Runabout is a series of destruction-themed driving games developed by Climax Entertainment. The games in the series were released on PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and Dreamcast.
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Runabout's main mission has always been that the player drive from A to B and pickup this or deliver that . The earlier games had more than one map to choose from, the later ones had just one real life themed huge city. Those cities are: San Francisco in Super Runabout (Dreamcast) and New York in Runabout 3 Neo Age (PlayStation 2). The players start off with just a few vehicles, later when they complete a mission, destroy as many as they can or drive without damaging anything they are rewarded with a new vehicle. In the newer games they were also rewarded with paint jobs and special abilities for each individual vehicle.
Although made in Japan, all games in the series featured predominantly English text and dialogue regardless of regional version. Within which, there are some examples of Engrish such as the message: "Can Not Run" in Runabout 3 Neo Age, when the player's vehicle is wrecked or driven into water.
Common vehicles to all games are a Pickup truck, NSR (Honda NSX), F1 car, Tank and various novelty vehicles.
| Felony 11-79 (Runabout) | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Climax Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) |
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| Platform(s) | PlayStation |
| Release date(s) | PS:
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| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Mode(s) | Single Player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: K-A (Kids to Adults) |
| Media/distribution | CD-ROM |
Designed and Produced by Kan Naito, the first in the series was known outside of Japan and Asia as "Felony 11-79". While it featured three separate environments and a test course as opposed to the later games' use of one city, the game itself was rather short overall. Most of the player's time was spent in unlocking the game's many bonus vehicles.
| Runabout 2 | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Climax Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) |
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| Platform(s) | PlayStation |
| Release date(s) | PS:
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| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Mode(s) | Single Player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: T (Teen) |
| Media/distribution | CD-ROM |
| Super Runabout: San Francisco (The Golden State) | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Climax Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) |
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| Platform(s) | Dreamcast |
| Release date(s) | DC: Super Runabout:
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| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Mode(s) | Single Player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: T (Teen) |
| Media/distribution | CD-ROM |
Released in Japan as Super Runabout, it was the first iteration for the Dreamcast. An updated version was made and released in the US as Super Runabout: San Francisco, possibly for easier name recognision/commercial friendly. Released in PAL districts as Super Runabout: The Golden State and finally in Japan again as Super Runabout: San Francisco (the updated version).
| Runabout 3 Neo Age | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Climax Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) |
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| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release date(s) | PS2:
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| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Mode(s) | Single Player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: T (Teen) |
| Media/distribution | DVD-ROM |
Released only in Japan and Europe, this third follow up for the PlayStation series offers just one city, the city of New York. The graphics were improved over those of the previous game. Alterations including improved reflections and generally higher polygon counts on the game's vehicle, character and obejct models. Character animations were also improved. The game also featured sections where the player was required to and drift and crash to get "Drift Crash Points". There were also vehicle-jumping distance and speed records.
The Options menu featured two unlockable sections. One of which, an "Object List", in which every crashable object in the game was displayed. The names were written in colours to reflect their scarcity (items marked with gold being common, and those marked green being special mission objects). Also in the options menu, was the "Bonus Tip" list, where one could keep track of what bonuses were received as well as the criteria for the obtaining of bonuses not yet revealed. The bonuses ranged from unlockable vehicles to extra paintjobs or special actions for the vehicles.
Felony 11-79 (or Runabout in Japan), Super Runabout and Runabout 3 Neo Age all feature soundtracks performed by Japanese surf band The Surf Coasters, who are known for their Dick Dale-esque sound.