Welcome to The Top Shelf, a weekly feature wherein I sort through my extensive PS2 collection for the diamonds in the rough. My goal here is to narrow down a library of 185 games to a svelte 44: the number of spaces on my bookshelf set aside for my PS2 collection. That means a whole lot of vetting and a whole lot of science that needs to be done - and here in the second round, that means narrowing our laser focus to one game per week (at least). Be sure to check out the Case File Repository for more details and a full list of games/links!
The title of this one doesn't give much away, but the box art sure does: this is a train racing game. Inspired by Taito's absurdly popular in Japan simulation series Densha de Go!, which turned the careful and deliberate skill of passenger train-driving into something approaching a reflex-intensive arcade-style video game, X-Treme Express: World Grand Prix (known in Japan as Tetsu 1: Densha de Battle! World Grand Prix, making that influence all the more overt) takes a system approximating the frantic speed-up, slow-down timing of Densha de Go! and turns it into a competitive racer, where you have five other trains occupying the same course jostling for position. To complete the arcade experience, you're always getting yelled at to "slow down!" or "get out of the way!" by an overenthusiastic announcer.
I won't say that the game doesn't have its charms. The novelty of the concept wears off pretty quickly once you learn that it's simply an arcade racer with a new set of rules to follow and a certain measured approach required. For instance, the right analog stick is dedicated solely to shifting the train's weight, necessary when taking corners at great speed. Trains aren't generally known for their cornering, so in many cases the player has to judge whether to slow down for corners or simply try to wing it and hope they can shift their locomotive's weight distribution to compensate before they derail. Even a derail doesn't spell the end, though: the player simply waggles the right stick until the train magically finds it way back onto the nearest tracks. You can also derail opponents (and they, you) by colliding into them while crossing tracks, though the timing needs to be perfect. And, of course, to finish the race you need to come to a complete stop within a very specific zone next to the platform, or you'll be forced to adjust until you get the right spot, which allows opponents get the drop on you if they're close behind. This also involves a last-second rush to the remaining spaces if you happen to be lagging, switching lanes until you have an empty platform to mosey up to. It's a good way to completely choke after spending the whole race in pole position, though it's also a way to come back from a close second or third if you're reckless enough to punch the emergency brakes at the last possible moment for a narrow comeback victory.
Beyond getting to grips with the finesse of competitive train racing and taking on the game's six regions in the Grand Prix mode, the game also offers a Tour Mode, a Free Mode and a Vs. Mode. Free and Vs. is exactly what they sound like (though I regret I didn't have an opportunity to try out the multiplayer on this game), but Tour mode is where the game understands my particular tastes. In this mode, you have these imposed challenges - you can only switch lanes a fixed number of times, you have to rear-end all your opponent's trains at least once, you have to avoid collisions completely, the gauges for speed and weight distribution are busted, etc. - and need to finish first in spite of them, and by doing so you earn an additional train. The game starts with a healthy number of trains to choose from - 10 each from the regions of North America, Europe and the rest of the world - and offers around 50 more to be unlocked through this mode. Each train sports a different paint job and model, depending on whether they're used for subways, cargo or passenger transport, and each has their own assortment of stats related to top speeds, acceleration, cornering, slowdown on hills and braking. It's a one trick pony, for sure, but there's plenty of content for diehards to enjoy if they've conquered the core Grand Prix races and are looking for more challenges.
X-Treme Express was one of those games I bought explicitly because I thought it'd make for good content should I ever acquire the means to record myself playing it, or later decide to send it over to the Giant Bomb crew and let them figure out how to run a PAL PS2 CD-ROM. Between the high-speed lane-switching madness, the violence of train-on-train combat and the local competitive multiplayer option, it seems like a game that'd be more fun playing alongside friends for a few hours, in like a "check out this weird-ass thing" sense, rather than something I'd be willing to sit down with solo for any prolonged period of time. Like BCV: Battle Construction Vehicles and a number of Simple 2000 games I've swept up over the years, it's a low-budget game from Japan that somehow saw a European release but never made its way to the United States, and there's something about that exclusivity and the way it'd be near impossible to sell these games to an audience in any traditional manner that appealed a lot to the fan of weird and wonderful games that I am. It won't go on the shelf, but I'm glad to own something this unique.
Rating: Eliminated.
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