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Shutokou Battle 01

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    Shutokou Battle 01

    After the hyperbole I heaped on Initial D. I'd thought I'd try my hand at some more Japanese driving fun.

    At the moment 01 is failing to impress me on every level bar one, and that?s the car customization aspect of the game.

    The graphics are uninspired, the music is a bit pants and the opponent AI is bugged.

    Despite all of this I?m still enjoying the game, although I?m not sure if this is a rebound relationship from Initial D or the real thing.

    Anyone got any comments, or played it?

    #2
    I've got it, but I haven't given it any of my time yet because of other games. Had a very brief (read 10 minutes) go, but only to try out the handling and the free-run mode. The graphics didn't seem too bad to me (especially the fairly well-realised tokyo road system scenery), apart from the fact that the only other traffic on the road seems to be a yellow van. I'll add some more impressions when I finally get round to playing it properly.

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      #3
      Yep it's the yellow van thing which is really pissing me off. I must have passed hundereds of them. I'm hoping that the more advanced routes have different blocking vehicles.

      One thing I will say for the graphics, they are at least smooth and although I can't verify their accuracy I'm sure they're a good rendition of the Tokyo Highway system.

      Perhaps I'm being harsh, but to my mind driving around the north circular at night is more exciting than this, visually at least.

      At least they have all the new toys in there (RX-8) anyone?

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        #4
        I've been playing SB01 solidly since buying it off someone on this forum, and I'm loving every minute of it, though I have been a loyal fan of the series since the first Dreamcast incarnation. Sure the yellow van thing is pretty weak, especially as the previous game had varying traffic, but there's a lot of new stuff in there that more than makes up for it. For me personally, there's no other driving game that's as addictive as SB01. I guess it's just an aquired taste.

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          #5
          I guess it's just an aquired taste
          Very much so, perhaps more so than any other driving game I can think of. I like the concept behind SB, and enjoyed the original, however it did become rather dull on prolonged play I found. I only played SB1 brielfly, and there wasnt anything that initially struck me as being new or innovative about the game, so Id be interested to if you could let me know the additions.

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            #6
            No problem. Where to start...just a few off the top of my head:

            Firstly there's two new cities included (Osaka and Nagoya) offering a few hundred more KM worth of highway to explore.

            There's the official car licenses. Unfortunately, Honda are missing, though I'm pretty sure I've raced against a few Civics (the badges say "P" instead of "H").

            The graphics and physic engines have been revamped, and the game now includes rain effects (very nice it is too). Handling is much better.

            You can customise your own paintjobs (reserved for the dedicated racers out there).

            Boss battles are now a little more dramatic. Genki have used some cool FX to really add some atmosphere, such as speed blur lines (ala Auto Modelista) and subtle hues on the screen.


            There's loads of other tweaks and enhancements that I can't remember. It really is a step forward from the previous title, which was nothing but a slightly enhanced port of the last DC version.

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              #7
              Interesting.

              I'm reserving judgement until I've sunk a load more time into it. Like I've said I've enjoyed what I've played so far and the car customisation stuff is fun. However the game does seem to have a lack of polish and exhibits some "interesting" AI.

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                #8
                Well it seems I may have been a bit harsh in my earlier assessment. After some extended play the game has started to draw me in. I think it must have been running in composite on my mates TV I was using at the weekend, because in RGB it looks real nice.

                And I?ve experienced a few really intense battles now, which show up the strengths of the game. It remains to be seen whether the game will continue to pitch the competition at just the right level or whether like the GT games I?ll get some super-fast ninja car and leave them in my dust.

                Here?s hoping it?s the former.

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                  #9
                  Ahhh now this is where SB01 is clever

                  Firstly, yes there are super-fast ninja cars in there, such as the ones the bosses use, but even if you were to buy one you'll find the specs are all standard, plus they tend cost around ten times more than the standard road version of the same model (it takes a long time to gather that sort of cash). So they need heavily upgrading to get them to the same level as the bosses, but that isn't just a question of cash as the parts are gradually unlocked as you progress through the game. So to get them maxed out you have to probably be at least 3/4 of the way through the game.

                  Also, it doesn't matter if you have the fastest car on the planet as you can't just wall ride your way around the highway (ala GT3) cause there's a little matter of that there battle meter, which as you know depletes with every collision. A fast car will make things easier on the longer straight sections, but those opponents will still give you a good run for your money.

                  I'm currently using a 500bhp Fairlady and most cars on those straighter sections leave me standing (especially those damn Dodge Vipers), and I'm almost half-way through the rivals list (around 400 races so far).

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                    #10
                    Do you actually get the impression of travelling at more than 6mph on this game?

                    Kaidou Battlej was the slowest racing game I've ever seen I think.

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                      #11
                      Feels about as fast as GT to me.

                      They should make all racing games feel fast nowadays, they're always more fun to play. All they need to do is change the field-of-view and lower the camera a bit closer to theroad. Winner.

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                        #12
                        I like Kaidou Battle a lot - i feel its more technical than just going for out and out speed, powersliding correctly takes some skill

                        camps

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                          #13
                          Originally posted by camps
                          I like Kaidou Battle a lot - i feel its more technical than just going for out and out speed, powersliding correctly takes some skill
                          Yup, same here. If I fancy some all out mental speed I can just fire up Burnout 2

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                            #14
                            Sh Battle 01 is fantastic. It is an aquired taste, but it isn't hard to enjoy Genki's amazing franchise.

                            Maybe to only really get to appreciate the new release you have to know the series. Ive been playing SB since the beginning and have seen the franchise develop. SB01 without a doubt is a very good addition to it, and includes nice new features.

                            I reviewed the Zero for the site when I was part of it, if anyone is interested in what I thought check it out. I would definately give 01 a higher score than Zero as its more accomplished that the PS2's first outing.

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                              #15
                              Originally posted by replicant
                              Sh Battle 01 is fantastic. It is an aquired taste, but it isn't hard to enjoy Genki's amazing franchise.

                              Maybe to only really get to appreciate the new release you have to know the series. Ive been playing SB since the beginning and have seen the franchise develop. SB01 without a doubt is a very good addition to it, and includes nice new features.

                              I reviewed the Zero for the site when I was part of it, if anyone is interested in what I thought check it out. I would definately give 01 a higher score than Zero as its more accomplished that the PS2's first outing.
                              I'll be reviewing this game on its own merits, not using zero as a benchmark, primarily because I haven't played it. Also you'd expect a sequel to be as you say more accomplished, so on that rational the 4th or 5th iteration should get a 10?

                              -edit- Rep I read you excellent review of zero before I started playing 01, to give me a heads-up.

                              The game is good and it's given me some truly heart stopping moments. Racing the Lotus Europa for the first time was one of them. However it is still a flawed game in parts.

                              I appreciate that you can't rail run your way to victory ala GT, but there are ways in which you can "cheat" the system and drive in a dirty and unprofessional way. In my opinion the amount of juice dropped from the battle meter for these dirty tactics isn't enough, even when racing without the reinforced body.

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