Tokyo Xtreme Racer

Curious about those individuals who drive tricked-out Japanese cars? You know, the lowered Hondas with tires so wide they extend beyond the fenders, the souped-up Toyotas with super-sized exhaust pipes, and the custom-painted Nissans with tinted windows and back windshields adorned with a adjectives such as "wicked"?

Wonder no more. Tokyo Xtreme Racer delves into the world of highway racing featuring customized Japanese autos. The basic premise: cruise the Tokyo highway until you find someone who looks a bit too cocky, flash your lights to signal your racing intentions, and commence speeding. The racing physics in the game aren't perfect and the graphics may not bowl you over, but TXR is a lot of fun and it can be a very deep game for dedicated players.

There are hundreds of prospective opponents, and plenty of ways to upgrade your car, but the one element that will no doubt turn off American racing gamers is that there's only one track for the entire game. If you can handle that, and the lack of any apparent damage from collisions, then TXR is good fun. --Jeff Young

Pros: High replayability Impressive replays Unique concept and design Cons: Only one track Graphics are nice, but don't push the Dreamcast's capabilities