If you were around in the 1980s, OutRun was an amazing arcade experience. The OutRun Amiga conversion, less so.
US Gold wasted a lot of goodwill on a substandard conversion, attempting to squeeze in everything rather than focus on the basics. After all, it’s just a racing game. It didn’t have to look pixel perfect, but it did have to be playable, as with conversions on other platforms.
Here’s the original Amiga version of OutRun:
Homebrew dev Reassembler68K has spent a lot of time righting this wrong, and while it is only suitable for accelerated AGA and mini consoles, the new OutRun Amiga Edition looks absolutely amazing.
Take a look:
Yes, it’s really here. An optimized port of SEGA’s 1986 arcade game OutRun, utilizing the original 68000 assembly code, to mid-spec Commodore Amiga computers (030 and above). Whilst small compromises have been made to accommodate differences between the arcade hardware and the Amiga – this looks and plays almost identical to the original.
This is not an emulator. Nor is it based on Cannonball, MAME, or any existing project. It is a ground up rewrite in assembler, with a focus on performance. This game requires the original graphics and audio data from the arcade ROMs. These are not included, and you must source them yourself. Now enjoy…
OutRun Amiga Edition: Not for basic systems
So, to be clear, this doesn’t run on an original, unmodified ECS or OCS Amiga. It will work on the A500 Mini, on the A600GS, and with Amiga 1200s with accelerator cards (including PiStorm). It also benefits from a two-button controller. Here’s a look at the basic requirements:
Hardware Requirements
Minimum
- Amiga w/ 68030 Processor @ 50 Mhz
- PAL Machine
- AGA Chipset
- 2MB Chip RAM
- 8MB Fast RAM
- Hard drive
Optional
- 2 Button Joystick/Pad (e.g. Megadrive / Master System pad)
- CD32 Compatible Gamepad
Recommended
- 68040 Processor @ 25 Mhz
Importantly, the game requires the OutRun arcade ROM, and the setup/installation requires a Python script that converts the graphics. A full set of instructions is included, however, but this should only need doing once.
Learn more and grab the download on a pay-what-you-want arrangement at Reassembler68K’s OutRun Amiga Edition Itch.io page.
Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through those links. This comes at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!
Christian Cawley is a writer and editor who covers consumer electronics, IT, and entertainment media. He has written for publications such as Computer Weekly, Linux Format, MakeUseOf.com, and Tech Radar.
He also produces podcasts, has a cigar box guitar, and of course, loves retro gaming.
