When comparing OutRun vs Tokio / Scramble Formation, the Slant community recommends OutRun for most people. In the question“What are the best and the most revolutionary games of all time?” OutRun is ranked 36th while Tokio / Scramble Formation is ranked 49th. The most important reason people chose OutRun is:
Unlike other racing games of the time, you aren't necessarily racing at all. OutRun was more about beating the clock than any opponents. At the end of each stages, the player could either turn left for an easier stage or turn right for a more difficult stage which gave the user some choices as if they were driving instead of racing on a set track.
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Pros
Pro Unique driving gameplay instead of racing
Unlike other racing games of the time, you aren't necessarily racing at all. OutRun was more about beating the clock than any opponents. At the end of each stages, the player could either turn left for an easier stage or turn right for a more difficult stage which gave the user some choices as if they were driving instead of racing on a set track.
Pro First game to offer a choice of music
Before OutRun, players couldn't choose what music they listened to. In OutRun, players could choose one of three 'radio stations' which would play different music.
Pro Formation modes required the play to react to circumstances
As the player captures enemy planes, they would follow the player's plane in a formation. This was likely the first time players could change formations of friendly ships, which was quite innovative for the time. The basic formation could hit both air and ground units, although it only covered a small area while the two other formations could only target either air or ground but covered a much larger area. The best players had to dynamically switch formations depending on their surroundings.
Pro One of the first to use ym2203 tunes and sound effects
Tokio / Scramble Formation was among the first arcade games using yamaha ym2203, and the audio was designed to make the most of the chip using as few resources as possible.