Initial D Extreme Stage Review (IMPORT)

  Well, the holy grail of drift racing games returns to shit on the competition and proceed to wipe the floor with it. But you ask: does it actually live up to it? Yes and no. 

  There are the typical Japanese mass-marketing cliches: thumping J-Pop/Techno soundtrack, anime, and adults that look a hell of a lot like children. The anime cutscenes are great, and provide yet another instance for me to point out that I wish I knew Japanese in lieu of Spanish. But heys, I can at least address you as my friend in Japanese. 

   I bet half of you are thinking it is guranteed hard-core language and you won’t be able to understand. I bought the ASIA version meaning: no rating and ENGLISH manual.

   How is the actual game? Kick-ass. The speed is awesome, the music is great (if you approach it with an open mind) and the commentary in Japanese by the story characters during races adds to the tension. The graphics are no Gran Turismo, but they are more geared towards GT5 than most racing games. The headlights at night, the grael, racing through rural Japanese prefectures, it all comes together.

   At the end of the day, you are left with what is most likely the winner of best import and racing game of the year. However, “Aquanaut’s Holiday” or “Afrika/Hakuna Matata” may still beat this.

 

                                                                                VERDICT:

                                                                                    8.6/10 EDITOR’S CHOICE