Initial D (video game series)
 |
| Initial D Arcade Stage | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Sega |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Director(s) | Isao Matsumoto |
| Producer(s) | Kenji Arai |
| Composer(s) | Hideaki Kobayashi |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, PlayStation 2, PSP, PlayStation 3 |
| Genre(s) | Arcade racing |
| Mode(s) | Single player, online multiplayer |
| Arcade system | Sega NAOMI 2, Lindbergh, RingEdge, Nu2 |
Initial D Arcade Stage (イニシャルD アーケード ステージ) (commonly referred to as IDAS, followed by a version number) is a racing game series developed by Sega, based on the anime and manga Initial D. In the U.S., the games, which keep their version names in later entries, are otherwise known as simply "Initial D" without the "Arcade Stage" subtitle.
Premise
In Initial D Arcade Stage, players race against different opponents in various mountain passes featured in the manga. Vehicles that are prominently featured in the game are mostly licensed Japanese cars that are featured or not in the manga such as the Nissan Skyline GT-R, Mazda RX-7, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, Honda Civic, as well as the Toyota AE86. Using the optional magnetic card system, players can save a customized car and their progress for future sessions; otherwise, game progress is lost. Players can continue progress with their cards on another Initial D cabinet of the same version. However, the card must be renewed every 50 plays.
Note that resuming from another version is subject to following conditions:
- It is not backwards compatible (i.e. a version 2 card cannot be used on version 1 machine).
- Upgrading the card to a more recent machine is permanent.
- When upgrading from one version to another, remaining plays will be carried over and 50 plays will be credited to the card.
There are 12 games in the series so far: 9 are for arcades and 3 for home consoles.
- Initial D Arcade Stage Ver.1 (Arcade)
- Initial D Arcade Stage Ver.2 (Arcade)
- Initial D Arcade Stage Ver.3 (Arcade)
- Initial D Arcade Stage 4 (Arcade)
- Initial D Arcade Stage 5 (Arcade)
- Initial D Arcade Stage 6 AA (Arcade)
- Initial D Arcade Stage 7 AAX (Arcade)
- Initial D Arcade Stage 8 Infinity (Arcade)
- Initial D Arcade Stage Zero (Arcade)
- Initial D Special Stage (PlayStation 2)
- Initial D Street Stage (PSP)
- Initial D Extreme Stage (PS3)
Game modes
- Legend of the Streets
- In the main story mode, players race with different opponents from the original manga in the game. Opponents get harder to beat as you progress throughout the game. It was noticeable that its story mode changed from Arcade Stage 6 AA to Arcade Stage 8 Infinity. In the English versions of the game until Arcade Stage 4, their names are derived from the Tokyopop manga.
- Time attack
- Players race against time to rank against other players at the current machine or online. It was also the first time when you could choose the conditions like dry or rain in Arcade Stage Ver.2/Special Stage all the way to Arcade Stage 6 AA. It was noticeable in Arcade Stage 7 AAX to Arcade Stage 8 Infinity, the rain conditions cannot be chosen, only dry conditions are set.
- Bunta Challenge
- First started in Arcade Stage Ver.2 to Arcade Stage Ver.3/Street Stage the player races against Bunta Fujiwara, the legendary street racer. Each time Bunta is defeated, the player will gain a level, as each subsequent level is harder. And when the player is defeated the player loses 1000 points in version 3. Regardless, the end credits still roll if you win or lose to Bunta. Bunta's car differs across levels. Level 1-6: AE86 Trueno, Level 7-11: AE86 Trueno w/TRD 20-Valve 4AGE Racing Engine, Level 12-15: GC8V Subaru Impreza WRX STi Version V. This mode was discontinued and removed in Arcade Stage 4/Extreme Stage as Bunta appeared as a final boss in the Akina stage. It later returned in Arcade Stage 7 AAX (Only in Legend mode after clearing rebirth mode).
- Online Battle
- Introduced in Arcade Stage 4/Extreme Stage, in which allowed the players race against others all around the world (Japanese only).
- Racer's Event
- Introduced in Arcade Stage 5 to Arcade Stage 8 Infinity. 2 modes are only included such as online battle and time attack.
- Tag Battle
- Introduced in Arcade Stage 6 AA to Arcade Stage 8 Infinity. Team up with a friend in the same location. One player drives uphill, the other drives downhill to race with rivals. Matching will be made based on past racing results. It will match with tag team whose driving technique is close to you and your tag partner. When there is a difference in the level with your tag partner, stronger driver will match with strong, and weaker driver with the weak. Get the A(Ace) panel on the course. High score when you get the same color panel at the same section. Team with highest score wins.
- Project Kanto's Fastest/Operation Kanto
- Introduced in Arcade Stage 7 AAX, it is similar as tag battle mode in which players race against the rival characters based in manga from Gunma to Kanagawa area, especially face against Project.D's Ace which courses are random. In Arcade Stage 8 Infinity, the rivals are still the same as previous one, but added new rivals such as Tohru and Atsuro in Momiji Line, Sakamoto and Wataru in Sadamine Rain and The Lan Evo Teams in Tsuchisaka.
Initial D Arcade Stage Ver.1
Japanese version: late 2001 / English version late 2002
Beginning with 4 courses such as Myogi (Night Kids' home course), Usui (Impact Blue's home course), Akina (Takumi's home course) and Happogahara (Todo School's first home course).
Initial D Arcade Stage Ver.2
Japanese version: late 2002 / English version Mid-late 2003
With 2 new courses such as Akagi, Takahashi brothers/Akagi Red Suns' home course and Irohazaka, Emperor's home course.
Initial D Arcade Stage Ver.3
Japanese version: late 2003 / English version early 2004 / Cycraft simulator version mid 2005
New courses such as Akina Snow (only night), Shomaru, which was originally a exclusive for Special Stageand Tsuchisaka, The Lan Evo Team's homecourse. Also, new opponents in the game are Tohru Suetsugu, Atsuro Kawai, Miki, and the Tsucisaka Lan Evo team. New cars featured in the game are the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V, Lancer Evolution VI T.M. Edition, Mazda RX-8, and the Nissan Skyline 25GT-T. The game even has eurobeat songs that weren't heard in the anime which were sung by artists such as Matt Land, Powerful T., Ace Warrior, and Marco Polo.
Initial D Arcade Stage 4
Initial D Arcade Stage 4, also known in update version (Version 1.50) as Initial D Arcade Stage 4 Kai is the fourth release in the Initial D Arcade Stage series. Unlike the first three versions of the game, Initial D Arcade Stage 4 runs on the Sega Lindbergh hardware, uses a new card system, and features a new physics system. This arcade game also become the last game in Western before going to the next arcade game (Japanese language only). Only 2 new rivals such as God Hand and God Foot. Rivals from previous games such as Miki, the Tsucisaka Lan Evo team, Sakamoto, Nobuhiko Akiyama, and Tohru Suetsugu have been removed. New courses such as Lake Akina, Myogi (new layout with 4 sections) and Tsukuba Fruit Line. Some cars featured in previous games such as the Lancer Evolution VII and Toyota Celica have been removed.
Initial D Arcade Stage 5
Released in 2009, Initial D Arcade Stage 5 (return to Japanese version) is the fifth release in the Initial D Arcade Stage series. Released for the previous hardware for the second time (The screen mostly like Sega RingEdge). A few notable differences include heavy physics changes. Opposite to Initial D Arcade Stage 4/Extreme Stage, which took on a "drifting" physics, Initial D Arcade Stage 5 had a more realistic driving physics which includes tire and brake wear down. Although the tire and brake wear are not displayed anywhere in game, experienced players can notice the difference in the change in physics as they progress in races.
New characters that appeared for the first time in the game are: Kobayakawa, Satoshi Omiya, Imposter Project D, Kai Kogashiwa (R.T. Katagiri S.V.), and Hideo Minagawa. New courses such as Happogahara, which also used from Arcade Stage to Arcade Stage Ver.3/Street Stage (only daytime used is night) and only Extreme Stage also appeared with full daytimes between day and night and Nagao, R.T. Katagiri S.V.'s homecourse.
Initial D Arcade Stage 6 AA
Initial D Arcade Stage 6 AA was released in March 2011.
A new mode, Tag Battle, was introduced. Unike its predecessor, it was released for Sega RingEdge hardware for the first time. The game saw a change in its driving physics. Unlike Initial D Arcade Stage 5, a drift gauge and an updated tachometer was introduced to help inform players whether they're drifting or not. The legend of the street mode also introduced a "Rolling Start" for the first time since the story mode in Initial D Special Stage. The tachometer now inform players if their speed is below the gear range. Online network is extended to support regions in which earlier versions of the game was known to be popular in, finally achieving both national wide and international matches. For the first time in series, new cars and courses are added to the game through online updates without upgrade kits like IDAS4 1.5. The game also added a mileage system to show players their total driven mileage. Mileages can be used to redeem exclusive cars that were later available in updates. New characters that appeared for the first time in the game are: Ryuji Ikeda, Hiroya Okuyama, Go Hojo and Rin Hojo.[citation needed] New course such as Usui, which also used from Arcade Stage to Arcade Stage Ver.3/Street Stage appeared with new layout, Tsubaki Line, Sadamine and Akina Snow, also appeared before in Arcade Stage Ver.3 which daytime is night change into day.
Note: AA = Double Ace
Initial D Arcade Stage 7 AAX
Initial D Arcade Stage 7 AAX, was released for in November 2012. Like its predecessor, the legend of the streets mode from Original and Another mode are exactly the same as the previous one (Arcade Stage 6 AA) with Rebirth mode. The game is mostly a carry-over from Initial D Arcade Stage 6 AA, including updates. New characters include Shinji Inui to complete the Sidewinder battles of Project D, also Arcade Stage Ver.2/Special Stage/Arcade Stage Ver.3 characters such as Nobuhiko Akiyama (Rebirth), Sakamoto and Tohru Suetsugu (only in Legend) appeared in this game and rewind of Keisuke, from Project.D using Kyoko's FD. New cars include the Toyota Sprinter Trueno 2door and the new Toyota 86 GT (to replace the FT-86 prototype from the previous game). A new class of vehicles is introduced in this game called "Complete Cars". These include pre-tuned cars from several tuning shops in Japan, such as RE Amemiya. Online battles now include tag battles, allowing two in-store machines linking together and with internet access to battle against two other players in tag battles. New courses such as Tsuchisaka, which previously used in Arcade Stage Ver.3/Street Stage also appeared and Nanamagari, Team Spiral's home course. In this game, there are 3 songs which also used from Initial D Arcade Stage Ver.3/Street Stage and only a song from Initial D Arcade Stage Ver.2/Special Stage with new songs. The ending theme of this game is Gamble Rumble (7th Stage Version) by m.o.v.e., the opening theme remix of Initial D Third Stage, Initial D Arcade Stage Ver.2/Special Stage and Initial D Arcade Stage Ver.3.
Initial D Arcade Stage 8 Infinity
Initial D Arcade Stage 8 Infinity ∞ was released July 17, 2014. Like its predecessor, this game carries over all game modes from the previous version with a notable addition of Initial D Factory and D Coins. In Story Mode, the players can play the Team Side or Rival Side to see Driving Training Curiculum or what mission is for each story. The game added a new feature "1 Day 1 Time Continue" to allow players to have a free continue per day without inserting credits. New courses such as Momiji Line, for the first time in Special Stage, also appeared with new layout and Hakone, the place for battle between Ryosuke's FC and Rin Hojo's R32. Arcade Stage Ver.3/Street Stage characters such as Miki, Atsuro Kawai and The Lan Evo Teams also return.
Initial D Arcade Stage Zero
Initial D Arcade Stage Zero was released for the Sega Nu2 arcade system board in March 7, 2017. Unlike its predecessors, this game now uses a 6-speed gear shifter (similar to the ones found in the Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune games) as opposed to the sequential ones. The character designs are taken from New Initial D the Movie with entirely new BGMs that are rock songs from the films such as Backdraft Smiths, Clutcho, The Hug Me, The Valves, and Gekkou Green. Also, the vehicles have been reduced by original ones featured in previous games, with the exception of the Toyota 86 which was featured in the films. However, more vehicles were added through free updates later in the year.
Initial D Special Stage
Initial D Special Stage (イニシャルD スペシャル ステージ) was released on June 26, 2003 for the PlayStation 2 and was re-released on February 26, 2004 under the "PlayStation 2 the Best" label. Initial D Special Stage is based on Initial D Arcade Stage Ver.2 with additional Japanese voices for the first time and contains many features exclusive to this game. Initial D Special Stage is also the first home-console Initial D game published by Sega.
Initial D Special Stage contains a story mode that allows the player to reenact racing scenes from the Initial D manga series, as well as several new courses then not seen in the arcade versions of the game. In one of these courses, Shomaru went on to appear in Initial D Arcade Stage Ver.3/Street Stage. Real Myogi was later added back in Initial D Arcade Stage 4/Extreme Stage. Momiji Line would not return until Initial D Arcade Stage 8 Infinity. Bunta's Challenge is noticeably absent in the game. Additional features including replays for saved time-attack records and Iketani's car introduction.
Due to PlayStation 2's hardware limitations, the graphics of the game was downgraded from its arcade counterpart. The game is compatible with Logitech's Driving Force wheel series and other wheel controllers made for PlayStation 2. Sega also balanced all the cars in game due to the overpowering Integra DC2 from Initial D Arcade Stage Ver.2.
Initial D Street Stage
Initial D Street Stage (イニシャルD ストリート ステージ) is a PSP-exclusive game based on Initial D Arcade Stage Ver.3. This game features Dogfight by M.o.v.e. as it's intro theme which also used as the first opening theme of Initial D Fourth Stage. The legend of the street mode which pits players against the rival characters are exactly the same as the arcade game but Akina (Snow) is removed, meaning the battle with Miki is also removed, although his theme can be found in the game's BGM files.
Initial D Extreme Stage
Initial D Extreme Stage (イニシャルD エクストリーム ステージ) is a PlayStation 3 game based on Initial D Arcade Stage 4.