Video Game Vintage Title: Import Tuner Challenge

Import Tuner Challenge

Import Tuner Challenge is the international title for Shutokō Battle X , a racing game published by Ubisoft and developed by Genki for the Xbox 360. It is the final main installment in the decade running Shutokō Battle series of games known as Tokyo Xtreme Racer in North America and Tokyo Highway Challenge in Europe.

Import Tuner Challenge Gameplay

The player's objective in the game is to make a name of the player out on the highways of Tokyo. The player begins as an unknown driver and as the player progresses through the game by earning increasingly impressive nicknames or Handles as they're called in the game.

The player begins the game with a small amount of currency before picking out the first car. When the player picks the first car, the player will begin a race against Iwasaki in the Nissan Skyline 350GT Coupe. After the player finishes the first race, the player will go out on the highways at the selected given day of time. The player will begin the race by flashing the high beams behind the opponent. Both the player and the opponent are given Street Fighter-style life bars which depletes as the opponent falls behind. When the life bar is completely drained, it results in a defeat. The player's victory will earn money which the player can use to upgrade the cars or to purchase new cars as well.

The another feature of the game is the parking area. The parking area is the place where the player can get more information about the other racers and the crews. The player can challenge the opponent in a time attack, three-way SP battles, four-way SP battles or one-on-one SP battles.

The further the player progresses in the game, the more challenges, cars, upgrades and highways will become available.

Reception
While Famitsu received the Japanese version well, it did not receive well overseas. IGN's Erik Brudvig rated the game 5.9 out of 10 and TeamXbox's Nate Ahearn rated the game 4.9 out of 10. The game results an average score of 53.26% based on 23 reviews from GameRankings. IGN's Erik Brudvig criticized the AI for being too easy, "They can be blown away on every turn with only minimal drifting and turning skills."