Tokyo Xtreme Racer
From Sega Retro
| Tokyo Xtreme Racer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| System(s): Sega Dreamcast | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publisher: Crave Entertainment, Genki (JP) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Developer: Genki | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Peripherals supported: Jump Pack, Dreamcast Modem, Race Controller, Visual Memory Unit, Dreamcast VGA Box | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Genre: Racing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of players: 1-2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Tokyo Xtreme Racer, called Shutokou Battle (首都高バトル) in Japan and Tokyo Highway Challenge in Europe, is a 1999 racing game for the Sega Dreamcast in Genki's Shutokou Battle series.
While Shutokou Battle's roots date back to 1994 with the release of Drift King Shutokou Battle '94 on the Super Famicom, Western localisation has been sporadic and inconsistent. Tokyo Xtreme Racer was the second Shutokou Battle game to be released outside of Japan, following Tokyo Highway Battle on the PlayStation, released in 1996. Being a launch title for the Dreamcast, this is likely the most well known entry in the franchise.
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Contents
Gameplay
The game is also one of the first mission based driving games. The player challenges other drivers on the Shuto Expressway in order to gain money to modify and enhance his or her car. The game features a wide variety of Japanese cars and tuning parts to purchase as the player progresses through rivals.
The game is based on illegal highway racing in Tokyo's Wangan highway with custom tuned cars. A such phenomenon is growing popular in Japan since the 90's with its dedicated manga (Shutokō Battle's biggest inspiration being Wangan Midnight), anime series and video games (C1 Circuit, Wangan Trial, Naniwa Wangan Battle).
The objective is to race every gang member on the Wangan Tokio Highway and become to top highway racer. To do this, the player starts with a Low-performance entry car and he has to challenge gang members while on a free run session on the highway. The player doesn't have an option to challenge rivals on the menu, instead, he has to be on the Highway and find a rival for itself. When a rival takes his challenge, 2 lifebars appear in the upper part of the screen, these lifebars decrease when a player is in the back (Second). If the lifebar is out, that player loses. No matter if the player won or lose, it wins money to buy parts and upgrade the car, also when winning, the gang member is recorded in a "encyclopedia" where every gang member is listed with personal info.
The unlock-upgrade system is also very basic, the player has some customization options divided in Visual and Performance. Visual upgrades let the player customize the look of his car, from bumpers to color or spoilers. The Performance part lets the player upgrade his engine, brakes, or suspension. To win these upgrades the player just has to win races in a day: A day is when you enter the Free Run mode, and then going back to the garage where all the options are, if the player decides to go back to the Free run, it will be the next day.
Car List
- Entry cars
- Toyota
- (AE86T) Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT A'pex 3DOOR 1986
- (AE86L) Toyota Corolla Levin GT A'pex 3DOOR 1986
- (JZA80) Toyota Supra Type RZ TWIN TURBO 1997
- (JZX100) Toyota Chaser Tourer-V TURBO 1998
- (SW20) Toyota MR2 GT1997
- (XE10) Toyota Altezza RS200 "Z EDITION" 1998
- Nissan
- (RPS13) Nissan Silvia 180SX type X 1994
- (S13) Nissan SILVIA K's 2000cc 1988
- (S14) Nissan Silvia K's AERO SE 1996
- (Z32) Nissan Fairlady Z Version S Twin Turbo 2 seater 1998
- (R32) Nissan Skyline GT-R V-spec II 1994
- (R33) Nissan Skyline GT-R V-spec 1997
- (Y33C/Y33G) Nissan CEDRIC BROUGHAM VIP/Nissan GLORIA Gran Turismo ULTIMA 1997
- Mazda
- (FC) Mazda SAVANNA RX-7 ∞-III 1989
- (FD) Mazda RX-7 Type RS 1995
- (MX5) Mazda Miata Eunos roadster 1985
- (MX5) Mazda Miata MX5 2000
- Mitsubishi
- (CE9A) Mitsubishi Lancer GSR Evolution III 1995
- (CP9A) Mitsubishi Lancer GSR Evolution VI 1999
- Subaru
- (GC8) Subaru Impreza 2DOOR WRX type R STi Version V 1997
- Honda
- (DC2) Honda Integra type R 3DOOR spec'98 1998
- (EK9) Honda Civic type R spec'98 1998
- (NA2) Honda NSX type S Zero 1997
- Extra cars
- Honda
- (AP1) S2000 1999
- Nissan
- (S15) Silvia Spec-R 1999
- (R34) Skyline GT-R V-spec 2000
- (S30) Fairlady Z 1978 (Wangan Midnight tuned version)
- Porsche
- (964) 911 Turbo 1989 (Wangan Midnight tuned version)
- Special cars
- Four Devas
- (FDD) Midnight Cinderella's RX-7 1999 (flame version)
- (NA2D) Banshee's NSX 1999 (flame version)
- Banshee's only available in the Japanese edition
- Four Devils
- (JZA80D) Exhaust Eve's Supra 1999 (racing stripes version)
- (R34D) Raven Blood's Skyline 1999 (red tuned version)
- Initial D
- (AE86TD) Takumi Fujiwara's Trueno 2000 (Fujiwara Tofu Shop "Home Delivery" version)
- only available in the Japanese edition
- (AE86TD) Takumi Fujiwara's Trueno 2000 (Fujiwara Tofu Shop "Home Delivery" version)
- Mitsubishi
- (GFLF) Eclipse GS-T 1999
- (GFLS) Eclipse Spyder GT 1999
- not available in the Japanese edition
History
Car Types & Licenses
Since it's introduction in the mid '90s, like similar games, the Shutokou Battle series never used licensed cars but the usual type designation such as "TYPE-86" and later "TYPE-AE86L3". Nicknames were used instead in the "Wangan Dead Heat" sidestory (e.g. "Rapid Fire" for the "Nissan Skyline GT-R R33"). These "types" are actually the real chassis code used by the Japanese makers to designate the various grades of a lineup. As the graphics quality was improving with each release, from 16-bit 2D to 3D/CG 128-bit, the featured cars were becoming more and more similar to the actual cars appearance. In a similar way, the chassis codes became longer and more precise, allowing the player to determine each grade and to use the "rename car" feature. Inevitably, the game becoming a solid best seller, the Japanese makers forced Genki to buy the license of their cars. The very first Genki licensed game was Wangan Midnight for PlayStation 2 (28.03.2002), while the first licensed "Shutokō Battle" was Shutokō Battle Online released on PC, the 9th of January 2003. Since then, every Genki racing game uses licensed makers, and ingame cars with Honda chassis codes don't appear anymore in the Shutokō Battle games (However, Honda is licensed in the Kaido Battle series).
In the western release of the Dreamcast game, Banshee's controversial forehead tattooed Hindu swastika was removed.
Release
Shutokou Battle became one of the top selling Dreamcast titles after its Japanese launch. As a reservation privilege of this game, Japanese die-cast modelscompany, Tomica, released a limited edition of Banshee's NSX in 1999.
Legacy
Tokyo Xtreme Racer spawned a number of sequels, most notably Tokyo Xtreme Racer 2, also for the Dreamcast, and further entries on the PlayStation 2 and Game Boy Advance. The Tokyo Xtreme Racer name did not stick, however - the Xbox 360's Shutokou Battle X became Import Tuner Challenge and another Shutokou Battle for the PlayStation Portable became Street Supremacy.
Versions
Localised names
| Language | Localised Name | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| English | Tokyo Highway Challenge | Tokyo Highway Challenge |
| English (US) | Tokyo Xtreme Racer | Tokyo Xtreme Racer |
| Japanese | 首都高バトル | Shutokou Battle |
Production credits
Japanese version
- Producer: Tomo Kimura
- Director: Shigeo Koyama
- Car Design Lead: Noriyuki Sanada
- Car Design: Ai Azuma, Jun Suzuki
- Assistant Car Design: Rainosuke Hirao, Tatsuo Asai
- Car Design Advisor: Tsunemi Akiyama
- Course Design Lead: Choushuu Minami
- Course Design: Nobuyuki Suzuki
- Assistant Course Design: Kentarou Noguchi, Mika Urushiyama
- Building Design: Yukiko Iwasaki
- 2D Design: Hiroshi Fujimoto, Kinji Sato
- Visual Direction: Manabu Tamura
- Lead Programmer: Shigeo Koyama
- Vehicle Motion: Kenji Shimizu
- Car Collisions: Toshiyuki Kobori
- Course & Visual Effects: Wataru Minegishi
- 2D & Effects: Yuji Kitajima
- 2D & Sound: Haggy
- Car Control & Peripherals: Yasuhiro Nomura
- Fine-Tuning: Yoshinari Sunazuka, Satoshi Ishii
- Lead Design: Kiyotaka Naoi
- Game System: Daizo Harada
- Design Advisor: Takashi Hoshino
- Music & Sound Effect: Tomoyuki Kawamura, K-UNIT, Mika Matsuzaki
- Composition: Rock'n'Banana
- Composition: T's Music
- Music By Ziggy: "Without...", "Konosora no shita no dokokani"
- Promotions Manager: Manami Kuroda
- Promotions Assistant: Mitsuyoshi Kubota
- Manual Design: Terumi Shibata
- Sales Manager: Tsuyoshi Nagano
- Sales Assistant: Keiichi Kadomasu
- Special Thanks: Masaaki Bandoh, Auto Freak, SMEJ Associated Records, Noboru Ube, Masaki Honma, Yoshiyuki Awano, Atsuo Takayasu, Powered by DODA
- General Coordination: Tsutomu Hagiwara
- Executive Producer: Hiroshi Hamagaki
Shutokō Battle
Genki
©1999 Genki Co.,Ltd.
Other version
- Executive Producer: Mike Arkin
- Associate Producer: Chris Scaglione
Magazine articles
- Main article: Tokyo Xtreme Racer/Magazine articles.
Promotional material
also published in:
- Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #124: "November 1999" (1999-10-05)[6]
- Official Dreamcast Magazine (US) #2: "November 1999" (1999-10-05)[7]
also published in:
- Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #127: "February 2000" (2000-01-11)[8]
Physical scans
 |
60 |
|---|---|
| Based on 31 reviews | |
| Dreamcast, US |
|---|
  Cover
|
 Disc  Inlay |
| Dreamcast, EU |
|---|
  Cover
|
 Disc |
| Dreamcast, JP |
|---|
  Cover
|
External links
- Sega of Japan catalogue pages (Japanese): Dreamcast
References
- ↑ Press release: 1999-09-02: Sega Dreamcast Launch Titles and Peripherals
- ↑ File:DreamcastMagazine UK 03.pdf, page 7
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 File:DreamcastMonthly UK 03.pdf, page 71 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name ":File:DreamcastMonthly UK 03.pdf_p71" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 File:ROD ES 01.pdf, page 39 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name ":File:ROD ES 01.pdf_p39" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ File:Hyper AU 076.pdf, page 68
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "November 1999" (US; 1999-10-05), page 91
- ↑ Official Dreamcast Magazine, "November 1999" (US; 1999-10-05), page 41
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "February 2000" (US; 2000-01-11), page 67
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 File:Arcade UK 11.pdf, page 94 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name ":File:Arcade UK 11.pdf_p94" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ File:DCM_JP_19990702_1999-21.pdf, page 17
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 File:Dorimaga JP 20021011 2002-18.pdf, page 34 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name ":File:Dorimaga JP 20021011 2002-18.pdf_p34" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ File:DreamcastMagazine UK 03.pdf, page 64
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 File:Edge UK 075.pdf, page 87 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name ":File:Edge UK 075.pdf_p87" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ File:MAN!AC DE 1999-11.pdf, page 76
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 File:PlayerOne FR 102.pdf, page 124 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name ":File:PlayerOne FR 102.pdf_p124" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Consoles +, "Août 1999" (FR; 1999-0x-xx), page 96
- ↑ Dreamcast: Le Magazine Officiel, "Octobre/Novembre 1999" (FR; 1999-xx-xx), page 101
- ↑ Dreamcast: Das Offizielle Magazin, "November 1999" (DE; 1999-11-11), page 52
- ↑ Dreamcast Magazine, "1999-21 (1999-07-02)" (JP; 1999-06-18), page 17
- ↑ Dreamcast Magazine, "No. 3" (UK; 1999-11-25), page 64
- ↑ Dreamzone, "Decembre 1999" (FR; 1999-11-16), page 110
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "October 1999" (US; 1999-09-07), page 220
- ↑ Entsiklopediya igr dlya Dreamcast, "Izdaniye chetvertoye, dopolnennoye" (RU; 2002-xx-xx), page 271
- ↑ Famitsu, "1999-07-02" (JP; 1999-06-18), page 31
- ↑ Fun Generation, "11/99" (DE; 1999-10-13), page 86
- ↑ GamePro, "October 1999" (US; 1999-xx-xx), page 149
- ↑ GamesMaster, "Christmas 1999" (UK; 1999-11-29), page 68
- ↑ Gen 4 Consoles, "Novembre 99" (FR; 1999-xx-xx), page 132
- ↑ Game Informer, "October 1999" (US; 1999-xx-xx), page 83
- ↑ Gamers' Republic, "September 1999" (US; 1999-08-10), page 28
- ↑ MAN!AC, "11/99" (DE; 1999-10-06), page 92
- ↑ Neo Plus, "Grudzień 1999" (PL; 1999-xx-xx), page 34
- ↑ Next Generation, "September 1999" (US; 1999-08-17), page 86
- ↑ neXt Level, "September 1999" (DE; 1999-08-06), page 25
- ↑ neXt Level, "November 1999" (DE; 1999-10-08), page 42
- ↑ Official Dreamcast Magazine, "November 1999" (UK; 1999-09-30), page 95
- ↑ Official Dreamcast Magazine, "November 1999" (US; 1999-10-05), page 113
- ↑ Play, "Listopad 2001" (PL; 2001-xx-xx), page 44
- ↑ Sega Magazin, "September 1999" (DE; 1999-08-04), page 14
- ↑ Video Games, "10/99 It's Dreamcast Time supplement" (DE; 1999-09-22), page 11
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