THE COOLEST PS1 GAME: Racing Lagoon

[@thorhighheels]

THE GAME: bit.ly/3lq17cX HILLTOPS COOL NEW PROJECT: bit.ly/32KOMte PATRONE: bit.ly/31lE9MS think imma take a lil break after this one. its the month that has all the holidays in it after all. i do have a original xbox now. im defo gonna mess around with that. make a video with it. several even. one of em will be my next video. but im honestly not in any rush to get it out this month. well see tho who knows. but i made the past 3 videos back to back non stop, so i think i deserve a lil breaky.

[@acertainhentai1378]

Dude your vids are amazing and so well put together, you can notice the passion and love you have for the games and things you talk about 👏🏻

[@KanaevM]

You could go insane and try SMT NINE.

[@creativeusername7951]

Hey Thor, you should make a video about forgotten Japan exclusive N64 games. Both it and the GameCube have super interesting libraries. It feels like they've sort of got their own style in a way.

[@bombjack1984]

Looking forward to the Xbox DriHoo video.

[@Gearsolid1998]

no rush. you are by far my favourite youtuber. have a merry december.

[@hilltopworks]

Great video! Thanks for keeping this game in the public consciousness all these years. It deserves to be seen, heard, and played.

[@Helioski355]

Thank you for all you've done!

[@thorhighheels]

thank you for your service 🙏

[@Pridetoons]

Teach Us please I want to learn!!!

[@MoluskToeCheese]

You sir are a LEGEND thank you!

[@concreteetch]

thank you for making it possible to do so! this is the definition of preservation

[@samuzII-V-I]

I can't believe this translation is finally here. For years it kinda seemed like the game was too obscure/niche/etc to get a proper translation done with care, be it official or fanmade. Hilltop & co. made a huge stride in the bigger field of game preservation, specially with them having announced Aconcagua next, and i'm thankful for that. These are good times, boys.

[@igodreamer7096]

Aconcagua will have a translation too? Blessings to all the transactions team!

[@SerotoninCrunch]

hell I can't even believe how quickly it got translated, just a few months ago only chapter 1 was out!!!

[@justkady]

@@SerotoninCrunch man works fast, hes a cool guy too

[@Ikcatcher]

It honestly sucks we can’t get a narrative driven racing game these days, it’s all just about the cars and not the drivers

[@Stribog1337]

Too many Battletechs, not enough Mechwarriors.

[@elizanieman5576]

@@Stribog1337 i want another MechWarrior game so bad. That was one of my first games as a kid I never even got past the first level

[@somedouchemcbag987]

@@Stribog1337 I love that analogy, damn

[@frog6054]

Need for speed carbon own the city for PSP is one of the best narrative driven racing game in my opinion.

[@Ikcatcher]

@@i-never-look-at-replies-lol Fellow buddy?

[@mattyburritoMB]

thank you for making this! been looking forward to it ever since your initial coverage on Bizarre Japan Only PS1 Games

[@ZachCG]

hey fancy seeing you here, love your animations bro

[@daltonperry5114]

Hey grandpa

[@TapDat52K]

GRANDPA!!!

[@paradoxeefinity4595]

222

[@geoffreychauvin1474]

I remember us PlayStation magazines covering this game and I was convinced it was gonna release here. This and Soukaigi are the big two I wish square would have localized back then.

[@legend7951]

Since I first played this a few years ago the thing I love the most about this game is the way it uses the car handling/speed as a way to emphasize the story. As you progress in the story and get to the more intense bits towards the end it felt like I was going so fast I could hardly control the car, which is extremely fitting considering the story as a whole

[@monkerulz]

Of all the games that had to be featured on this channel, this was the most anticipated

[@EpicHotCheese]

Fun fact: A somewhat famous Hong Kong racing movie "The Legend of speed" is heavily inspired by the plot of this game. The movie isn't great but still a fun watch if you're a diehard fan of Hong Kong movies and/or street racing.

[@goawayinternet]

this seems sick as hell. I particularly love the way the overworld looks, that authored nighttime city from that perspective, with those beautiful pixel-art-esque textures... it's beautiful.

[@MrIcenice44]

It’s so much better to me than micro machines, without even trying

[@glossedi]

its so superior compared to hyper realistic games imo

[@goodie2shoes874]

More people need to know about this. It’s too unique to die quietly.

[@TitusReviews]

I love how you give attention to these overlooked game aesthetics

[@JadenRockz99]

My favorite part about Racing lagoon is how I can go 300+ KM on a freaking Volkswagen against exotic sports car.

[@livanbard]

Thats every post underground racing game ever tho.

[@NFS4LFE]

*Corocoro

[@frds_skce]

*MicroGT

[@sapphireeniigma-8027]

Bus

[@jimmybgood982]

vw makes A LOT of engines in modern "supercars"

[@Hachiae]

12:30 "low comp thingys" if you're curious, you replaced your pistons which changed the compression your engine produces.

[@Stribog1337]

Thank you car NERD

[@notopianne2906]

Interesting, can I ask how changing the engines compression allows for more turbo? (Idk if it's how it actually worked, only knew from the game)

[@NEEDbacon]

@@notopianne2906 It's kind of a two part thing. Engines compress the Air fuel mixture they receive, the higher the compression, the better the explosion, which means more power. This can be done with better designed heads (Hi Comp's heads, or the opposite of the "low comp thingys" are basically this), or by forcing more air into the combustion chamber. Which is where the turbo's and superchargers come in. However, TOO MUCH compression will throw things off as the gas will ignite prematurely causing a "Pinging" and reduce performance (not to mention life of the engine). The game is ultimately kinda basic in this, as you can (and hell the game expects at least for a UOR or two) fit 8 or more Turbos. Plus the assumption that you'd be using the engine's stock exhaust and intake (which in reality would be woefully inadequate to deal with even a single turbo being added) is kinda silly too. But it's all good fun.

[@notopianne2906]

@@NEEDbacon Thanks for the explanation! that makes a lot of sense. Also it's funny that even as a person who has no knowledge in cars, having 8 turbos still feels a bit goofy

[@NEEDbacon]

@@notopianne2906 No problem. And yeah the most turbochargers ever fitted to a production vehicle is 4, and that on Bugatti's, though BMW was fooling around with 4 turbos for, some reason. Typically it's either one, though in the 90's to mitigate turbo lag (how long it takes for the turbo to really start producing power) they'd use two Sequential turbos. Sequential meaning there'd be one small (which spools up more easily for less lag, but less power) and a big one (which is the opposite) but this has kinda dropped out of favour due to improved turbo technology. An extra fun tidbit is that while Turbo and Superchargers are thought to be separate always, it was actually a thing called Twin Charging. Same concept as the sequential, just using the instant power of a Supercharger instead of a smaller turbo. Kinda amazing to see it having been included.

[@BAIGAMING]

I miss back when racing games used to be like visual novels and had routes. Ridge Racer Type 4 was so much fun exploring all of its routes. Racing Lagoon is like the Evangelion of racing games from what you've said.

[@InfinitySevens]

Not gonna lie, I would love a touge or expressway racer with VN-style elements. I think the closest we did get is Initial D Another Stage for the GBA, which is more of a linear RPG than an actual racing game anyways.

[@Clos93]

​​​​@@InfinitySevensmight wanna check Tokyo Extreme Racer series. It's kinda like a RPG with its stats and progression system. The game is broken up by nights. With each run being a chance to race people on Tokyo's expressways. You roll up on rivals, flash em, then you each get a health bar like a fighting game. With the goal being to deplete the opponents bar by getting ahead of them until it is completely gone.

[@InfinitySevens]

@@Clos93 You act like I'm not a Genki glazer elite. And even then that doesn't exactly scratch the whole "RPG/VN-style" racer itch to me.

[@SetsunaTheFandom]

Ah, yes, Racing Lagoon. The only game where you can just make everything into a Group C or a mid-engined car, even on a *freaking bus*

[@NEEDbacon]

The game where putting a Ferrari Testarossa body onto a kei car chassis isn't only an option, it's practically meta.

[@MintJammer]

Retrofitting a Ferrari into your handmedown Corolla is my goal in this game.

[@frds_skce]

@@MintJammer And yes, I already achieved that. My final build in Racing Lagoon is basically Honda NSX but I swapped out the chasiss with Lotus Europa's one Resulting in a 984 HP, easy to corner and handle, one cool fcking car. Topped off with Aero-Diablo kit, ofc. Gold-Black colored.

[@MintJammer]

@@frds_skce I got it, but the size and lack of weight makes it a scary motherfucker. I can drift into anything but there's no analog controls so I gotta avoid making full stuntman 180s.

[@sebastiankulche]

Similar to Choro Q or NFS MW in that regard. A Honda Civic, Fiat Punto or a Renault Twingo can be as fast as a Mercedez CLK-GTR since all of the body kits are like skins. I like it, since, contrary to other racing games, you can choose the car that you like without worrying about stats.

[@Circ00mspice]

How many souls did you sacrifce for this fan translation to come out? You must've developed a few gray hairs.

[@zeeks4338]

Playing this since 2017 and I can tell it was a Final Fantasy of racing game..This genre seems experimental and yet underrated indeed

[@beat-man5167]

Racing Lagoon would've been one of my favorite games, but I held off on completing it until I could understand it. Now that I properly experience dit, I can say that it is one of my favorites. You perfectly nailed describing the strengths of Racing Lagoon's writing. I adore it's very flowery poetic overt self serious existentialist writing in both ways that I can laugh at it, and in ways it does hit. That noir comparison was a thought I also had! I love this game.

[@Daily-joe]

I swear how are you not at a million yet?? One of the most relaxing and cheeky videos I've seen. 10/10 would recommend!

[@larsnyman2455]

I feel like cars are less susceptible to skung than other things, so no wonder such a nice game is car based

[@kazumareborn2803]

LOVE THE FACT THAT THIS HAS BEEN TRANSLATED! I own a jp copy and have actually finished the first night. It was satisfying to get through and upgrade my ride. and to be able to get around without knowing what the game was communicating to me... although it was dampened by the language barrier... i was really wanting to know what the story was :o MASSIVE SQUEENIX FAN, THEY SHOULD LOOK INTO A NEW RACING LAGOON GAME!

[@fluhor2858]

I've known this game since the year 2000 in a Spanish magazine, about games that Square never bothered to localize. 21 years later, now I'm 26. I can only say:"FINALLY!" and a good review at that, kudos to the translators and to you, Thor.

[@IAMULTRACAPTAINSEVEN]

Damn thor, you uploaded this right as I download the patch. I never EVER thought this game would get translated but im glad it did.

[@QuigzDrifts]

This game looks awesome like it really captures the vibes and aesthetics of bozozoku and other late 90s Japanese street racing and tuning cultures so many contemporary American car enthusiasts seek to replicate. I noticed the engine swap you ended up with is even named after a real performance engine (RB26) colloquially known as the Godzilla engine. Nice touch. Thanks for getting me hip to this game

[@roducliaharenvol8302]

This game has it all, from city streets, mini touges, wangan, drag race, closed race, and chicken race (a mode that haven't copied by other racing games until now) Also to mention there is some cars you will rarely meet in-game (as for me its in highways) so if you find one you better go for the unit :v

[@teratoma.]

I think about the game weekly since this video was released, it cant escape my mind i really want an urban aesthetics racing game that has a VN styled campaign making friends and creating rivals that become recurring characters with their own unique cars, handling silly or serious conflicts and drama through racing, raising stakes, climbing the status ladder... a man can dream, a man can dream

[@LainWithSweetTea]

Played the translation recently wondering when you'd finally drop this. Ty for living up to expectations Thor

[@HelmuthGerka]

Racing JRPG game with the most 90s pre-rendered cutscenes! COUNT ME IN.

[@quaddamage7765]

This game's aesthetics and vibe is touching something inside me I didn't realised i had. Thanks for the amazing content

[@Stribog1337]

🌚

[@lasarousi]

Just like your uncle at night

[@NEEDbacon]

I just finished the game today and it was a trip. I was sold on how gonzo the customization is (WHY NOT put a bus body with a racing body kit onto a Kei car chassis and power it with an RB26-TT33). But as I kept playing it the story kept dragging me in more and more. Sure there was some stuff you could call on the spot, but you'd still want to see if that IS how it ends up. And not to spoil stuff, but you really do wind up places you would NOT expect, if not from an JRPG then certainly a Racing game. Oh, and if you do want another RPG oriented racing games, I suggest the TXR series. While some don't feel as good to plays as Racing Lagoon, and it's less story focused (though there's still a ton compared to what you usually get in racing games) they're worth checking out, especially since Racing Lagoon lacks a NG+ mode which hampers replayablity imo. Oh, and great work Hilltop and crew. If you wouldn't mind penciling in Racing Battle: C1 Grand Prix for fan translation that'd be great. The whole world deserves to enjoy racing with a cow in the bed of a Suzuki Carry.

[@BrandosGrassesOn]

Beautiful, to the very end. I laughed, I cried, I got me some canned drinks and thought about stuff. I think this was a good night. I salute you, commander.

[@lukesguywalker]

there's been such mystery around this game. it feels really cool to see that some of the ideas I had in my head about the story turned out to be true.

[@ENKTDeeColon_and_randomnumbers]

A sequel or (proper) remake of this could make racing games great again

[@ramondiaz1321]

Im from Brazil. Playing games since ninja gaiden series on nintendo 16 bits. Few guys doing history of gaming in aesthetically/ludic pace without look in that way. You know I still remember just explore the virtual space of games like Magic Carpet DOS game (1994) without accomplish any pre determined in-game objectives. You remind us of this basic gaming experience, and it seems gaming nowadays like life is full of pre-determined objectives. Gaming (and gamers) more than never look like a mirror of our society. Thank you

[@Fragenzeichenplatte]

That map engine is totally the same engine as for Front Mission 3. It even has the same camera movements.

[@JermaineATL]

I'm glad you brought light to this game. The ost is Ace. It captures that night racing vibe from the early 2000s so well lol.

[@Kev27RS]

You mean "Late 90s".

[@ProjGR]

Been playing this and beyond the fact that it's a pretty awesome rpg, you can fuckin tell that the developers genuinely live and breathe the car tuning scene. Lowering compression to install a turbo? What other game has that?????

[@superbro6413]

The one review I waited for the longest time to see. Good stuff Thor! Enjoy your break!

[@Monsterinabox89898]

your channel was prob my best find last year, love the deep diving into obscure games, so well researched good job look forward to the next.

[@NotPork]

When I saw on Twitter that this game got a fan translation I instantly knew you were gonna make a full video on it

[@GuyOnAChair]

Glad he can finally really play it.

[@ZylethXenocian]

NGL your vids kinda flow in a way I couldn't tell this was a new upload. It's like when you dream and events sorta just flow seamlessly but all work somehow. Then you wake up and feel some weird deja vu, but you realize this hasn't actually happened yet. Fucking love it.

[@The_Fat_Turtle]

If this game was available in North America like this back in the day, I would have played it like a drug. I still might try and track it down, been a while since I messed with emulators.

[@tobymdev]

track it down? the link is literally in the pinned comment.

[@jeannecaelum5167]

YESS thanks for making it! This game actually really sounded rad, glad to see you get back to making a video on it ^.^

[@Metallumnigrummortis]

I feel so loyal to this channel

[@rvfiasco]

Damn, I would have sacrificed a chicken to play this game back in the day. Big ups to the translator(s) and you for covering it.

[@RandomSubs94]

heck yeh glad you made this Thor, you're the mvp

[@kobra6660]

This game deserved a sequel and I would love to play this again

[@Unquestionable]

This game has always looked like pure sexy nostalgia and I'm thrilled I'll eventually be able to play it. Mad props to this channel for putting it on my radar forever again and even more so for the deep dive. Thor puts words to shit I never thought could be properly expressed.

[@EduardoGarcia-rk1cp]

it was cathartic to finally hear you talk about this game 👏💕

[@Thaltas]

This feels incredibly exciting to see finally happening after years of you joking about no translations! Whatba joyful experience seeing you go in depth about the game now

[@Neopets4Life494]

Never have I been more excited about a carpg like this one. It honestly oozes in style for ps1 standards

[@Stribog1337]

Car Playing Game?

[@cybermousey]

This review is not only great, how you intro and covered it, but the fact you even included a "tips to playing this game" made your video the all in one stop for this game. TY.

[@officialcecilscott]

Well…it’s finally here. Channel’s over, that’s a wrap guys. It was a good ride! Now…Linda Cubed Again…let’s have a chat.

[@carlcouture1023]

This must have been such a joy for you to go through. I feel happy for you that you got to play the fan translation you've been dreaming of.

[@ParappatheRapper]

Good review. I really attempted to play it but I learned partway through that many of the optional side events are real timed... you can miss them. The way I am does not let me miss anything so I basically had to stop because to read a guide would spoil the game, but to miss any part of the game would drive me crazy. Love the music, and I dare say this game has maybe more style than any other I've ever played. It just goes full on into being what it is, it does not hold back at all on the aesthetics and just everything oozes "vision". That part where another racer dies and the real life reaction to it was the peak of the game and I think it has to do with the fact that not only was it just a game about racing but also it was so goofy and lighthearted for the most part and then yeah it just hits you with a Mad Max 1 horrific accident hospital bed kind of thing. If it didn't have timed events I could miss I'd probably continue on but of what I played it's a wonderful game and I've never seen another racing game where when you win you get to take parts off other cars. I wish more games did that.

[@demonninjaadogg3]

Despite the animation looking weird... (sometimes) the game itself is really fantastic to play with a rpg style racing that was never seen before. I played and beat it twice and still playing it.

[@bitwise4996]

Those renders go so well with jungle mixes.

[@punkitt]

LMAO 10:25 got me good, excellent gag there

[@sirdrovious]

Thank you for sharing this hidden gem, I cant believe Ive never heard of it before. This gives me hope for a kowloons gate translation

[@Jenova12]

That end tho, totally made me laugh out loud! Great job with the video!

[@LevelNoneMusic]

The aesthetic your videos have makes me very reminiscent of some place I may have never even been. Some Japan only, low poly, synthy - jazzy, place. Hope I get to go back someday.

[@thierrymaillot4061]

I thought this was a re upload at first since ive heard Thor talk about Racing Lagoon so many times through the past.really epic video Mr. HighHeels!!!! :)

[@TheSuckoShow]

This sounds, not like Justin Lin's work on Fast & Furious, but like what you might imagine when you hear that the Better Luck Tomorrow guy made a Fast & Furious movie. Racing and existential angst.

[@oneupdawg]

I always wanted this game as a teen! Goddamn, Square missed a golden opportunity to not localize this. Ahh old Squaresoft

[@Rukunetsu]

I haven't watched this yet, but gaddamn am I happy you made this video.

[@c-puff]

I feel like it might be time for me to sit down and watch that Initial D anime I keep hearing about. Also I am now gonna have to play the JRPG car game which I never would have given a second thought to after waiting more than a year for this review and finally getting to see just what the hecky this game even is. And it sounds right up my alley.

[@plummy7410]

as soon as I saw this I burst into cheer, "he did it! it happened!" as if a goddamn nasa rocket just took off

[@iantaran2843]

As always, Golden content my guy.

[@smfaceHUN]

I still think that this translation would have never happened if it wasnt for your video mentioning this game a while back. Intentionally or not, you've helped a dream coming true and for that, you, are an absolute fokkhhhen legend m8.

[@Stribog1337]

He's fokhin awesome, if he was an above-average blonde woman with nice feet in the 40-44 EUR shoe size range I would totally smash

[@handheldgamer3643]

I don't think a video has ever sold me on a game so well. I gotta freaking play this

[@aldorivas1314]

Im so high rn but your videos are so amazing man, I love how you find these obscure games with such a unique style and aesthetic.

[@spartansfan1026]

I just binged a bunch of your videos and saw some gameplay footage of the fan translation and THIS IS IT THE DAY HAS COME I'M SO READY FOR THIS VIDEO

[@backflipsimmons]

I finally got this game after watching this video. I’ve never given 1/2 of a shit about racing games but this is something else. It’s electric

[@Nov-5062]

ThorHighheels's Sophisti-future is like Suda51's "Kill The Past"

[@_Digishade_]

Yo, hell yeah. This game's OST is so fucking good.

[@bananabike279]

FINALLY, I've been wanting to see more of this game ever since you used footage of it in several of your older videos. It doesn't seem my type of game, but the premise of a caRPG looks really interesting

[@AlteredGoat]

Idk guys I don't think Thor really knows about the Racing Lagoon fan translation being out on PC we should probably keep tweeting him about it just to make sure 😜

[@Jikkuryuu]

I was not prepared for the 'father, son, and holy spirit' crack.

[@Lan957]

The Pre-Render in this game sure is great, especially Johnny's Motomachi

[@BebehCookieIcecream]

I don't think I'd be overstepping if I said that your videos are the freshest air I've ever breathed.

[@unRealityFPV]

Oh you bet I been waitin for this

[@ilypo]

holy shit i was just thinking about how much i wanted to watch a video from you, love you fam

[@jamesbrincefield9879]

All this time I thought I was like the only person who even knew what this game was, much less actually appreciated it. I’m not a car guy or anything, but back when I was buying basically anything Squaresoft did in the 90s I stumbled across this and fell in love with it. It’s one of those rare genuinely good forgotten gems like Brave Fencer Musashi, Fear Effect, or Galerians that really deserves more recognition.

[@A_Simple_Neurose]

俺たちのSTREET is legit the most rap-listening car-driving fashion-oriented youth gang thing you could ever say in Japanese.

[@summer_xo]

Been playing through this and its a brilliant game. Love how detailed the car mechanics are, its great blend of simple to pick up but you can get nice and stuck in if you want. My only two criticisms are that the draw distance when racing is very small and combined with the lack of pixels can make it difficult to navigate upcoming corners (although can be mitigated somewhat by blasting the internal resolution on the emulator up). Secondly the collision mechanics between cars is pretty rough and can be frustrating. Truthfully though its got an enormous amount of potential and would have shined in the west on the PS2. I was also a massive fan of The Bouncer, which had many of the same people working on it as Racing Lagoon.

[@CBillemeyer]

Death Grips reference was awesome. Keep making great content Thor

[@touhouguyII]

Wow! This game looks incredible for the console!

[@chriserz94]

Thanks for the reminder of this game, I was waiting for the english patch to happen.It's about to get loaded onto my freshly repaired, restored and upgraded CECHE01 PS3.

[@chasesmay7237]

That was one can…did analogy in the middle there, kudos:)

[@MovieClouds]

Thor always be a lil more lit than I seem to expect

[@rimjobledouche5201]

I have the soundtrack to this sitting on my shelf.

[@Taniniver]

Been waiting for this for years, hell yeah!

[@Brucedoos]

Been playing this for a few hours now and it may just be the best PS1 game

[@FauxRomano]

"From l'goone to l'cie" is so inspired I had to say something. Top tier.

[@jodeyeen2713]

Just found your channel and as an aspiring game developer I approve of every review

[@simplytragic]

Bro, you need to check out the Tokyo Xtreme Racer / Shutokou Battle series. Definitely a very different experience, but many of the things you mention enjoying about Racing Lagoon are exactly the factors that make the TXR series my favorite comfy/stylish racing games. Start with Tokyo Xtreme Racer 0 on PS2, there's a lot of personality in there.

[@iownswag2008]

Literally was just thinkin bout rewatching ur videos and then you upload

[@geoffjdm594]

11:17 Eyy, I wasn't expecting my pink bus video to show up lmao

[@ViperliciousOG]

15:10 Oh my WORD The MS PAINT glasses and spray paint tool hair this dude on the left is rockin is far too beautiful for my unworthy mortal eyes

[@shinsetsusha]

At release, this game looked goofy to me and I did not give it a chance. Thanks to your videos, I have come to learn that there is a hidden joy in trying to imagine what went on behind the development process that produced games like this, and that things that were created out of passion, while struggling with schedules, budget and/orresources, have a unique merit just in the fact that they got made at all. So, with this new perspective, goofy or weird games become interesting and stylish to me, kind of like your videos. I am more mature thanks to your videos, I guess 🙂 Our culture is richer because of games like this existing, and the outstanding fan translation is an enormous contribution to its preservation. I will definitely play it again.

[@Stribog1337]

I believe you, it might have looked shiddy back in the day, but nowadays based on my nostalgia-fueled aesthetic-loving standards, it's pretty nice