Tokyo Xtreme Racer: Zero
Genki's third game in the series hits the PS2, and it's a blast. Come on in for the full run-down.
Published: July 6, 2001
By now everyone's probably at least heard - if not actually heard with their ears, then heard about -- the import craze. Kids all over the US, the world even, are picking up the practice of taking their cars, no matter whether or not they actually can be supped up to racing level, and kitting them out until they neither resemble nor perform in the same way they did when they rolled off the assembly line.
While here in the US, it's common to see lower-end cars like Civics and Preludes kitted out, in Japan it's a completely different story. Japan knows how to make a sports car, they've been doing it for years, and so when it comes time for Little Billy Racer to hit the streets, his options for a good racing base are much, much better than here. Cars like the Nissan Skyline and the Mazda RX-7 already have the guts to at least try to keep up with some of the other cars on the road.
But then, racing a car with all stock innards just isn't racing is it? This is where Genki and Crave got smart. The first two Tokyo Xtreme games did a fantastic job of offering players decent cars, but let them change everything about them, down to the most minute detail. Alas, these games were stuck on the Dreamcast, and PlayStation 2 fans were left out in the cold. That is, until now. With TXR Zero, gamers not only get a PlayStation 2 version of the game, but they get the best one, hands down.
If you haven't been brought up to speed on the gameplay behind Zero, it's pretty simple, really. Racers take to the wonderfully modeled highways of Tokyo (I actually ended up recognizing some video of the Tokyo freeways after playing the first game) every night (or rather every morning), challenging worthy-looking opponents to races by sliding up behind them and flashing their high beams. Once the challenge is accepted, "heath" bars appear at the top of the screen a la Street Fighter, and the racers take off. The farther ahead of your opponent, the faster their bar depletes, and vice versa. There's also the option to toggle on and off damage penalties, so the days of slamming into a wall head-first, only to bounce back on track unscathed are gone. I found myself using this to my advantage, and often raced dirty by slamming the opponent into a car or guardrail and zooming off to claim my cash prize for the win.
Am I a dirty driver? In a word, no. When playing games like GT3, I'll rarely "use" an opponent to take a turn, but in Zero, it seems like more fair game. See, Zero is really freakin' hard when you first start off, and the only way to really gain any money is to wait for a hole, punch through it, and then use whatever technique possible to keep the other guy behind you. If that means introducing him to that 18 wheeler's rear bumper, so be it. After all, the AI racers are nowhere near above putting you in the same position.
Speaking of AI, I have to extend much thanks to the guys over at Genki for making the game so much less of a hair-pulling experience. In previous games, it wasn't uncommon for the computer-controlled sequences (when a racer accepts a challenge, a small count down occurs where both cars are controlled by the computer) to slam you right into a wall or send you swerving from side to side for no real reason. This has thankfully been almost completely nipped, although there was a few rare cases where I still saw it happen - often to the computer car. Once you take off, though, it's interesting to see the AI assume different styles. Some cars are needlessly aggressive, and will charge into whatever opening they find, even if it means plowing you to the side in the process, while others will simply hang back and wait patiently. There's not a TON of diversity in racing styles, but at least there's something tangible. There are still AI "bugs" though that are easily exploited. For instance, every car, and I do mean EVERY car will brake on corners, even miniscule ones. In most cases, this is a welcome break, because so many of these cars smoke you off the line that it's not even a race so much as a case of follow the leader.
AI goofs aside, Zero it still the best-playing version of the game out there, and arguably the best looking. The PS2's knack for lighting shines through in Zero, bathing the cars in a light that just didn't quite look the same way on the Dreamcast. Of course, there's still the issue of interlace flicker and slight aliasing, but it's nothing to get worked up over, the Dreamcase just did a better job at making everything look smoother. This also included the textures, however, and there's something nice about the way the PS2 slaps ultra-sharp textures on things without blurring them down too much. The end effect is something of a super-sharp version of what you saw on the Dreamcast. Not better, really, just sharper.
It's nice to see a little more variety in the cars, though, and they're easily the best looking models in the series. While playing with my roommate, a confessed "ricer," he was able to rattle off the car models without batting an eye, an impressive feat considering the cars have names that read more like a police lineup than something you'd see in a showroom. The cars are sparsely textured, but with as much detail as the car models boast, it's not much of an issue. When you do earn the logos of the different gangs by beating all their members, you can tack on the logo to your car.
The real changes to the car, however, are added with polygons, not texture swaps. See, the appeal of Zero to import racers everywhere won't be the amazing physics or the mind-blowing graphics; it'll be the available options for customizing the appearance of their machines. When you have a list of literally over 100 different rims, you know there's a wee bit of variety. Bumpers, headlights, hoods, grills, mufflers, spoilers, brakes, and more can be picked out and tacked on to offer a little something different for the unlucky chump that decides to pick the same ride as you. Hell, you can even customize the [I]side view mirrors[I] if the stock ones don't suit you.
The music seems to mesh well with the crowd it's aimed it, offering alternating mixes of rock and ambient drum loops, sometimes melding them together for a song or two, but usually keeping them segregated enough to keep things ear pleasing. The music is hardly memorable, but it won't annoy either. Likewise the sound effects aren't going to bring anyone to tears, but they do their job admirably. Engine roars sound clean, tires squeal accordingly, and everything just comes off as aurally... complete. Not superlative in any way, but lot lacking.
Nobody will confuse Zero with GT3, that much is obvious, but then the games aren't really aimed at the same niche. GT3 will appeal the hardcore gearhead while Tokyo Xtreme Zero shoots for the importer. The guy that could care less about how well a Mustang could stand up to a Viper. The guy that would plop down $750 for a new custom rear view. The guy that--well you get the idea. If you've harbored any deep down desires to scream around the streets of Tokyo in the wee hours of the morning, Crave and Genki are giving you the opportunity, and you won't end up $80K in the hole in the process.
While here in the US, it's common to see lower-end cars like Civics and Preludes kitted out, in Japan it's a completely different story. Japan knows how to make a sports car, they've been doing it for years, and so when it comes time for Little Billy Racer to hit the streets, his options for a good racing base are much, much better than here. Cars like the Nissan Skyline and the Mazda RX-7 already have the guts to at least try to keep up with some of the other cars on the road.
But then, racing a car with all stock innards just isn't racing is it? This is where Genki and Crave got smart. The first two Tokyo Xtreme games did a fantastic job of offering players decent cars, but let them change everything about them, down to the most minute detail. Alas, these games were stuck on the Dreamcast, and PlayStation 2 fans were left out in the cold. That is, until now. With TXR Zero, gamers not only get a PlayStation 2 version of the game, but they get the best one, hands down.
If you haven't been brought up to speed on the gameplay behind Zero, it's pretty simple, really. Racers take to the wonderfully modeled highways of Tokyo (I actually ended up recognizing some video of the Tokyo freeways after playing the first game) every night (or rather every morning), challenging worthy-looking opponents to races by sliding up behind them and flashing their high beams. Once the challenge is accepted, "heath" bars appear at the top of the screen a la Street Fighter, and the racers take off. The farther ahead of your opponent, the faster their bar depletes, and vice versa. There's also the option to toggle on and off damage penalties, so the days of slamming into a wall head-first, only to bounce back on track unscathed are gone. I found myself using this to my advantage, and often raced dirty by slamming the opponent into a car or guardrail and zooming off to claim my cash prize for the win.
Am I a dirty driver? In a word, no. When playing games like GT3, I'll rarely "use" an opponent to take a turn, but in Zero, it seems like more fair game. See, Zero is really freakin' hard when you first start off, and the only way to really gain any money is to wait for a hole, punch through it, and then use whatever technique possible to keep the other guy behind you. If that means introducing him to that 18 wheeler's rear bumper, so be it. After all, the AI racers are nowhere near above putting you in the same position.
Speaking of AI, I have to extend much thanks to the guys over at Genki for making the game so much less of a hair-pulling experience. In previous games, it wasn't uncommon for the computer-controlled sequences (when a racer accepts a challenge, a small count down occurs where both cars are controlled by the computer) to slam you right into a wall or send you swerving from side to side for no real reason. This has thankfully been almost completely nipped, although there was a few rare cases where I still saw it happen - often to the computer car. Once you take off, though, it's interesting to see the AI assume different styles. Some cars are needlessly aggressive, and will charge into whatever opening they find, even if it means plowing you to the side in the process, while others will simply hang back and wait patiently. There's not a TON of diversity in racing styles, but at least there's something tangible. There are still AI "bugs" though that are easily exploited. For instance, every car, and I do mean EVERY car will brake on corners, even miniscule ones. In most cases, this is a welcome break, because so many of these cars smoke you off the line that it's not even a race so much as a case of follow the leader.
AI goofs aside, Zero it still the best-playing version of the game out there, and arguably the best looking. The PS2's knack for lighting shines through in Zero, bathing the cars in a light that just didn't quite look the same way on the Dreamcast. Of course, there's still the issue of interlace flicker and slight aliasing, but it's nothing to get worked up over, the Dreamcase just did a better job at making everything look smoother. This also included the textures, however, and there's something nice about the way the PS2 slaps ultra-sharp textures on things without blurring them down too much. The end effect is something of a super-sharp version of what you saw on the Dreamcast. Not better, really, just sharper.
It's nice to see a little more variety in the cars, though, and they're easily the best looking models in the series. While playing with my roommate, a confessed "ricer," he was able to rattle off the car models without batting an eye, an impressive feat considering the cars have names that read more like a police lineup than something you'd see in a showroom. The cars are sparsely textured, but with as much detail as the car models boast, it's not much of an issue. When you do earn the logos of the different gangs by beating all their members, you can tack on the logo to your car.
The real changes to the car, however, are added with polygons, not texture swaps. See, the appeal of Zero to import racers everywhere won't be the amazing physics or the mind-blowing graphics; it'll be the available options for customizing the appearance of their machines. When you have a list of literally over 100 different rims, you know there's a wee bit of variety. Bumpers, headlights, hoods, grills, mufflers, spoilers, brakes, and more can be picked out and tacked on to offer a little something different for the unlucky chump that decides to pick the same ride as you. Hell, you can even customize the [I]side view mirrors[I] if the stock ones don't suit you.
The music seems to mesh well with the crowd it's aimed it, offering alternating mixes of rock and ambient drum loops, sometimes melding them together for a song or two, but usually keeping them segregated enough to keep things ear pleasing. The music is hardly memorable, but it won't annoy either. Likewise the sound effects aren't going to bring anyone to tears, but they do their job admirably. Engine roars sound clean, tires squeal accordingly, and everything just comes off as aurally... complete. Not superlative in any way, but lot lacking.
Nobody will confuse Zero with GT3, that much is obvious, but then the games aren't really aimed at the same niche. GT3 will appeal the hardcore gearhead while Tokyo Xtreme Zero shoots for the importer. The guy that could care less about how well a Mustang could stand up to a Viper. The guy that would plop down $750 for a new custom rear view. The guy that--well you get the idea. If you've harbored any deep down desires to scream around the streets of Tokyo in the wee hours of the morning, Crave and Genki are giving you the opportunity, and you won't end up $80K in the hole in the process.
