcast and that VMU unit (that can serve as its own mini game) that you stick into a Dreamcast controller. The good news is- they are just extras (or mostly extras). They are not required to beat the game. Some of these extras even include the four extra songs in the Remix collection.

Another thing lacking- you can not play the classic OutRun in the PS2 version of OutRun. That is also disappointing. So therefore, this is still a great game. But if you want to unlock EVERYTHING, you'll need to have a PSP and the PSP version of this game to unlock everything for the PS2 version. An extra waste of money and time to simply enjoy unlocking more stuff in the PS2 version of this game. Regardless, this game is still great fun to play and enjoy. If this had more of the extras seen in the XBOX and PC versions, this game would be unbeatable. I can, however, understand that the PS2 may not be up to standards to have some of the extra courses. It still remains a great game that every arcade-style racing gamer should get if you don't have it already.

If you want to temporarily enjoy unlocking and completing everything, there is a code you can enter when you make a license. The code unlocks everything, including many of the bonuses you can only unlock with the PSP version. I won't give you any cheat code advice- that's for you to find out by looking online.



(Added: Oct. 13, 2010)
Here is a video preview of this title, courtesy of my YouTube friend, Ricpos:

^ video preview of "OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast" for the PlayStation 2


As I mentioned, this version does NOT include two bonus courses. So here is what you will NOT get in the PS2 version of this game. Both are included as Honorable Mention:

Honorable Mention: Daytona USA 2 Power Edition Challenge Course (OutRun 2 for the XBOX)


Honorable Mention: Daytona USA 2 SCUD Race Course (OutRun 2 for the XBOX)


Sad you won't get to race these two courses in the PS2 and PSP versions of this game. I must add that these two courses have their own unique soundtracks to them, but OutRun 2 music was used instead. I added these videos per the request of one of my blogging friends to help enhance this blog post. You can check out my friend's blog at Musings of a Sega Racing Fan.





That concludes this blog entry. If you enjoyed this review and want to get this game for yourself, here are some Amazon items to help you:


^ OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast. Available for PS2, PSP, XBOX and PC. If you want the PS2 version, it is recommended you buy the PS2 and PSP versions to unlock everything in the game.

Since this blog entry is about the PS2 version and that you need a PSP to unlock some of the extras, if you need a PSP, get yourself a PSP by using this widget below:








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