First and foremost this is my first time doing a review (so any feedback would be appreciated).
At the time of posting this review there is no English version of this game released yet. The review will be for the Japanese version of the game.
History lesson (short)
Those who do not know the "Initial D" franchise it started off as a manga (comic book) series which then moved to an anime (cartoon) and onto a few anime movies and a life action movie. Initial D is all about drifting and pretty much gave light to the drifting scene. Now onto the game..
Summary
The game offers no real challenge and doesn't give the skill of drifting any justice. The graphics are similar to the arcade with no next generation innovation and with its limited replay value and arcade style game play this game is aimed at the casual gamer and for the Initial D fans.
Introduction
Initial D is your typical arcade racer game. You pick a car and challenge 1 on 1 with the AI around a uphill/downhill mountain course. There are no laps only check points. The objective is simple. To get to the finish line in front of the competition. The courses consist of high speed S-bends and hairpin corners (perfect for drifting). So strap yourself in (if you got a steering wheel) or grab your controller and get ready for some drift action.
Game type: Racing
Players: 1 (2 online)
System: PS3
Modes
Initial D has a few game modes to play around on. Your first mode is Story mode where you pick your car from a number of different manufacturers (Nissan, Mazda, Subaru, Mitsubishi etc.). Once you select your car you can then modify your car with performance, aerodynamic and cosmetic modifications. You will also need to select an Avatar who will act as you throughout the game (avatar selection is very small and consists of male and female faces). Give your avatar a name and you being the story as a "new comer" to the drifting scene racing against all those characters from the Initial D series.
Your next mode is Arcade mode which you just pick any car and race on which ever course you want against the AI controlled opponent. After that you have Time-Trial mode and next Online Mode for some more intense battles with your modified story cars 1 on 1 against real players.
Gameplay
The game play isn't that great to be honest. It is the same as the arcade version of this game. You pretty much plant your foot or thumb onto the accelerator and go. Breaking isn't really required i found as you can just hit the hand brake and fly around the corners with no corner setup required. I actually find this game boring in that aspect as it feel like there is not thought into the process of drifting around the corners (hence the arcade title). Honestly you can just hold down the accelerator without touching the brakes and turn around any corner and the car will just go sideways into a perfect drift. If you want to you could even ride the rails around the corner and still finish first. Not impressed for a game that is supposed to be about the skill of drifting.
However with that said its and arcade racer and is meant for all ages and styles of play. I'm confident that any one whether they are hardcore gamers or casual gamers can easily pick this game up and win without to much troubles. So if your looking for a racing game that will be a breeze from start to finish i can suggest this racer.
Graphics
The graphics are ok. They are very much like the arcade machine. No use of the next gen graphics. It really looks like a port from the arcade. It does have a comic look and feel to the road and car design. The cars do look like their real versions however. So nothing next gen or ground braking but nothing bad either. It's not a big thing. You expect these graphics for this type of game series.
Sound
This game has a sound track to it that is pretty decent. However during the race you hardly hear it over the arcade style sounds of the car engine and tyre screeching. Nothing realistic there. It's an arcade racer after all.
Online
Unfortunately i didn't give online a big go. I did test it though. As usual for the PS3 online the game is P2P so your connection to the other player needs to be good in order to have a fair racing experience. From my short time playing online (with my slightly modified S2000) i didn't find it that exciting (yeah i got beat a lot). Still felt like i was racing in arcade mode. Just not winning.
Replay Value
With its online feature there is some replay. However once you have completed story mode and modified all the cars available there isn't a whole lot more you can do other then play online.
Conclusion
With its limited replay value and arcade feel racer its definitely a game for the casual non-hardcore gamer. The game doesn't offer much challenge and the story is nothing exciting. If your a hardcore Initial D player and loved the arcade racer then this game is for you. Me on the other hand. This game will either become an expensive coaster for my beer or a frisbee.
At the time of posting this review there is no English version of this game released yet. The review will be for the Japanese version of the game.
History lesson (short)
Those who do not know the "Initial D" franchise it started off as a manga (comic book) series which then moved to an anime (cartoon) and onto a few anime movies and a life action movie. Initial D is all about drifting and pretty much gave light to the drifting scene. Now onto the game..
Summary
The game offers no real challenge and doesn't give the skill of drifting any justice. The graphics are similar to the arcade with no next generation innovation and with its limited replay value and arcade style game play this game is aimed at the casual gamer and for the Initial D fans.
Introduction
Initial D is your typical arcade racer game. You pick a car and challenge 1 on 1 with the AI around a uphill/downhill mountain course. There are no laps only check points. The objective is simple. To get to the finish line in front of the competition. The courses consist of high speed S-bends and hairpin corners (perfect for drifting). So strap yourself in (if you got a steering wheel) or grab your controller and get ready for some drift action.
Game type: Racing
Players: 1 (2 online)
System: PS3
Modes
Initial D has a few game modes to play around on. Your first mode is Story mode where you pick your car from a number of different manufacturers (Nissan, Mazda, Subaru, Mitsubishi etc.). Once you select your car you can then modify your car with performance, aerodynamic and cosmetic modifications. You will also need to select an Avatar who will act as you throughout the game (avatar selection is very small and consists of male and female faces). Give your avatar a name and you being the story as a "new comer" to the drifting scene racing against all those characters from the Initial D series.
Your next mode is Arcade mode which you just pick any car and race on which ever course you want against the AI controlled opponent. After that you have Time-Trial mode and next Online Mode for some more intense battles with your modified story cars 1 on 1 against real players.
Gameplay
The game play isn't that great to be honest. It is the same as the arcade version of this game. You pretty much plant your foot or thumb onto the accelerator and go. Breaking isn't really required i found as you can just hit the hand brake and fly around the corners with no corner setup required. I actually find this game boring in that aspect as it feel like there is not thought into the process of drifting around the corners (hence the arcade title). Honestly you can just hold down the accelerator without touching the brakes and turn around any corner and the car will just go sideways into a perfect drift. If you want to you could even ride the rails around the corner and still finish first. Not impressed for a game that is supposed to be about the skill of drifting.
However with that said its and arcade racer and is meant for all ages and styles of play. I'm confident that any one whether they are hardcore gamers or casual gamers can easily pick this game up and win without to much troubles. So if your looking for a racing game that will be a breeze from start to finish i can suggest this racer.
Graphics
The graphics are ok. They are very much like the arcade machine. No use of the next gen graphics. It really looks like a port from the arcade. It does have a comic look and feel to the road and car design. The cars do look like their real versions however. So nothing next gen or ground braking but nothing bad either. It's not a big thing. You expect these graphics for this type of game series.
Sound
This game has a sound track to it that is pretty decent. However during the race you hardly hear it over the arcade style sounds of the car engine and tyre screeching. Nothing realistic there. It's an arcade racer after all.
Online
Unfortunately i didn't give online a big go. I did test it though. As usual for the PS3 online the game is P2P so your connection to the other player needs to be good in order to have a fair racing experience. From my short time playing online (with my slightly modified S2000) i didn't find it that exciting (yeah i got beat a lot). Still felt like i was racing in arcade mode. Just not winning.
Replay Value
With its online feature there is some replay. However once you have completed story mode and modified all the cars available there isn't a whole lot more you can do other then play online.
Conclusion
With its limited replay value and arcade feel racer its definitely a game for the casual non-hardcore gamer. The game doesn't offer much challenge and the story is nothing exciting. If your a hardcore Initial D player and loved the arcade racer then this game is for you. Me on the other hand. This game will either become an expensive coaster for my beer or a frisbee.
