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'New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe' hits the Nintendo eShop
Nintendo has given another stellar Wii U title the deluxe Switch treatment in the hopes that more people will play it on a system that's actually popular. We're talking about New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, which is available today on the Nintendo eShop and in stores for $60. That may seem a bit steep for those who already played through the colorful, 2D side-scroller the first time round, but Nintendo fans are probably used to paying full price for the same game by now. And if it's anything like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, it should be worth your time.
Sega adds 'OutRun' and other classic soundtracks to Spotify
If you need a distraction from the stress of our new Orwellian order, why not take a trip back to a simpler time with Sega? It just released nearly 20 classic soundtracks from the '80s and '90s onto streaming site Spotify, including OutRun, Virtua Fighter, Fantasy Zone and NiGHTS. OutRun is probably the standout, as many of us wasted a good chunk of our youth (and quarters) racing in the multiplayer arcade version.
Taking gaming into the real world
Playing video games and enjoying the outdoors don't have to be mutually exclusive. Various creative minds have come up with ways to take gaming into real-world environments. Why chill at the crib when you could be out driving a real-life Mario Kart or letting hadoukens fly at Burning Man? We've highlighted just a few of these pioneering projects this week, so head to the gallery for a look at the gaming experiences you've missed by staying home.
After Burner 2 leads Sega's second set of 3DS classics next year
Sega announced plans to re-release five games from its catalog on 3DS in 2015, the publisher announced today. The next set of "3D Classics" from Sega will reach North America and Europe next year, starting with After Burner 2 in early 2015. Sega plans to issue one game every month from that point on, each priced at $5.99 (£4.49 / €4.99) on Nintendo's 3DS eShop. Though it did not list the order in which the games will appear on the eShop, the other four games getting the 3D relaunch treatment are Fantasy Zone, Fantasy Zone 2, OutRun and Thunder Blade. The first set of 3D Classics launched in late November 2013 and included games like Sonic the Hedgehog, Altered Beast, Ecco the Dolphin and Shinobi 3. Games in the 3D Classic catalog such as Space Harrier feature additional game settings that allow players to optimize the difficulty, number of lives and other bonus functions, improving on the original games. [Image: Sega]
OutRun spotted on the grid for Sega's 3D Classics
A passing breeze running through your finely coiffed hair, the magical sound shower of waves splashing against the coast, and your best girl (who's totally not hanging around with you just so she can ride in your Ferrari) in the passenger seat. That's what fans of classic racer OutRun can look forward to in 3D, after the game's logo appeared alongside Sega's line of existing 3DS games on the 3D Classics website. Going by the announcement on 4Gamer there's no word on a release date or price for Japan, or whether or not it and the recently announced Fantasy Zone are coming to the West. Sega did ferry over eight 3D classics last year, including Space Harrier, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Super Hang-On. [Image: 4Gamer]
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed into 'Bonus Edition' with OutRun track, Metal Sonic
A new "Bonus Edition" of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed brings in the most sensible Sega franchise ever for a racing game: OutRun. A level based on Sega's classic racer will be included with the edition, sold to pre-order customers at launch (in other words, it's a bonus for the first printing, more than it is a "special" edition.)Alongside the OutRun content, the Bonus Edition includes a playable Metal Sonic character and vehicle, and an in-game "Emoticon Sticker Pack." As part of the announcement of this edition, Sega also announced release dates for the PS3, Xbox, and Vita versions: November 20 in North America. The 3DS and PC versions weren't given specific dates, but they're presumably still due in November.
OutRun AR project lets you game and drive at the same time, makes us drool
Cool game, or coolest game ever? That's the question we were asking ourselves when we first came across Garnet Hertz's augmented reality-based OutRun project -- a concept car that weds Sega's classic driving game with an electric golf cart, allowing players to navigate their way around real-life courses using only arcade consoles. Hertz, an informatics researcher at the University of California Irvine, has since brought his idea to fruition, after outfitting the system with cameras and customized software that can "look" in front of the car to automatically reproduce the route on the game cabin's screen. The map is displayed in the same 8-bit rendering you'd see on the original OutRun, with perspectives changing proportionally to shifts in steering. The cart maxes out at only 13 mph, though speed isn't really the idea; Hertz and his colleagues hope their technology can be used to develop game-based therapies for disabled users, or to create similarly AR-based wheelchairs. Scoot past the break to see a video of the car in action, and let your dreams converge. [Thanks, Stagueve]
Artist plans to turn OutRun machine into real car
Garnet Hertz's design for an OutRun arcade machine combined with an electric scooter into a real, amazingly impractical vehicle is great, even if it is just a concept for now. But what really turns the idea of a driving game on wheels into something magical (that also plays "Magical Sound Shower") is the software. Instead of simply running OutRun as you drive blindly into traffic, Hertz is working on an iPhone 3GS app that uses the iPhone's camera and GPS to detect your position and the shape of the road, and translate that information into a live OutRun track. See the software at work after the break. The artist's goals are the "Un-Simulation of Driving" (instead of using a game to simulate driving closely with high-end graphics like Gran Turismo, this will fuse video game-like graphics with real driving), and "GPS Navigation Parallax & Mixed Reality" (using only GPS information to drive). And not "Making Something That Is Going To Get Someone Killed", which is why, when this does become a reality, it'll be limited to "controlled environments." [Via Engadget, GameSetWatch]
Ferrari-styled OutRun arcade machine set for crazy scooter transformation? (video)
If you're a child of the '80s and a gamer to boot you surely remember OutRun, the game that rocked a generation with only some parallax effects and pixelated blonde hair -- though the giant arcade cabinet with gold wheels certainly didn't hurt. Now "contemporary artist" Garnet Hertz (creator of the twitching, crunchy frog server) is proposing to give that very cabinet a new lease on life, and a motorized one at that. Hertz wants to take an arcade machine and merge it with an EVT America Electric Trike, making those stylized five-spoke rims actually move. But that's only half of it. He plans to power the display with an iPhone 3GS and use it to render a sort of halcyon 16-bit view of the world ahead, with every road a 64-color dream lined with palm trees. A recent video showing off some of the tech is embedded below, and while we think this is about as likely to turn a wheel as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cabinet is to travel in time, we'll certainly be first in line with four quarters if it ever does.
This Wednesday: Burn rubber in Outrun Online Arcade on XBLA
click to race into the gallery Racing fanatics will get their fix this Wednesday when Sega releases Outrun Online Arcade on XBLA. Featuring 15 different courses, 10 different Ferraris to drive and support for online multiplayer, Outrun Online Arcade will set you back a cool 800 ($10) worldwide (excluding Japan). Who's planning on putting the pedal to the metal?%Gallery-39659%
Sega: Outrun Online Arcade next week, contest announced
Sega has announced that Outrun Online Arcade will be landing on XBLA and the European PSN next week, on April 15 and 16, respectively. The XBLA version will be available for a decent 800, and the PSN version comes in at £7.99 / €9.99 (the game isn't coming to PSN in the US). We should remind readers that publishers have revealed incorrect release dates for Xbox Live Arcade titles before, but it would certainly make sense for both versions to release during the same week.Sega Europe also announced an Outrun Online Arcade competition, the winner of which will receive a trip to Maranello, Italy, the home of Ferrari. The competition will be a simple race to the finish line with no restrictions on vehicle choice, meaning players can use whatever cars they manage to unlock in the game. The press release even suggests that players choose the easy route offered in the game. A registration page for the competition will launch alongside the game next week.%Gallery-39659%
Trophies: OutRun Online Arcade
0 Platinum1 Gold4 Silver7 Bronze Difficulty: Very Difficult Online Trophies? Yes Time to Completion: 15 hoursDLC Trophies? No View Trophy List Read More About the Game %Gallery-39659%
Sega reveals sleek new OutRun Online Arcade footage
As pumped as we are at the prospect of a current-gen rendition of Sega's Outrun series, it's tough to judge the aesthetics of racing games without seeing them in action. Thankfully, some gameplay footage of the XBLA (and European PSN) racer OutRun Online Arcade recently surfaced in a YouTube video (which we've courteously posted after the jump).It looks about as fun and arcade-y as you'd expect -- realistic physics are suspended in favor of endless drifting, and cars travel at sound barrier-breaking velocities. Also making a reappearance is the series' blonde passenger, who helpfully squawks asinine remarks (such as, "I want to go far away!") as you maneuver through hairpin turns going 280 km/h. Thanks for contributing, you fair-haired freeloader.
OutRun exclusive to European PlayStation Store
Inexplicably, Sega's upcoming OutRun Online Arcade downloadable game will no longer see a US release on the PlayStation Store. PS3 owners will now only be able to get their hands on the game by visiting the European PlayStation Store -- strange turn of events, no?Sega of America hasn't commented on the sudden change of release plans. It's certainly not a big loss, but those that are desparate to get their hands on the game will undoubtedly find a way to make a European PSN account.[Via Joystiq]
Sega confirms Outrun XBLA exclusivity in NA
Sega just crushed the hopes of North American Playstation fans who are interested in Sumo Digital's upcoming Outrun Online Arcade, announcing that the game will not be releasing to the PSN in NA. Instead, Outrun will release exclusively to the Xbox Live Arcade in NA, but Europe will remain unaffected by the exclusivity deal.That said, we have a hunch that hardcore U.S. Outrun'ners on the Playstation will find a way to access the goods. That's what profile region settings are for, right?
OutRun Online Arcade an XBLA exclusive in North America
Thank you for joining us today. We've been informed by CVG that OutRun Online Arcade will not be released on PSN in North America. Please, remain calm and don't flip out like the blond in the passenger seat. Sega Europe informed the site that Europe will receive the title on XBLA and PSN; however, North America will only receive the XBLA version. No explanation was given.Obviously, we've contacted Sega of America to confirm the information and ask what changed since it announced the title last month.
Sega announces Outrun Arcade Online for early 2009
click to embiggen Sega has officially announced that it is bringing Outrun Arcade Online to Xbox Live Arcade. The game is being developed by Sumo Digital, the team responsible for the recent Outrun 2006: Coast 2 Coast (on which Outrun Arcade Online appears to be based). It will be enhanced to include high definition graphics and will feature online play for up to six players. Outrun Arcade Online includes 10 different Ferrari cars and 15 different tracks on which to race them. And, of course, it wouldn't be Outrun without the music ... and the hot girl in the passenger seat. The game is expected to drop in early 2009. Check out the first screens in the gallery below and the debut trailer after the break.%Gallery-39659%
Sega announces OutRun Online Arcade for XBLA, PSN
Although the Aussies already spilled the beans across the information superhighway a month ago, Sega has now officially confirmed OutRun Online Arcade for XBLA and PSN. The game is being developed by UK-based Sumo Digital and will release in early 2009 for a currently unannounced price.The game features 15 courses across the cement lifelines of the US and 10 licensed Ferrari cars. It also supports online racing for six players in three different modes. Go ahead and check out the announcement trailer after the break. Gallery: Outrun Online Arcade
OutRun Online Arcade rated by OFLC
Sega has declined to comment on a new OutRun game rated by Australia's OFLC, reports Eurogamer. OutRun Online Arcade is allegedly a multiplatform game with -- presumably -- online capabilities.That's all we've got. We now await Sega's "official" word on the project and look forward to seeing a blond girl fly out of a crashing car. Oh, come on, that's what you really remember about the OutRun series.
Game Melody Oratorio Volume Two: More music to our ears
Fresh off his success placing fourth in Neoflash's Spring Coding Competition, homebrew developer Multiple: Option has followed up his Game Melody Oratorio software with a second volume, packing ten songs and new features into the virtual piano update.Here's your chance to learn classic melodies from a diverse set of games: Double Dragon Dr. Mario Duck Tales (a woo woo) Final Fantasy VII Halo Leisure Suit Larry Metal Gear Solid Outrun Streets of Rage 2 Super Castlevania VI Game Melody Oratorio Volume 2's new features include an extra piano key (C3), a new Practice Stage with hidden notes, a new Recital Challenge mode, improved flashcart support, and the ability to preview melodies on the song selection screen. Wow! All that for free![Via DCEmu]
