Tracks 1 - 3 are arranged versions from the first Outrun and tracks 4 - 7 are original to Outrun 2. There are five different "ENDING" tracks, one for each goal. After that, the game over theme "LAST WAVE," the "OPENING" theme, and 4 tracks from the original Outrun were politely collected.

As far as the arranged versions on tracks 1 - 3 go, there's really nothing left to say that hasn't already been said. How many freaking arranges of these songs have there been anyway? ;) If I dare comment, "SPLASH WAVE" is rock-like, "MAGICAL SOUND SHOWER" is slightly jazzy and caribbean (what the heck is that), and "PASSING BREEZE" is completely fusion. All of them are extremely faithful to the originals. While playing, I recalled the Outrun 1 days, about how concerned I would be to avoid crashing, but the synth in "PASSING BREEZE" would play this remarkably light-hearted theme. It was kind of tormenting.

Well then, on to the four original tracks from Outrun 2. Let's look at each one individually. "RISKY RIDE" is a sort of up-tempo speedy-feeling fusion rock. The combination of the bass synth with the guitar solo is somewhat fresh. The wild feeling of drifting around in a high-powered machine is nice isn't it. In addition, "SHINY WORLD" is good for riding with its high-speed rock. The bassline that develops in high gear is truly sensational. I find myself subconsciously tapping my foot to the rhythm. And the cool jazz piano that enters at one point is NICE. My fatal weak spot is that I just love piano and 16th notes. It makes you want to just, drill the hell out of the accelerator while roaring with laughter. It's totally badass. "NIGHT FLIGHT" is a vocal. Traditional 8-beat tunes are great for invoking speed, right? (I'm a little unsure). But the effect of the vibrato in her shouting is awesome. And the effect of the slightly minor pitch and alto-like vocal on the atmosphere is also felt. "LIFE WAS A BORE" is also vocalized but...as it develops with this ska-like rhythm and big band jazz, the melody is boldly recited in poetic style that doesn't follow, and finishes in an extremely adults-only club jazz. Cool, yes cool indeed. To be able to play a game at the arcades while listening to a song like this, times sure have changed.

As for the endings, because none of the songs are very long, I won't comment in detail. From A to D there's a rich variety of piano, fusion, and rock 'n' roll, but they are all cheerful and neat, like a curtain call. I guess being able to watch the staff roll while finishing the game with an invigorating feeling is gratifying isn't it. Except the theme for course E, which has the highest degree of difficulty in the game, ended up being a light guitar solo tune, which felt like special treatment. "LAST WAVE" is a straight refinement of the original. The tune itself is utterly identical. Unexpectedly, the OPENING theme is heavy metal. And as the song isn't very long, it makes you listen hard.

And, about this stuff... I have no intention of discussing how the original tracks from Outrun 1 are. It's just that, after I had come to listen this far, when the lifeless sound source of the 1986 days came to my ears...I inadvertently writhed in pain. To put it justifiably, the sound is flat out poor. It sounds mangled. And yet, those times are clearly frozen by remembrance of this sound, and these tunes, and that is truly painful. The passage of time is a terrible thing.

Alright, summary. Sequels tend to have the fate of receiving low appraisal due to the over-anticipation they incur in comparison to their predecessor, but in Outrun 2's case, the result exceeded expectations, so I'm extremely happy. In contrast to Outrun 1's fusion, Outrun 2's four original songs boldly took a different route with things like rock and vocalization. While upholding the Outrun tradition of having a single, non-repeating tune from start to finish, it has transgression, it has high speed, it's for adults, a uniqueness in all, which gives it this magnificent outstanding character. Ahh, it's wonderful.

Outside of the seven main tunes, the "OPENING," the five "ENDING" themes, and "GAMEOVER" theme, leave a good impression with their compactness created by the minimal song structure of the album. Songs used in games these days tend to be random and excessive, but the tidy organization of this album is also Outrun-like, one could say.

Therefore, if there's anyone out there a little hesitant about purchasing this soundtrack, I recommend buying it by all means. If you don't like rock for some reason, just by listening to the 4 original tracks alone, you won't be disappointed at all. With this quality, you could surely give somebody who wouldn't know the "g" in games a ride in the passenger seat and use this as BGM guaranteed. Oh, but at that time, you'd better skip the original tracks from Outrun 1. ;)