Xtreme Racer does you the honor of having your car already cruising at a nice pace at the beginning of each stage; (as seen in Daytona USA). All you need to do is weave in and out of everyday traffic; in this case - your typical evening traffic, and look for competition. You will drive around and see some cars that have the letter R floating above them. These are your rivals (Hence, the R) and if you want to show off your stuff, you flash your high beams at them for confirmation and start a little one-on-one race. There isn't any finish line to reach for either, your goal is pull out in the front and keep the lead long enough to prove he isn't going to pass you. A meter will come onscreen once you have a nice lead and will begin decreasing the longer you have the lead. As long as he is eating your dust the meter will run out, and you will be considered the winner. This will bring out more competition with each win that will gradually get better and have nicer looking cars than you will as well. You are awarded with cash whenever you win so you will be able to upgrade your ride or even buy something that you won't be ashamed to pick your date up in.

As far as the courses go, I could tell you that it is refreshing you won't have to become familiar with dozens of different courses throughout the game, there are only 2. But as you are probably thinking, 2 tracks just wont give too much of a replay value. To add to that disappointment the 2 available courses; which seem to look and be laid out the same, aren't anything challenging. You are always on a highway, no hairpin turns to downshift, no hills to look forward to catching air on, and not any sign of a shortcut to take advantage of. You won't be checking out any scenery in the bustle of a big city either. The courses are laced with tunnels, on and off ramps and the occasional directional sign. It's not anything that will distract you from staying on the road as the courses get monotonous.

The graphics deserve to be checked out, as they are the best thing in the game. Unfortunately, they only impress when you are watching the demo or viewing a replay. The lighting effects look really nice reflecting off the top of the cars and the look of the painted metal makes me wonder which wax could do that to the finish on my car. The drone vehicles can even sometimes make you glance away from how good your car looks and appreciate their detail. The ingame graphics don't disappoint too much, but don't really offer anything in the area of eye candy. You are only offered 2 different views at which to race, these include; a very close behind the car view and a first person view from the drivers seat, which lacks any steering wheel, dash or hood graphics. A nice touch was added with the tail lights, which leave a trail when you are weaving in and out of traffic and the street lights leave a trail as well while you are speeding past them.

There isn't anything special to say about the sound. You can tell that your engine is running and your tires will squeal when friction occurs, but that is all you would expect anyway. The music isn't going to win any soundtrack awards, but if you like Ricky Martin, you may appreciate the Japanese version of "La vida loca" that plays during the demos. (Just don't tell me that you like him, I will refuse to associate with you any further:-P)

If you like to see damage on your car after giving other motorists a friendly nudge into a different lane or you are introduced to Mr. Concrete Wall when you take your finger off the controller to pick your nose, then here is another reason not be excited about this game...no insurance policy needed. "Not even when I flip or roll my car?" you say. You aren't going to see anything like that in TXRacer, for you will have a car that came with a no rollover guarantee in addition to the tax, tag, and title. You will notice that the physics of the car are strange in other ways, for alot of times the rear end would come up off the ground a considerable amount and all I did was scrape against a wall.

Sega is without a doubt going to provide many anticipated racing games in the near future. If you have been to an arcade in the last ten years, you know that this is Sega's specialty. If you are just dying to have a racing game for the Dreamcast now, I believe you currently have a handful of racers to choose from. Tokyo Xtreme Racing should represent your pinky finger, for that is the one you could live without and still be able to use a controller.

· · · Talon