Sega recently announced Initial D The Arcade, an upcoming arcade racer based on the popular manga turned anime television series of the same name.
Veteran video game company Sega has a nice little surprise in store for Japanese Initial D fans, as they lifted the curtain late last week on a new arcade title based off of the hit car-racing manga.
The arcade racer was announced on its official website (which is in full Japanese), along with a brief cinematic trailer promoting an upcoming event meant to showcase Sega’s new machine.
According to Japanese gaming publication Gematsu, Initial D The Arcade Special Hands-On -Ignition, as the event is being called, is a two-day function taking place this July 23 and 24, and will be housed at Sega Akihabara Building 5—Japan’s famed video game nexus.
Sega plans to spice up the series
Sega has been developing Initial D cabinets as far back as 2001, having created as many as nine games exclusively for arcades.
After nearly two decades of releases, a major concern from fans would be the series getting stale. Racing fanatics can stow their worries since the developer has some big plans to revitalize the franchise and bring it into the new age.
The racer will reportedly include an all-new mode of play called the “In-Store Battle Mode,” allowing up to four players on separate cabinets to compete against one another, which is a first for the series.
The new reveal at today's Initial D special stream is Initial D The Arcade, a brand-new arcade game that will support 4-person multiplayer and goes back to being based on the manga
Also a reminder that 2020 is the 25th anniversary of Initial D serieshttps://t.co/N9PzbnRg6d pic.twitter.com/taVkHzSEoj
— 黒凧 BlackKite (@bk2128) July 10, 2020
For fans of the more traditional modes, Initial D The Arcade will also bring back the staple “Time Trial Mode,” along with the trademark “Story Mode” where players can experience the game’s narrative. Competitive gamers will be able to get their fix in “Online Battle Mode” by going head-to-head against other players on the internet.
New modes aren’t the only things Sega is focusing on, as they’ve promised a fresh coat of paint with more realistic vehicles and environments, as well as an updated control scheme.
What is Initial D?
Initial D started off as a Japanese manga series about underground street racing that ended up running from 1995 to 2013.
Its story revolved around 18-year-old protagonist Takumi Fujiwara, who initially despised driving due to being forced into the role of a delivery boy for his family’s tofu store ever since his middle school days.
Little to Takumi’s knowledge, it was that very job that helped him hone his driving skills, which were eventually discovered by his friends who, in turn, introduced Takumi to the world of street racing. From there, he fell in love with the world of underground racing, vowing to become the best driver in his prefecture.
https://twitter.com/IhategirIz/status/1274927675962875904
The Initial D manga was eventually parlayed into several anime television series, anime films, and even a live-action movie.
Image courtesy of Sega/Youtube