Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3

Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3
Cover for North American release
Release Dates	July 24, 2003 November 18, 2003 November 18, 2003
Platforms	PlayStation 2
Genres	Driving
Game Modes	Single Player, Multiplayer
ESRB Rating	For Everyone
CERO Rating	All Ages
Developed by	Genki
Published by	Crave Entertainment Mega Enterprise
Series	Shutokō Battle series

Information

Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3 (or 首都高バトル 01 in the Japanese release) was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2003 as part of Genki's Shutokou Battle series. This entry in the series was released two years after the previous game, Tokyo Xtreme Racer: Zero.

Much like other entries in the series, the objective is to become the fastest racer on the highways of Japan, but unlike those before it, TXR3 allows the players to race in Nagoya and Osaka instead of just Tokyo, and the Tokyo map is expanded to include the Yokohama area. In addition, this title adds a weather cycle.

TXR3 includes a fully-licensed list of cars from a variety of Japanese, American, and European manufacturers instead of the old car model designation method of "Type-(technical model name)", and furthermore, the car list itself was culled of many repeat models so to simplify and reduce the number of cars. The A, B, and C car designations were also removed.

Graphically speaking, Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3 is a definite improvement over previous entries. Car models feature a higher polygon count and are much more extensively detailed and lighting effects were also greatly improved, featuring light streaking effects, road reflections and higher quality car reflections.

Gameplay

Intro story:

2 years earlier...

A machine known as the fastest, left in defeat.

The name of that machine has not been forgotten.

Along with him, went as many as 13 Ogre Military Officers, plunging Tokyo back into chaos.

Osaka, Nagoya...

Answering to the weakened Shutokou, new powers were being born in various areas.

Quest Mode

Quest Mode in Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3 is very similar to that of those before it, in which the objective is to win races by outrunning your opponent. Participants in each race are given Speed Points or SP, which appears as a sort of health bar for either racer. Racers lose SP if they are in last place at a rate dependent on their position to the leader; the farther away a racer is from the leader, the more SP they lose. SP can also be lost by running into walls and cars. Races are won whenever one racer runs out of SP.

Cars in Quest Mode

Upon starting the game, the player is given 40,000 CP to spend on a choice of affordable cars, ranging from the low-powered, lightweight Mazda Miata to the high-powered and heavy Toyota Chaser. Players must then modify and tune their cars and purchase new ones using funds earned from racing other highway racers. New cars can be unlocked by beating team leaders and wanderers, and special cars used by the game's bosses can be unlocked (albeit in a detuned form) by beating the boss who uses it.

Rivals

Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3 features a list of over 600 rivals to compete against across all three locations. Most of this number are racers who belong to teams ranging in number from 6-10. Typically each team has its own specific theme and all have a team leader who the player must face after beating each member of the team. In some specific circumstances, races can feature up to 3 racers including the player, the team leader, and one more member of the team. Once a certain number of the teams for each area are beaten, the area's boss will challenge the player. Bosses are typically very formidable opponents who use "special" cars--all of which are specially modified versions of cars available to the player either initially or through unlocking them by beating a team leader who uses that car. Wanderers are opponents not affiliated with teams, generally high-level racers who generally have some requirement that the player must meet in order for them to accept the player's invitation to race. A select few Wanderers use "special" cars as well, unlocked by beating the wanderer who uses them. Part levels are unlocked by beating team leaders, wanderers, and bosses, as well as for clearing cities.

Quest Progression

The game features four levels of racing, the first three of which have an incomplete map, essentially keeping the player within a smaller area of the highway. The second part of the game features the entire map.The player selects what city they first want to race in, either Tokyo, Osaka or Nagoya. The objective then is to clear out all the racers in the area and beat that area's bosses before moving on to the next city which is level 2, then the final city, which is level 3. After level 3 is beaten, the player can again select a city from the full list (and switch at will), this time featuring the full map and a new selection of racers to beat. The cycle then continues, with the player again slowly whittling away at the rival list.

Car Tuning

The game features extensive tuning options for each car, with the ability to modify everything from the car's engine to its brakes and tires, and many modifications are featured visually on the car like exhausts, aero parts, wheels and tires, and the top level of cooling. Most performance modifications are presented in "level" format, such as "Engine Level 1", "Suspension Level 2", and the like. The player can then adjust settings such as the car's gear ratios, suspension stiffness and height, brake bias, and much more, which may give players an edge in races.

Free Run & Time Attack Modes

Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3 also features a Free Mode which allows players to explore the full map of each city and a Time Attack mode which allows players to set times over specific sections of the highway with either stock cars or the cars the player have tuned in Quest Mode.

Miscellaneous Notes

• In Western versions of Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3, the rivals' real names are changed to match the Japanese version. All Tokyo Xtreme Racer titles after TXR3 continue to use the Japanese real names of the rivals.
• The Yaesu side route in Tokyo is no longer drivable (the entrance ramps have been converted into pit areas).
• There are no Hondas in Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3. Honda did not allow Genki to use their cars, logos, likenesses, etc. in the game due to the game's street racing theme and that the game promoted street racing. Despite this, the Wanderer SPEED BOX still has a sticker containing a Honda logo in its background, but his car is changed from a Honda NSX to a Lotus Europa Special in TXR3.

• Although there are more rivals in general compared to Tokyo Xtreme Racer Zero, some rivals were removed from Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3. Some of these teams consisted of all-Honda teams, including Queen's Paradise and Curving Edge, while other all-Honda or Honda-majority teams, such as Cupid Arrows and Rhythm Box, had their team members' cars changed. Other rivals that were not included in TXR3 would return in Import Tuner Challenge.

Localization differences

• The game's title varies by localization.
• Although many of the rival names and real names in the US version are now the same as those in the Japanese version, some of the rival names were changed as they were too obscene for an E-rated game. However, these names got past the censors in Japan as the game received a CERO "A" rating there. Also, some of the rivals' real names differ somewhat from the Japanese version.
• The Toyota Aristo and Toyota Celsior are badged as the Lexus GS300 and Lexus LS430, respectively, in the US version of the game.
• In the rival list, to challenge an already defeated rival in the US version, press the X button. In the Japanese version, this task is done by pressing the Circle button.

Reception

Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3 received a score of 64.64% from GameRankings and Metacritic gave the game a 63 out of a possible 100, some reviewers citing the relatively bland graphics and repetitive gameplay and traffic as issues.

References

GameRankings Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3 page

Metacritic Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3 page