Tokyo Xtreme Racer 2
I've talked at length before about how much I love racing games of all sorts. I've also talked about how much I enjoyed the zen-like simplicity of Tokyo Xtreme Racer for the Dreamcast. So of course, when a sequel was released less than a year later, you can be assured that I purchased it without question and you can also rest assured that I played it like one might eat and breathe.
To sum it up again, Tokyo Xtreme Racer is unlike any other racing game out there. Once you enter the 'track', which is highway loop in Japan, you don't stop driving until you feel like turning off the game. And even when you do, you can drive until you find a highway exit and take the off ramp.
The only exception is when you enter the menu to change cars, purchase new ones, or upgrade your existing ride. And even then, the car is rendered rolling on the highway only stopping if you pause the action to view your rims, or the like. Racing is done between you and your rivals, amongst traffic, on the highway. You power along the highway loop at night (a few kilometers worth) until you find another racer. If you feel that you can take him or her on in a race, you flash your high-beams at that car and it initiates the race. The race itself is all about who can keep the lead the longest. Each car starts with a 'life bar' or time bar, the longer you stay in front of the opposing car, the more his car's time bar goes down. The further the distance between the two of you, the faster it goes down. All the time you are weaving in and out of nighttime traffic (which isn't too much) and enjoying the calm sights of the streetlights and lit buildings that fly by.
Racing is one thing, collecting cars and upgrading them to your liking is another. Being able to change out certain components simply for looks and others for handling and speed is a real enjoyable part of this game. The car list is also fantastic. Though not having any real licensed vehicles, it's obvious what the 'Type-NA1' or '3000GTS' is supposed to be and the game features a wide range of delicious Japanese automobiles.
The other fantastic part of this game, as I've mentioned before, is of course, the zen-like enjoyment I get from simply driving around on the highway at night. It's calming and if you can manage to pull off some high-speed driving around the circuit, all the time avoiding traffic, it's internally rewarding. I could do it for hours.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Tokyo Xtreme Racer deserves a new sequel. Though it's hard to justify, since there are so many new open-world racers like Need For Speed: Most Wanted that also allow you to simply drive around, none of them have the calming feel of TXR.
I just want my TXR back.
I've talked at length before about how much I love racing games of all sorts. I've also talked about how much I enjoyed the zen-like simplicity of Tokyo Xtreme Racer for the Dreamcast. So of course, when a sequel was released less than a year later, you can be assured that I purchased it without question and you can also rest assured that I played it like one might eat and breathe. To sum it up again, Tokyo Xtreme Racer is unlike any other racing game out there. Once you enter the 'track', which is highway loop in Japan, you don't stop driving until you feel like turning off the game. And even when you do, you can drive until you find a highway exit and take the off ramp.
The only exception is when you enter the menu to change cars, purchase new ones, or upgrade your existing ride. And even then, the car is rendered rolling on the highway only stopping if you pause the action to view your rims, or the like. Racing is done between you and your rivals, amongst traffic, on the highway. You power along the highway loop at night (a few kilometers worth) until you find another racer. If you feel that you can take him or her on in a race, you flash your high-beams at that car and it initiates the race. The race itself is all about who can keep the lead the longest. Each car starts with a 'life bar' or time bar, the longer you stay in front of the opposing car, the more his car's time bar goes down. The further the distance between the two of you, the faster it goes down. All the time you are weaving in and out of nighttime traffic (which isn't too much) and enjoying the calm sights of the streetlights and lit buildings that fly by.
Racing is one thing, collecting cars and upgrading them to your liking is another. Being able to change out certain components simply for looks and others for handling and speed is a real enjoyable part of this game. The car list is also fantastic. Though not having any real licensed vehicles, it's obvious what the 'Type-NA1' or '3000GTS' is supposed to be and the game features a wide range of delicious Japanese automobiles.
The other fantastic part of this game, as I've mentioned before, is of course, the zen-like enjoyment I get from simply driving around on the highway at night. It's calming and if you can manage to pull off some high-speed driving around the circuit, all the time avoiding traffic, it's internally rewarding. I could do it for hours.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Tokyo Xtreme Racer deserves a new sequel. Though it's hard to justify, since there are so many new open-world racers like Need For Speed: Most Wanted that also allow you to simply drive around, none of them have the calming feel of TXR.
I just want my TXR back.
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