outrun

Last month Arcade1Up finally announced a racing machine — their first. They are known for recreations of classic arcade machines for home purchase, and have offered near-authentic versions of everything from Pac-Man to NBA Jam (the only difference is a flatscreen instead of a CRT, and the fact that their cabinets are vertically smaller and require a booster box to raise to proper stand-up size). A racing cabinet was long overdue, and the game representing their foray was one of the finest examples, Sega’s OutRun. It’s got everything: the wheel, the starter, the music selector, the shift lever and, most importantly, the brake and gas pedals. Arcade1Up also included three other games, most of which are sequels and spinoffs of OutRun: Turbo OutRun, OutRunners and Power Drift. BUUUUUT they made a surprise announcement this morning… For the first time ever, Arcade1Up will be adding a fifth game to one of their machines, post-release. Arriving by Internet delivery, it’s Rad Rally. another Sega racer released in 1991. The original version was

Arcade1Up has brought many classic arcade machines to the home in their original form, from Pac-Man to NBA Jam, and they’ve done a great job all around. But while they’ve faithfully reproduced maze munchers, fighters and sports games, there’s one genre they’ve ignored entirely: racers. We’ve always found this strange — racing games are one of the few genres that would truly benefit from a home arcade conversion, with their steering wheel controls and physical brakes being a cool part of the experience. The wait is over. Today was the day Arcade1Up finally announced a racing machine — and what a machine it is! They went above and beyond by making this a seated cabinet…something you rarely got to experience unless your local arcade had enough room for one. The game they chose is Sega’s OutRun, recreated spotlessly. In addition to the wheel, it’s got all the buttons: the starter, the music selector, the shift lever and, most importantly, the brake and gas pedals. In the Arcade1Up tradition, they’ve included