Initial D
A surprising number of anime-based video games are fighting games, and it’s pretty easy to see why. The over-exaggerated characters and powers lend themselves greatly to it, but you know what else it lends itself well to? Sports. Sports anime are one of the most exciting and plentiful genres in the business and standing near the top as a classic is Initial D.
For those who might not know much about Initial D, it’s a racing anime that follows Fujiwara Takumi as a masterful downhill street racer and his adventures with Project D – a team of highly skilled racers who set out to become the very best in Japan. While rather simple nowadays, the series remains a delightful watch and is still held up by many for its exciting races and hype-inducing Eurobeat soundtrack.
However, aside from an arcade game made almost 15 years ago the series hasn’t really had any notable games. So why not make it now? In a world where racing games are either grounded in realism or are cute and cartoony, Initial D can take the anime genre’s decidedly over-the-top energy and apply it to racing. The series gives you all you need in terms of music, characters, style, and so on. In the right hands it could even give Mario Kart a run for its money.
