The anime and manga series Initial D is based around illegal street racing, and has maintained it’s popularity with fans for some time. The series has since made the transition to popular racing game, eventually hitting consoles and arcades everywhere. In your travels, you may have come across SEGA’s Initial D Arcade Stage cabinets in bigger arcades, but it’s unlikely that you’ve stumbled onto one like this.
Visitors to the fun little entertainment island of Odaiba, Japan should make their way to SEGA’s Joypolis amusement park this summer to see a special revision of the Initial D Arcade Stage 4 Limited arcade game using real cars. The series’ Toyota Trueno, Subaru WRX, and Mazda RX-7 Type-R are all there, mounted on motion mechanisms (sans engine) in front of a 90 inch monitor.
Players are assigned to each car’s respective character (example: the Trueno’s character will be Fujiwara), and the game supports both automatic and manual transmission selection. Each game costs 600 yen (about $5). Riding shotgun (or suicide seat) is free.
This is a limited time engagement, so Initial D fans will need to quickly find a way to Japan.
[via Response]