ใฒใใชex or the translation Hirona ex is a Japanese comic that has seen several series.
It features several retro video game references throughout the comic book.
One really cool pic shows an OutRun DLX machine as seen below >
Source @MiakotCat on Twitter
Below is an Italian console magazine from 1991. OutRun featured in the first issue of this magazine from the release of the Megadrive version.
Added to the Flyers, Magazines & books page
During the start up of this blog I had heard about GM making a Drink Driving video that featured OutRun. I had never seen it or been able to locate it online.
Today I managed to find it and watch it so I will post some screen grabs and a link to the video for you all to see.
The video oozes the 1980’s and that OutRun cab looks soooo shiny and new.
Nice side art!
Above – this is what driving OutRun looks like when your drunk
It will look similar to wearing the wrong prescription glasses!!
Here’s the link below. You will need to start the video at 8 minutes in.
General Motors Drink Driving Video
Check out below a late 80’s TV Advert for OutRun on the NEC PC Engine.
A great conversion for a 8-Bit machine.
Added to 1.4 ๐ OutRun Flyers,Magazines,books & Promotional items
Gameworks volume 1 is a glossy Japanese released hard back book focusing on Yu Suzuki’s game history.
Release during the SEGA Dreamcast era it featured a GD-ROM with 5 of Yu’s classics sprite scalers including a version of OutRun with an unfortunately modified Ferrari.
The book is totally in Japanese so if your not familiar with Japanese the only thing you will get out of it is the game disk and the gorgeous photos and archive pictures.
So let’s take a look at some of the OutRun specific content.
Below – The book featured a first time release of a drawing of the Standard sit down arcade.
This was then accurately presented at the 1986 Jamma Show in Japan (Below)
As you can see below The original drawing seen in the book varies to the production cabinet. The production version dropped the OutRun writing from the base.
There’s also a nice concept drawing of the what the Deluxe cabinet may of turned out like (Below)
Think I prefer the final production design.
There are some nice photos of the machines too and they are in perfect condition.
I picked up this japanese book when it was first released for ยฃ70 from a Video Games Importer in the UK.
You can still pick it up now from Specialist import shops or eBay.
The price hasn’t changed too much over the years, you can still grab it from ยฃ70 – ยฃ100.
Added to the Flyers,Magazines,Books and Promo’s Page.
Last night I watched the above mentioned gaming documentary based on the Japanese arcade scene, for those who haven’t seen it heres a quick breakdown of what to expect including some small sections of SEGA delights!
The documentary starts off with the Video Game breakthrough of the Japanese company Taito and the effect they had when releasing Space Invaders in Japan. Arcades started popping up everywhere and are still popular today with the likes of dedicated arcades by Taito and SEGA
The documentary tends to focus on 3 key gaming styles starting with SHUMPS and the progress from Space Invaders to heavy defence and bullet frenzy games by the likes of Cave.
From the SHUMP era things move on to the development of improved Video Game soundtracks and the journey and importance of music / rhythm games and the role they played in keeping arcades fresh and alive.
This section starts off with an interview with SEGA music legend Hiro Kawaguchi who was the main composer of SEGA classics like OutRun, Afterburner and Space Harrier.
Below – Hiro Kawaguchi being interviewed and sections of classic SEGA arcade games that he talks about during the documentary.
The music / rhythm section is one of my favorite parts of the documentary as it shows the lengths that Japanese gamers go to to be at the top of the leaderboards…and there’s some CRAZY Japanese arcader’s out there!
Below – Taking DDR to a new level of Crazy!!
Below – Street onlookers are entertained by someone freestyling on drummania.
The last main component looks at the Beat em’up genre and spends some time looking at fighting games at competition level.
Overall I enjoyed “ยฅ100 The Japanese Arcade Experience” The version I watched had no subs so understanding the Japanese interviews was a little challenging.
If you’ve not been to Japan then you may be surprised to see the difference in Japanese culture and how popular arcades still are.
If you’ve been lucky enough to go to Japan like me then it’s a reminder of how great it is to spend time in a country that loves Video Game Arcades so much.
Below are a few photos from my trip.
My Hotel called “Nikko” in Toyohashi, It was attached to a SEGA Arcade as seen below ๐
OutRun 2 had just been released so I took a few snaps and spent a few Yen!
and if you didn’t like OutRun you could always play the game where you take the Labrador for a walk…seemed popular lol
To go and check out the official page click here —–>. ยฅ100 Yen The Japanese Arcade Experience
Found a nice Japanese TV Advert from back in the 80’s for the SEGA Mark III
And below is a MegaDrive Japanese TV Advert
Both have been added and can be found on the Flyers, Mags & Promotional items page.
PLAY! took place from March 25 to April 7, at the Art Gallery Digital SESI-SP, on Paulista Avenue,Sao Paulo, Brazil
Below is some information on the event that I translated.
The cultural space consists of 26,241,000 light clusters installed in 3,700 mยฒ of metal frame that surrounds the building Fiesp. Six gaming based works of art were transmitted by contemporary artists, three of them interactive….including SEGA’s OutRun.
The exhibition PLAY! Inspired in the world of video games was curated by Marilia Pasculli and Danish Tanya Toft, who specializes in new media and digital art. According to Marilia, Game Art is considered one of the most interesting artistic events emerging today, not only by dissolving the boundaries between different art forms, but also to get an interactive potential.
“The way uncultured entertainment of videogames has achieved an important position in the intellectual aesthetic in the art world,” says the Brazilian.
A cultural value that goes beyond the screen
The work consists of video sequences of the game “OutRun”, 1986, released by SEGA and designed by Yu Suzuk. In the original game, the player controls a red Ferrari, with third-person perspective. The car already has a girl in the passenger seat. They pass by the road in a nice landscape. The game “OutRun” was one of the first driving simulators that gave the player the option to choose routes, which may have inspired the artists to make this game to be modified – and even instill some hope in the human being so that it retrieves the control of cultural development.
Imagine walking through the city and seeing this….awesome!
Source: Factoide
Added photo of a popular U.K home computer magazine cover called ‘Your Sinclair’ issue Dec 1987
Featuring OutRun on the cover and a A3 pull out poster of the game case artwork.
SEGA Amusements the week have added OutRun to their 1986 company time line on Facebook.
I would like to thank them for adding a link from their 1986 OutRun time line to my OutRun86 Blog, much appreciated guys!
Check out SEGA’s Facebook page here
SEGA OUTRUN 86 Blog 