Tokyo Xtreme Racer series

[nimitz]

I recently "rediscovered" those games, and I can say I'm really amazed at how good they are...especially TXR2.


I read some stuff about the series on other mainstream forums and people seems to enjoy the ps2 games better (zero, 3). But after playing both TXR 2 (DC) and TXR ZERO (PS2), I really can't understand why the dreamcast one isn't unanimously considered vastly superior.


Which one do you guys like the most?

[gundamalpha]

TXR3 lets you race in 3 cities, more cars to choose from. My favourite TXR by far.

[nZero]

TXR2 takes top honors from me as well, amazingly well put-together racing/RPG game and one of my all-time favorites

My experience is that between TXR2 and TXR0, whichever one someone played first ends up being their favorite. I'm all about TXR2 (and still like Zero quite a bit) while my friend is the opposite.

TXR3 lets you race in 3 cities, more cars to choose from. My favourite TXR by far.

Too bad you can't actually finish TXR3 without a cheat device. Having the Osaka kanjou-sen and wangan-sen is a nice addition I guess.

[P_HAT]

TXR 2 is my favorite race game.
Spend so many hours for it.

Too bad you can't actually finish TXR3 without a cheat device.

?

[D]

I played the hell out of II for DC. Never really completed it. Too vague conditions nearing the end. Need too much time to build up a car.
I have the last one for PS2, played it twice due to:
Battle Gear 3
Battle Gear 2
Initial D
being better IMHO. Some might say apples and eggs.

[nimitz]

My experience is that between TXR2 and TXR0, whichever one someone played first ends up being their favorite. I'm all about TXR2 (and still like Zero quite a bit) while my friend is the opposite.

What are the things TXR zero has over TXR2?

I mean, graphically it doesn't even compare, then you have the models in the ps2 version that have some big proportion issues, the sense of speed is completely lost at low or medium speeds (say under 130mph), the physics are a huge step back (Is this a boat or a car), the sfx seems a bit worse.

The other aspects like the hud, the music, the tracks (highways) are pretty similar in both versions.

I guess the only thing left going for TXRZ is the selection of cars?

[nZero]

Too bad you can't actually finish TXR3 without a cheat device.

?

In the North American localization, you can never acquire enough money to make one of the wanderers appear, so you can never race the (incredibly lame) last boss and finish the game.

What are the things TXR zero has over TXR2?

I mean, graphically it doesn't even compare, then you have the models in the ps2 version that have some big proportion issues, the sense of speed is completely lost at low or medium speeds (say under 130mph), the physics are a huge step back (Is this a boat or a car), the sfx seems a bit worse.

The other aspects like the hud, the music, the tracks (highways) are pretty similar in both versions.

I guess the only thing left going for TXRZ is the selection of cars?

TXRZ does have a slightly longer car list, but unless you have to have the 2001 revision of a TXR2 car or the MkIII Supra you're not missing much. There are some extra wanderers and the bosses get custom cars, but no Keep Garage mode which kind of changes how replay value is derived since you have to do everything in a single run as opposed to 3+ jaunts through TXR2 needed to see/do/get everything. There are some extra customization elements in TXR0, like the colored brake calipers, much larger selection of wheels, and the annoying-to-get final full-race engine/body upgrades.

Graphically, I'd say the PS2 game has better lighting (cars look less plastic more metallic, dynamic shadows, better headlight effect) and some more model detail (e.g. - added rollcage for body tune) but in just about every other way you're right, it doesn't compare well. It's also a prime example of why not to do field rendering if you can't guarantee 100% 60fps. Music is better in TXR0 imo, a lot of remixes from the original TXR. Physics... the driving model in Zero isn't as solid as TXR2 imo, but they did at least try to implement things like "tires not glued to the road" and better models for wheelspin and oversteer.

[louisg]

If I didn't care for TXR1, should I try 2? I thought the controls were kind of floaty and slow.. but maybe that's just because my initial car sucked

[nimitz]

If I didn't care for TXR1, should I try 2? I thought the controls were kind of floaty and slow.. but maybe that's just because my initial car sucked

Most definitely, 1 and 2 are worlds apart.

[Zeether]

I have 3 and Zero, and 3 is all right aside from not being able to complete it without cheating...and the physics as well, which are a little floaty. Zero's good but I wish it had the SP bar "nullification" when you're close to an opponent that's in 3 and the later games.

I saw videos of Import Tuner Challenge (which is also part of the series) and it looks quite good. I think the in car view looks nice and the headlight and tail light "blur" effect they used is cool. Also you can do Time Attack battles which are more like what you'd have in Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune (set start/finish distance and you have to be in 1st when you hit finish)

[PepsimanVsJoe]

-Biggest bummer about Import Tuner Challenge is that it runs at 30 FPS. That and the content was definitely scaled back(back to one city again instead of three for example)
-Favorite soundtrack is TXR1's by far. Dunno what the hell happened in TXR2, 3, and 360.
-I could never get into TXR2 originally because for one reason or another I couldn't make any decent progress. It felt like a massive grind and even the supposedly easy races required many retries. It's weird too cause I didn't have any problems with either of the other three games.
-TXR3 ditched the traffic. What I mean is the everyday traffic. While there are trucks that appear on the road they seem to be the type that would usually appear in an organized race. This completely destroyed the atmosphere for me.
-Still put 40+ hours into it. Unfortunately I got hit with a freeze bug near the end and was never able to beat the final few races. Guess that wouldn't have mattered anyway since I didn't have a cheat device.
-There's also a lot about TXR3 that annoyed the heck out of me. The weather was a cool effect but after awhile I'd find myself reloading zones until I got one where it wasn't raining. Also cars overheating after extended periods of driving. I guess this was done to balance the chain effect(win multiple races in a row for extra cash) as well as the turbo but uh...it didn't do anything for me.

[Zeether]

The overheating is present in the earlier games too. In Zero driving too long with turbo boost on HIGH will cause smoke to pour out of the exhaust and your car's speed will drop.

[D]

overheating is also present in Wangan Midnight for ps3.
made by Genki as well. It can kinda be considered a Tokyo Xtreme racer as well.

[Zeether]

Yeah, Wangan PS3 has an "Engine" meter that fills up and you have to decrease it by braking or letting off the accelerator a bit if it gets too high.

[D]

Yeah, Wangan PS3 has an "Engine" meter that fills up and you have to decrease it by braking or letting off the accelerator a bit if it gets too high.

Will braking decrease it more than releasing accelerator?
I haven´t played it in ages.
I remember playing onlne when it came out and the online guys had way superior vehicles. that was not fun.
max 4 players if I remember correctly. I wonder if the server is even still online.
http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/935676-wangan-midnight
One of those games I really need a faq or cheat for.

[nimitz]

I gave Zero and 3 a little bit more time to make sure I didn't judge too quickly. Turns out 3 had potential but there is a lot of little annoying things that somewhat ruin the whole.

-No Hondas (not that I'm a big fan or anything, but this is a huge chunk of ubiquitous cars completely missing)
-Atrocious music, It's best to turn it off completely.
-Realistic traffic is gone, not only all you see is that yellow truck, but it seems there are fewer overall, so less traffic dodging.
-Way too easy, you don't have to think if you stand a chance before racing anymore, you just win 99% of the time.
-Awful A.I. even if you are racing a car that is way better than yours on every aspect, you still stand a good chance of winning simply because the A.I. keeps crashing every other turn.
-Bouncing off walls and cars is now a good strategy, unlike 2 where hitting a wall will pretty much ruin your race, this is a major problem for me.

Basically all these things added together make the game lose that realistic feel TXR2 had, it just feels like another racing game. Nothing do to with the level of immersion you get from playing 2.

I'll do a quick rundown of zero later...

[Zeether]

Zero has Hondas (thanks to Genki using cryptic chassis-code based names before actually getting licensing rights)

Also, the yellow HiAce vans in 3 can fuck you up sometimes if one decides to jam up a lane in a tight turn. And yeah, the AI crashes a lot on the turns. Easy way to beat bosses though, plus you can knock them into a van or the wall if you're good

I guess I like 3 because it lets you do more stuff like engine swaps and making custom decals, but it sacrifices a chunk of good stuff too. The music is kind of crap though. Nagoya's music is okay but the rest blows. Zero and 2 have way better tunes, especially Ride Ride Ride (one of the free roam tracks)

[gabe]

I've spent an embarrassing amount of time on 1 and 2... I TXR2 is one of my favorite racers on the DC. That's impressive when you consider some of the competition.

[D]

What competition?
Ferrari F355, great sim, played it a lot, but not as much as TXR2
Daytone, cool old school racing game. But not something you play for hours on end.
txr1, played it a bit, but I had txr2 first, so txr1 was a big step back.
TXR2 has been played more on the dc by me than all other dc games combined. (I dunno if that is true, but you get my point.)

[Zeether]

If I get my hands on a DC TXR2 will be one of the games I will track down.

[KBZ]

I really tried several times to like this game but... I just don't get it! I'm a big fan of Vanishing Point, huge even! But going to this game makes me wonder what the big deal is. The cars look great, but all you get to look at are the same exits and overpasses over and over again. The environment never really changes. Maybe I just don't understand street racing culture. =/

[Zeether]

It's supposed to be a depiction of Japan's Shuto Expressway at night. Street racers used to be abundant there (not as much anymore I bet, although they probably still have parking area meet ups)

[nimitz]

It's supposed to be a depiction of Japan's Shuto Expressway at night.

A pretty damn accurate one too...practically the same. The main difference is that some of the curves that are accentuated to make it more interesting.

A lot of the game's appeal is the "immersion" aspect. You really get some rush when dodging traffic through "s" curves at 160mph while trying to outrun your opponent who's catching up...Add to that the fact that 160mph in this game actually feels close to that (in first-person mode that is), unlike most racing games.

Cars and mods are very expensive and you get to really know your car and tune it carefully to get the most out of it. This is also lost in many racing games.

[Zeether]

I also like the little effects they add like the exhaust backfiring on the cars. In Zero, if you're hitting the brakes hard and you watch a replay you can see the brake rotors glowing red. I know Forza has that but it's cool to see it in use in a game before Forza.

[austere]

Shutokou battle as well as the sequel for the DC are the only driving games I have played to completion. I'm glad you noticed the DC version's superiority as well.

[D]

DC version supports 480p
Ps2 version not

[m.sniffles.esq]

It RETURNS

[orange808]

Looks like a PC release to start with. That makes it easier to self publish. Hopefully, Genki still has some of their original staff.

Hard to be enthusiastic, though. Let's hope it's a true entry in the series and not multiplayer micro transaction shovelware.

[Arino]

TL;DR which ones should I get please? Which versions and for which platforms? Please!

[m.sniffles.esq]

TL;DR which ones should I get please? Which versions and for which platforms? Please!

2 on Dreamcast is real, real good
(I've had a game going for the past 7-8 years that I dip in and out of)