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If you had told me this five years ago Tokyo Xtreme Racer would return after nearly two decades, I would laugh, then sob. But here we are, a few weeks away from the end of 2024 and beyond TXR is in development for PC and possibly consoles as well, with developer Genki planning to launch it next year. So far, we’ve only seen pre-rendered trailers and teasers featuring still cars, but a new video shared by Genki on the official website has given us our first look at gameplay.
For strangers, TXR was a street racing series on the streets of Tokyo, uniquely designed for a game that felt more like a fighting game than a traditional racer. Players navigate the highway system, challenging rivals in a special mode so that no two encounters are the same on the same stretch of road. Instead of a fixed start or finish line, battles are defined by a depleting health meter; the further you are ahead of the opponent, the faster they decrease. This provides a high replay value, just like the golden era JDM aesthetic.
At first glance, there is nothing extraordinary in the footage here. In classical TXR Fashion, we watch the two cars engage in a high-speed duel on Tokyo’s Shuto Expressway, screaming through narrow tunnels and across majestic suspension bridges. Racers also weave between non-racing vehicles, but it’s important to note that this is no ordinary road traffic; they are staged, moving obstacles of a “closed future Tokyo” based on title description on Steam. Indeed, for now TXR in 20 years, the standards of acceptable behavior in video games don’t seem to have changed much. You can watch it all below.
While there isn’t a ton of meat in these clips (and I wish they were in higher resolution), it almost doesn’t matter. The fact is that Tokyo Xtreme Racer is back, no one ever thought it would be, and things are looking pretty decent in motion – that’s one reason to be excited. We do see a selection of cars that Genki has yet to confirm in the game’s roster, ranging from Toyota bB to the final gen Mitsubishi Eclipse. We can also take a look at the visual and performance upgrades, and it looks like you’ll be able to add a lower glow and nitrous to your rides, in addition to all the usual bumpers, fenders, wheels and body kits that come with TXR name.
There’s no HUD or audio in these gameplay recordings, so things feel a little sparse right now. Then again when undressing TXR Soundtrack to the film and the graphic design from the older games, they would also probably look a little barren. I appreciate the way the brake lights shine and bounce off the adjacent body panels and barriers as well as the road surface. These are little flourishes that Genki would never have managed on, say, the Sega Dreamcast.
One element that does look a bit odd, and I’m willing to judge now, is the game’s chase camera; it feels both stiff and unresponsive, something the older installments didn’t have, and probably won’t be useful when making your way through Shuto’s narrow ramps, let alone all those non-civilian drones. When the car is oversteered, there is a hint of rear sway, as if the camera is switching off from strictly tracking the rear of the car at these moments. Chasing cameras in racing games are certainly a matter of preference, but one that randomly switches its behavior probably won’t make anyone happy. However, Genki can still customize this, and perhaps it will even allow players to customize multiple views to suit them. It also remains to be seen if the game has a cockpit camera.
All that said, I’m thrilled Tokyo Xtreme Racer. Not only has it been gone for too long, but there aren’t any games like this anymore. Assetto Corsa fashion were a decent replacement for some fans, but nothing scratched the JDM street racing-oriented retro arcade racer itch like TXR got used to it, so I played the second game in its entirety last year. I had a blast and the wait for this reboot makes me want to go back to it again.
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