Sega's 3D classics line of Genesis/arcade ports to the 3DS have really set the tone for what should pass for a port these days, putting Nintendo's own (seemingly abandoned) line of 3D Classics to shame. Each one has been faithfully reproduced and comes with a host of optional bells and whistles. For their recent Out Run effort--perhaps in recognition that the game's soundtrack is one of its most celebrated aspects of the experience--two new music tracks were among those bells and whistles.

I've been looking for music test recordings of these tracks since the game's release, but upon finally finding them, I discovered the source wasn't an analog recording from the 3DS, but rather from the recent digital release of 3 Out Run albums (available on Amazon and iTunes ). These appear to be based on the first three discs of the Out Run 20th Anniversary Box, with the addition of the two new 3DS tracks to the first disc.

You can sample the new tracks here (via Youtube):

Composing new tracks that go toe-to-toe with "Magical Sound Shower," "Passing Breeze," and "Splash Wave" seemed a monumental task, but while they can't unseat Out Run's original three tracks as some of my favorite video game BGM of all time, they certainly sound right at home in the game, in the FM synth, and in the company of their elders. Camino a Mi Amor has stings of suspense while Cruising Line gets funky; both have the same island-escape vibe that attracted me to the original tunes, and thus were immediately inducted into my beach-combing playlist. If only we could travel back to '92 and have the S.S.T.BAND record a rendition of these...

While I can't wait for the 3DS port to make it to North America, maybe the pleasant surprise of a digital album release may sate me in the interim--especially since I missed out on the Out Run 20th Anniversary Box.

What's your take on these race driving tracks?