Where the fuck are my fucking Shutoko Battle games?

[Sho Nuff]

So Mr Singh was driving my ass around last night

[youtube=560,345]FUowYKTChjk[/youtube]

and I was all like "Hey, what in the hell happened to Shutoko Battle (Tokyo Xtreme Racer) games? Genki used to be pooping them out like there was no tomorrow and now there's nothing."

These games were fucking awesome. They had cool atmosphere, awesome music and real cars. They kind of got crappier once they went legit (official car sponsors, highway traffic replaced with "pace cars," etc) but they were still god damn badass.

I vaguely remember Genki making Wangan Midnight and Yuzo Koshiro doing the soundtrack -- are any of those games in the same open-world racing vein or am I screwed?

[Himu]

that's a beautiful bridge

[cool breeze]

A Wangan Midnight game was released on the PS3 but I think it was different than the arcades (Maximum Tune 2 ).

I'm surprised there isn't a TXR on the PS3 or 360 yet.  It would be a great XBLA game, actually.

wait, apparently there was one on the 360 called Import Tuner Challenge 

wtf, they released the Kaido drift games in America too? I'm so out of the loop

[Mr. Gundam]

I thought about getting the PS3 version of Wangan Midnight while I was in Japan, but picked up Initial D instead. I'm still interested in getting it... anyone play it?

[Bebpo]

I think Initial D's success killed it.  From what I can tell Wagan was basically taking Shutoku and making it Initial D style.

A Wangan Midnight game was released on the PS3 but I think it was different than the arcades (Maximum Tune 2 ).

I'm surprised there isn't a TXR on the PS3 or 360 yet.  It would be a great XBLA game, actually.

wait, apparently there was one on the 360 called Import Tuner Challenge 

wtf, they released the Kaido drift games in America too? I'm so out of the loop

Yeah I got the Shutoku X360 one.  It was ok, but it definitely felt like the series was going further and further downhill like Sho Nuff says.  I remember when I first played the franchise on DC it blew my mind, when I played the X360 version it put me to sleep :|

[pilonv1]

Dreamcast versions were ahead of their time.

[cool breeze]

I think Initial D's success killed it.  From what I can tell Wagan was basically taking Shutoku and making it Initial D style.

A Wangan Midnight game was released on the PS3 but I think it was different than the arcades (Maximum Tune 2 ).

I'm surprised there isn't a TXR on the PS3 or 360 yet.  It would be a great XBLA game, actually.

wait, apparently there was one on the 360 called Import Tuner Challenge 

wtf, they released the Kaido drift games in America too? I'm so out of the loop

Yeah I got the Shutoku X360 one.  It was ok, but it definitely felt like the series was going further and further downhill like Sho Nuff says.  I remember when I first played the franchise on DC it blew my mind, when I played the X360 version it put me to sleep :|

Not sure what you mean by making it Initial D style.  Maximum Tune 2 is still similar to TXR just made all around faster because it is an arcade game.

I haven't played Maximum Tune 3 or whatever came after 2, but if I ever had the money and room, I would totally buy a maximum tune 2 machine.

[Sho Nuff]

I just checked the 360 one -- looks like dogshit and runs at 30fps. WTF?

Kind of tempted to pick up Maximum Tune while I am here in Japan. Apparently Yuzo does NOT do the soundtrack for it though    But it is in the Greatest Hits series so it will probably be cheap.

[Cormacaroni]

Dude, I'm 99% certain we played the 360 one at your place. Was that a loaner from work or something? Maybe you just forgot.

[Sho Nuff]

Ahhhhhhh yeah, I vaguely remember watching Hot Stack play it at mine, I must have borrowed it from the company library.

[bork]

I still have nightmares about the PSP Shutokou Battle.   

IIRC, the PS3 Wangan Midnight game is basically Shutokou Battle with a story mode.  I owned it for like a day; it wasn't for me and I sold it off immediately.

[MrSingh]

Dreamcast Shutokou Battle was the best! Ever since I played that game, I've always had dreams of racing on the Shutokou..... And real life driving on the Shutokou and Wangan highways does not disappoint! Call me crazy but that's nothing better than going behind some ricer mobile and flashing your headlights at them!!

[ferrarimanf355]

I just checked the 360 one -- looks like dogshit and runs at 30fps. WTF?

Kind of tempted to pick up Maximum Tune while I am here in Japan. Apparently Yuzo does NOT do the soundtrack for it though    But it is in the Greatest Hits series so it will probably be cheap.

I think the PS3 game is totally different from the arcade game. The PS3 game was made by Genki, though.

I'd rather play the arcade version, though. I have a WMMT3 card with Story Mode cleared. I'm going to work on the 10 outrun battles when I find a machine near me.

[bork]

I just checked the 360 one -- looks like dogshit and runs at 30fps. WTF?

Kind of tempted to pick up Maximum Tune while I am here in Japan. Apparently Yuzo does NOT do the soundtrack for it though    But it is in the Greatest Hits series so it will probably be cheap.

I think the PS3 game is totally different from the arcade game. The PS3 game was made by Genki, though.

I'd rather play the arcade version, though. I have a WMMT3 card with Story Mode cleared. I'm going to work on the 10 outrun battles when I find a machine near me.

Right, I just said this two posts up-- the PS3 version is Shutokou Battle with a story mode from Wangan Midnight.  The feel is the same.

[originalz]

I think that they still make new versions of the game for cell phones.

Although the Maximum Tune games aren't fantastic, they're decent enough to be worth playing.  Maximum Tune 3DX+ was recently released, added Fukuoka and some other shit, solid game although the graphics are really starting to look old.

The PS3 version of Initial D is based on arcade version 4, which is the worst in the series, they really need to make a new one for a home console.

They need to revive the Battle Gear games!  I always liked that series.

[tiesto]

Never played these games but always loved the soundtracks. Koshiro is at his best when he's doing edm.....

[ferrarimanf355]

I think that they still make new versions of the game for cell phones.

Although the Maximum Tune games aren't fantastic, they're decent enough to be worth playing.  Maximum Tune 3DX+ was recently released, added Fukuoka and some other shit, solid game although the graphics are really starting to look old.

The PS3 version of Initial D is based on arcade version 4, which is the worst in the series, they really need to make a new one for a home console.

They need to revive the Battle Gear games!  I always liked that series.

Maximum Tune 3 has some ludicrous amounts of pop-up. There were a few buildings that popped up in front of me as I drove by them!

And isn't there supposed to be a Maximum Tune 3DX++ coming out? This is like Super Street Fighter II Turbo Hyper Ultra Extreme Edition all over again. 

[jiji]

Which one of these is the best to pick up if I want to get into them? #2 for Dreamcast, maybe?

[Bebpo]

In a perfect world I would recommend MrSingh Shutoko Battle because going by the OP it has awesome true-to-life 3d graphics with great textures and lighting.  Really gives a "you are there" feeling for driving in Japan.

In the world that actually exists I'd probably go with one of the DC ones that isn't the first one.  I think #2 was indeed the one I got the most mileage on.