For Japan / Asian Systems, (Please use Swap Magic for USA PS2 Systems)
Powered by Naomi 2 in the coin-op, Sega chooses the PS2 to represent the home
conversion of Inital D: Special Stage. Choose any one of the anime rocket racers
as your protagonist and compete against rivals on four different mountain courses
ranging from the beginner Myogi level to the expert Happogaharai night level.
New tracks in Special Stage include Enna, Momiji Pass, Mount Myogi, Mount Usui
and Shoumaru pass. All courses may be played in standard or reverse direction,
during the day or night, and under wet or dry conditions. Vehicles from Japanese
manufacturers such as Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi, Mazda and Subaru may
be chosen as your mountain hugging ride. Initial D manga purists should be pleased
with the Story Mode in Initial D which follows plot highlights and key races
from the original storyline. Adopt the persona of Takumi Fujiwara and start
the game with a Toyota AE86 GT Apex. Successful completion of chapters in the
story mode unlocks car data and new songs for a total of 30 music tracks. The
game engine in Initial D supports drifting, sort of, but we enjoy Initial D
for it's overall merits, namely the excellent control, great coin-op to home
conversion quality, and faithful Story Mode.
