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Review: Tokyo Xtreme Racer

8.5/10

Summary

To those who have knowledge of this franchise, you will not be disappointed with this release of Tokyo Xtreme Racer, and to those who have never played, now is your chance to experience it in a pure and addictive arcade racer full of content to be enjoyed.

Tokyo Xtreme Racer earns a top spot on my recommendations, with hope that they introduce multiplayer into the future landscape of the franchise and branch out a bit and introduce more story-driven aspects in updates.

Developer – Genki Co. LTD

Publisher – Genki Co. LTD

Platforms –   PC (Reviewed)

Review copy given by Publisher

Let’s set the scene: you’re an unknown rookie driver who just purchased their first car to drive and race around the Tokyo highway systems, battling their way through multiple teams with the pursuit to accomplish becoming the fastest.

The masterminds from Genki Co. have come back to grace us with another iteration of the Tokyo Xtreme franchise, following in the footsteps of its previous releases from the early 2000s. Tokyo Xtreme Racer, like its older siblings, follows the same relative formula that has worked so well in the past and adopts it to a more updated and current state of gaming. Tokyo Xtreme Racer is being released in early access with promises of constant updates and an ever-growing cycle of content to come.

I have been a large Genki fan ever since I first played the original Tokyo Xtreme Racer on the Sega Dreamcast, and this experience is no short of a nostalgia trip for me, almost as if I never stopped playing. Upon your first time playing, you’re greeted with three options for your first car to begin your racing journey, immediately being thrown into the action. You’re set out on the Tokyo expressway to begin racing other rival street racers and teams to earn a spot as a legendary street racer.

Upon release, there is a vast car list available for you to earn via curating BP, which is earned from winning races along with money to purchase the vehicles and upgrades. Between the large number of vehicles to unlock comes the even larger selection of customization between all the engine upgrades and visual upgrades. Whether you’re into body kits, wheels, paint options, or liveries, there are so many possibilities for you to use and enjoy on your journey. Below is the current car list at launch, which is subject to change with future updates.

Daihatsu

• Daihatsu Copen Cero 2015

Mazda

• Mazda3 Fastback 20S Retro Sports Edition

• Mazda RX-7 Type RZ FD 2000

• Mazda Savanna RX-7 Infini FC3S

• Mazda Atenza Sport 23Z (GG3S)

• Mazda RX-8 Type S 2003

Mitsubishi

• Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X Final Edition

• Mitsubishi Eclipse GT 2005

Nissan

• Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34)

• Nissan Silvia (S15)

• Nissan Fairlady Z (300ZX)

• Nissan Fairlady Z (370Z)

• Nissan 180SX

• Nissan Fairlady Z (350Z) Version ST 2005

• Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32)

Subaru

• Subaru Impreza WRX STI spec C

• Subaru Impreza WRC STI V-Limited 2003

• Subaru Levorg STI Sport R 2021

• Subaru BRZ

Suzuki

• Suzuki Swift Sport (ZC33S) 2002

• Suzuki Cappuccino 1995

Toyota

• Toyota Chaser (X100)

• Toyota Crown Athlete

• Toyota GR86 RZ

• Toyota AE86 Sprinter Levin

• Toyota Supra RZ

• Toyota Mark X 350RDS 2016

Tokyo Xtreme Racers story mode is not one of the most in-depth, rich, dialog-driven racing games out there, but where it lacks in a story, it makes up for in its beautiful visuals and addictive arcade physics. You can sit back and play very casually for however long you feel and put it down and pick it back up wherever you left off without issues. The majority of my time playing has been on my Steam Deck, which runs at a very smooth 60 fps on a medium/low mixture of settings with a fairly good battery life. The experience has been nothing short of addictive and entertaining to pick up and play on the move or in between breaks. Most early access games have a rocky start when it comes to optimization, but even Tokyo Xtreme Racer, which was built on Unreal Engine 5, runs so smoothly in basically every situation it was thrown into. The PC experience is superb, visually stunning when it’s cracked all the way to the max, and the performance stays consistent and very enjoyable, even on lower-end PC setups and handhelds.

The biggest downside I felt was the initial grind felt a bit slow, so you do have to stick to it just a bit before you can start enjoying a lot of the customization and cars that the game has to offer, but the work is worth the pleasures. The UI is also a bit of a hit or miss for me; it’s not too cluttered, but I feel like it can be a bit more simplified. I also wish the customization was a bit more detailed; it’s pretty linear currently and limiting. I enjoy being able to really finely adjust a tune, whether it’s my suspension or engine tuning. My last big gripe is that there is no multiplayer, which, in my opinion and many others , is a feature that really shouldn’t be missing in racing games, especially in today’s landscape. Multiplayer would add so much more playability past the story mode and even incentivize others to play more frequently and even bring more eyes onto a niche series.

As with every early release game, it’s more of an investment into the future of a game instead of buying a fully complete and polished game, and this experience is no different. Tokyo Xtreme Racer is a very niche game for those of us who enjoy specific racing with these JDM Legends, and it may not be an experience for everyone, and that is completely fair, but don’t sleep on Genki’s catalog of amazing games, especially including this release. Genki is back, and I am ready for the future.

To those who have knowledge of this franchise, you will not be disappointed with this release of Tokyo Xtreme Racer, and to those who have never played, now is your chance to experience it in a pure and addictive arcade racer full of content to be enjoyed.

Tokyo Xtreme Racer earns a top spot on my recommendations, with hope that they introduce multiplayer into the future landscape of the franchise and branch out a bit and introduce more story-driven aspects in updates.

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