When you're doing things right, you'll hear a smooch sound and hearts will be accumulated, which will be converted into a letter ranking (AAA being the best) and all scores averaged into a final ranking when you've crossed the finish line. The creepy-looking stills of your girlfriend based on your overall rating aren't much of a reward, but you also get miles that you can cash in for new cars, courses, and soundtrack selections.
You might also opt to race against a ghost that follows the best recorded run on each track in Time Attack mode, or experience the original source material with the arcade versions of OutRun 2 and OutRun 2 SP. There are a lot of options on the menu, and while they're all suspiciously similar to each other, they seem to be holding up to extended play sessions so far. You'll also be able to participate in online races for as many as six players in every version of the game, which is certainly good news.
There are other similarities between the platforms, too, such as how the game looks, feels, and plays; voices; options; and modes. The entire package looks to be pretty standard across the board in the Xbox, PS2, and PSP versions of the game. The not-quite-realistic but still sharp and shiny graphics look nearly identical on the PS2 and Xbox, and while the PSP may not run at the completely smooth rates of the larger consoles, it still conveys the game's great sense of speed and offers a Just Drive option that throws you right on the road after one button press, which is a thoughtful feature for players on the go. There's one more similarity shared by every version of OutRun 2006: a May 2006 release date. Check back with us then for a full review.
