OutRun (1988). Play online

Summary

The MSX2 version of Out Run brings the arcade’s sun‑splashed road‑trip straight to a home computer. Despite the hardware limits, the port tries to mimic Suzuki’s pseudo‑3D scaling, letting you steer a Ferrari Testarossa through winding scenery while chasing a ticking timer. You still pick from Hiroshi Kawaguchi’s breezy tracks—"Passing Breeze" or "Splash Wave"—so the game feels like a personal radio station on a virtual highway. The MSX2’s sprite system cannot reproduce the arcade’s motion‑cab feel, but the core idea of branching routes and checkpoint‑granted time still shines, letting players chart their own finish‑line journey. For fans of classic racing, this conversion shows how the iconic 1986 title crossed from flashy cabinets to every living‑room screen of its era.

Storyline

OutRun drops you behind the wheel of a bright red Ferrari Testarossa convertible, seen from a rear‑view third‑person angle. The race is split into a series of stages, each ending at a checkpoint that rewards you with extra time to keep driving.

As you near the end of a stage the road splits, offering a choice of routes that lead to five distinct final destinations. Each destination reflects a different difficulty level and concludes with its own cinematic ending – from the Ferrari sputtering to a breakdown to the driver receiving a gleaming trophy.

The game’s scenery was inspired by Suzuki’s European scouting trip, so you’ll zip past recognizable spots like Frankfurt, Monaco, Rome, the Swiss Alps, the French Riviera, Florence and Milan, giving the high‑speed chase a genuine continental feel.