Initial D Extreme Stage (PlayStation3, Japan version) Menu Translations & Information FAQ FAQ by yyr - yyr57695 AT aol.com Table of Contents ----- 1) Introduction & Version History 2) FAQs 3) Menu Translations & Information 1. New Game/Load 2. New Game 3. Load 4. Game Modes 5. Legend of the Street 6. Garage 7. Time Attack 8. Replay 9. Network Mode 9a. Ranking Battle 9b. Lobby Select 9c. Network Ranking 9d. Network Garage 10. Options 11. Comics 4) The End 1) Introduction & Version History Hi, I'm Aaron Teplitsky, and I recently bought the Japanese version of Initial D Extreme Stage. I wasn't surprised when I saw that all of the menus were in Japanese, because that was also the case with the prior home versions of this game. I was, however, surprised to find that there were no menu translations on GameFAQs! So I've decided to fill that void. Initial D Extreme Stage is, essentially, the home version of Initial D Arcade Stage 4 (simply Initial D 4 in the USA), version 1.5. At this point, it does not appear likely that the PS3 version will be released in North America. It also does not appear likely that this game has a huge following. Reading forums and other user comments about this game, it seems that many players are still upset with the direction that Sega decided to take in IDAS4. If folks weren't disappointed with the content removal and physics overhaul, maybe there would have already been a FAQ for this game. But I digress... The main purpose of this FAQ, as the name states, is to provide translations of the menus. I also give some general information about the game modes and features. I am not an expert at this game, will never be an expert at this game, and am certainly not qualified to give gameplay advice. So I won't. One thing worth mentioning before I begin, though, is that there are two versions of this game for sale: the Japanese version and the Asian version. The Asian version is less expensive. It is identical to the Japanese version except for one big difference: all online features are removed. This FAQ is based on the Japanese version, so if you have the Asian version, you will not see all of these options in your copy of the game. Version History: 1.0 - 1/5/2009 - Initial release. There are some details missing; I'll try and fill in the blanks soon. 2) FAQs Q: What is this game? Will I enjoy it? A: This is a port of the arcade game, IDAS4. As with many arcade games, it will not appeal to everyone. The racing is based on drifting, and the physics in this game are unlike any other (including previous versions of this game). If you want to see what it looks like, I'd suggest that you watch some videos on YouTube. Beyond that, this version is relatively light on features. I would say that most people who buy this game know what it is already, and if a North American video game Web site reviewed it, they'd call it a niche game and give it a low score. If you've never been exposed to this game series, do a little homework before you buy it. Q: How are this game's graphics? A: It doesn't look much different than IDAS4. For those who haven't seen IDAS4, you should know that this game isn't about the graphics. =p In all honesty, it doesn't look that great compared to other modern racing games. The motion is a solid 60fps, which is necessary for a game of this type, but the textures aren't that detailed and many of the courses have a basic look to them. Frankly I was more impressed by the Naomi 2-based IDAS3 than the Lindbergh-based IDAS4. To compare it to something else: I would say that both Ridge Racer 6 and 7 look a lot better than IDES. Q: Will this game play on my region of PS3? A: As with all PS3 games, this game is region-free and will play on any PS3. Q: Can I play online outside of Japan? A: Yes, all online features work. However, leaderboards take a very long time to load, so you'll need to be patient. I played an online match with no problems. Contrary to what I've heard, you do NOT need a Japanese PSN account to participate; any PSN account will work. And once again, you need the Japanese version of IDES, as the Asian version contains no online play. Q: Does this game need to be installed to the HDD? A: No, and it isn't an option, either. Too bad...the loading times are fairly long for this sort of game. Q: What are the main differences from IDAS4 v1.5? A: I'll list them... - The Happogahara course has returned. There are 7 courses now. - You can buy upgrades at any time, not just every 3 races. - There is online play. - You can both save your own replays and download top players' replays. Those are the big ones. For the most part, this is a straight arcade port. Q: How many courses are in this game? A: There are 7, the 6 featured in IDAS4 plus Happogahara. You can play each course the normal way or in reverse, plus in dry or wet conditions. Records are saved for each of these 28 combinations. Q: Are steering wheels supported? How do they feel? A: Yes, but I don't own one, so I can't answer the rest of this question. Q: Is there split-screen multiplayer in this game? A: As in the PS2 version of IDAS2, there is NO split-screen multiplayer. Q: Is there network (LAN) multiplayer in this game? A: If there is, it's completely undocumented and doesn't appear on any menus. I don't have two PS3s or two copies of the game, so I can't test it. I would assume that it's not there. =( 3) Menu Translations & Information I will give as much detail as possible; I'm not merely going to list the items, I'm also going to describe what they do and how to use them when necessary. Attract mode in this game merely consists of some company info, an FMV and the "Press Start Button" screen. If you wait these out, it just loops. The full attract mode from IDAS4 was not included. When you press start you will be taken to the New Game/Load menu. The O button is used to make all selections; the X button is used to cancel. Note that text entry screens do not necessary follow this; they will take whatever the default behavior on your PS3 is. If you're in North America like I am, the text entry screens will use the opposite behavior. 1. New Game/Load New Game -> 2. You will need 736KB free on your HDD. Load (this is the default option) -> 3. 2. New Game Here you will create a character. These are the steps: - Select Gender, male or female. - Name Entry. On the text entry screen press SELECT 3x for English. - Are you sure? (yes/no) - Mychara's Parts. This is a screen where you customize the appearance of your character. Use LEFT/RIGHT to select a category. Press UP/DOWN to select a part. Press O to apply that part. You will begin with a small number of parts and unlock more as you progress. At first, some categories will only have one option. Here are the categories, listed from left to right: 1. Hair. 2. Eyes/eyebrows. 3. Nose/mouth. 4. Clothing. 5. Skin tone/features. 6. ??? 7. Markings. 8. Done (press O twice to exit and confirm). - Select make, model, body color and transmission. You can have up to 3 cars in your garage, just like in IDAS4. The first car is created now; you can add more later. - Number plate. Here you design your license plate. You will enter the following information in this order: - Prefecture (area of Japan). - Two-digit number (text entry screens from here on). - Single character. - Five-digit number. - Confirm yes/no. - You will then proceed to Game Modes, menu 4. 3. Load Select a file (character) using UP/DOWN. Press O to load. If you want to delete a file, press Select to delete it (you'll need to pick Yes twice to confirm). You can have up to 10 files at once. After data is loaded you will proceed to Game Modes, menu 4. 4. Game Modes Legend of the Street -> 5. (this is the main story mode) Time Attack -> 7. Replay -> 8. Network Mode -> 9. Options -> 10. Comics -> 11. Or, press X to quit to attract mode (you'll be asked to confirm). 5. Legend of the Street Unlike the PS2 version, there is no additional single-player mode. This is the sole story mode in this game. The general flow is identical to the arcade and previous versions. First you select a course, then a rival. You race them head-to-head. Beat all rivals at a course to conquer that course. If you lose, you'll have to try again. If you race a rival you've already defeated, you'll race in the rain. After each race you'll earn points to buy upgrades. - Course Select Akina Lake (Novice) (new to IDAS4) Usui (Intermediate) (new) Akagi (Hard) Akina (Hard) Irohazaka (Hard) Tsukuba (Expert) (new) Happogahara (Expert) (was not in IDAS4, returns in IDES) Garage (in green) -> 6. This is where you can purchase upgrades or switch cars. Unlike in IDAS4, you can do these at any time. - Rival Select Select a rival using LEFT/RIGHT. Press L1/R1 to change the BGM you'll hear during the race. Press O to select. Press X to cancel and return to Course Select. - Story sequence. You'll be introduced to the rival and they'll challenge you to a race. These are all in Japanese and there is no option for English subtitles =( - The actual race begins. Default controls: R2 = accelerate. L2 = brake. L1/R1 = shift gears. Left stick = steer. - Pause menu: Resume Restart BGM volume Sound volume Quit (you will be taken to the "you lose" menu) - End of race (you lose): You will receive 1000 points for trying. Then you'll see a story sequence where the rival claims victory. You'll then be asked to make a choice (options shown left to right): Retry Go to another area (returns you to Course Select) Quit (returns you to Game Modes) If you don't pick Retry, the rival will react to your decision before it actually takes effect. - End of race (you win): You will be shown a menu with replay options (shown left to right): Watch replay Save replay Done If you don't save the replay now, you can't see it later. You will then receive points based on your victory, the race conditions and the distance you won by. After this, you'll see a story sequence where your rival reacts to their defeat. The next race will then be loaded, and you'll see the introduction for your next rival. When it's done you'll be asked to make a choice (options shown left to right): Accept challenge Go to another area (returns you to Course Select) Quit (returns you to Game Modes) If you don't pick Accept, the rival will react to your decision before it actually takes effect. 6. Garage The main selection categories are displayed left to right. Press LEFT/RIGHT to select one. Press UP/DOWN to select from the options within each category, and press O to choose. The main categories are numbered: 1. Select car/change transmission. Your cars will be displayed. You can have up to 3 cars. If you have fewer than 3 cars, the bottom choice will be "Create new car." Otherwise, 3 cars will be displayed. To switch to a different car, select it, then select whether you'd like automatic or manual transmission. If you choose to create a new car, the process is the same as when you started a new game. 2. Shops. You can enter three shops (listed top to bottom): - Tuning parts (these affect performance) - Aero parts (affect appearance only) - Muffler/wheels/etc. (appearance only) The shops accept the points you've earned as payment. Use LEFT/RIGHT to select a category, UP/DOWN to select a part, O to purchase. Tuning parts are always active once purchased. For parts that affect appearance, there's... 3. Parts Set Up. Here you can select from the parts you've purchased that affect your car's appearance, since not all can be active at once. Use LEFT/RIGHT to pick category, UP/DOWN to pick a part, O to change to the highlighted part. 4. Mychara's Parts. Here you select parts that affect your character's appearance. It's the same as it was when creating the character. 5. View records. The records pages are the same as in IDAS4. There are four different pages: - Name/picture/rank/cars/points. - LotS progress/online battle record. - Time Attack best times (dry). - Time Attack best times (wet). 6. Exit. You'll be asked to confirm that you really want to exit. 7. Time Attack The general flow is identical to the arcade and previous versions. First you select a course and the run conditions. You run the course by yourself and try for the fastest time possible. - Course Select Akina Lake (Novice) (new to IDAS4) Usui (Intermediate) (new) Akagi (Hard) Akina (Hard) Irohazaka (Hard) Tsukuba (Expert) (new) Happogahara (Expert) (was not in IDAS4, returns in IDES) Time Attack Ranking (in green) You can view your best times. Press START for menu: - Course (in same order as above) - Direction (default/alt) default: downhill/c.clockwise/inbound alt: uphill/clockwise/outbound - Condition (dry/wet) - Apply (press O to proceed) Garage (in green) -> 6. - Direction Select You can race every course in one of two directions. Select one and press O. Default choice: counter clockwise (Akina Lake only) downhill (mountain courses) inbound (others) Alternate choice: clockwise (Akina Lake) uphill (mountains) outbound (others) - Condition Select You can race every course either dry or wet. Select one and press O. - Time of Day You can race every course either during the day or at night. Rankings are not separated by time of day. Select one and press O. - Ghost Data You can select whether to race a ghost of a previous run. You will need a saved replay of that run. The course, direction and condition must match the replay's or it won't work. Select Yes if you want to do this. Valid saved replays will be displayed. - Following these, the course will load and the run will take place. After the run is complete: You will be shown a menu with replay options (shown left to right): Watch replay Save replay Done If you don't save the replay now, you can't see it later. Also note that you must upload a replay to register times for Network Ranking. You will then receive points. You will receive more points if you broke your previous record. If you don't finish, the replay menu will not be shown and you will not receive any points. - Finally, you will get this menu (options shown left to right): Retry Course Select Quit (returns you to Game Modes) 8. Replay Watch Replay - You can view your saved replays. Watch Downloaded Replay - You can view replays downloaded from Network Ranking. Delete Exit 9. Network Mode An introductory screen with a license agreement will be displayed. Your options are: Read agreement (press UP/DOWN to scroll, X/O when done) Accept (say YES when asked to confirm) Decline (say YES, returns you to Game Modes) Provided that you accept the agreement, you'll proceed to the main Network Mode menu. Your choices are: Ranking Battle -> 9a. Lobby Select -> 9b. Network Ranking -> 9c. Network Garage -> 9d. Exit (returns you to Game Modes) 9a. Ranking Battle Ranking Battles match you against opponents. I don't know if the matching is random, or if the system attempts to match you with drivers of similar rank (I would assume it's the latter). Your options are: Start Car Select Exit Car Select brings you to a quick menu where you can choose your vehicle/transmission setting from your garage. Once you pick Start, the matching process will begin. From this point, you can't quit or cancel! Once matched, one player can choose a course, direction, condition and time of day just as in Time Attack. There is a time limit on these selections. I'm guessing that the lower-ranked player gets to make the selections. Once the selections are made, the game will load and the race will begin. After the race, your rank will increase or decrease, depending on your current rank, your opponent's rank and the result of the race. When it's all done, you'll be returned to the Ranking Battle menu. 9b. Lobby Select Here, you can meet up with other drivers and play unranked battles. First, you will see a Course Select screen similar to the ones in LotS or Time Attack. After choosing one, your choices are: Find Room Create Room Exit I haven't spent any more time with this mode, so I don't have any other information. 9c. Network Ranking Driver's Ranking Time Attack Ranking Replay Data Upload Exit - "Driver's Ranking" is an overall ranking based on ranking points, which are won or lost in ranked online battles. - Time Attack Ranking works the same way as the offline TA ranking, described above. There is only one difference: while highlighting any of the top 10 drivers on any leaderboard, press O twice to download a replay of their run. You can then watch them in Replay mode or race against their ghosts in TA. - Replay Data Upload allows you to upload a saved replay of your own run. Once uploaded, it can be added to the leaderboards. There may be a delay of a few hours before it actually appears. 9d. Network Garage This is the same as the normal Garage described in 6., but there is an added sixth category called "Download Item Receive." I don't know how it works. 10. Options Some of the translations of these come from the Asian version's manual. From top to bottom: 1. Auto Save, on/off. 2. Meter Display, on/off. 3. Navigation Display, on/off. 4. Tips Display, on/off (on loading screens). 5. Time limit in TA mode, on/off. 6. LotS difficulty level, easy/medium/hard. 7. Left stick sensitivity, min/middle/max. 8. BGM volume. 9. Sound effect volume. 10. Sound test. Check out the game's music. 11. Button configuration. 12. Force feedback strength (for steering wheels). 13. Reset default settings. 14. Exit. 11. Comics Here you can view Initial D manga. There is a 4-page sample available, along with a message that more is available in the PlayStation Store. Obviously, it's the Japanese PlayStation Store that they're talking about. Since all of it is in Japanese, most international players will not spend much time with this feature. 4) The End I hope you got some useful information out of this FAQ. Thanks to Sega for porting this game to PS3, for continuing the series, and for consistently delivering exciting new games to arcades when so many have declared them dead. No thanks to Konami for slapping lawsuits on every company that tries to improve music games, while they themselves continue to release the same old thing every year. Shameless plug: if you have an Xbox 360, check out Snake360 on Xbox LIVE Community Games! It combines classic gameplay with modern features, like five distinct difficulties, handicaps for younger players, 300 unique levels, co-op mode, two battle modes for up to 4 players, survival mode, Internet Ranking and more! For more info, please visit www.snake360.com. Fine print: this FAQ is (C) 2009 Aaron Teplitsky. This FAQ may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, and posted on other Web sites without the author's permission. The information within, however, may be rephrased, reused and reposted freely.