Zero4 Champ series
Encyclopedia
Zero4 Champ series is a racing video game franchise created by Yutaka Kaminaga of Media Rings
in 1991. Hudson Soft
-now a member of Konami
group- licensed it for Drift Champ, the latest episode planned by Work Jam, developed by Tamsoft
and for a mobile phone
game developed by Profire, both were released in late 2002.
sometimes occurs on long straights in industrial areas, which are used for drag races
. These are known natively as 0-400m (meters) or Zero-Yon (ゼロヨン) races. Yon is Japanese for "4".
-based "Story Mode" made it similar to other popular franchise like Initial D
and Wangan Midnight
. It has also some RPG
and simulation adventure (the player does part time job to get money) found later in Shutokou Battle series
titles such as Kattobi Tune and Racing Battle C1 Grand Prix.
Featured cars are sports grades from Japanese makers including Toyota MR2-GT (SW20), Mazda
RX-7 Type RS (FD3S), Mitsubishi Motors
Lancer Evolution VI (CP9A) , Subaru
Impreza WRX STi (GDB), Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec (BNR34) and Honda
NSX Type-S Zero (NA2), all of which are import scene
classics.
HuCard 1993.05.03: Zero4 Champ II (ゼロヨンチャンプII), PC Engine Super CD-ROM2 1994.07.22: Zero4 Champ RR (ゼロヨンチャンプ ダブルアール), Super Famicom
1995.12.25: Zero4 Champ RR-Z (ゼロヨンチャンプ ダブルアール・ヅィー), Super Famicom 1997.06.20: Zero4 Champ DooZy-J (ゼロヨンチャンプ ドゥーヅィージェイ), PlayStation 1997.06.20: Zero4 Champ DooZy-J Type-R (ゼロヨンチャンプ ドゥーヅィージェイ タイプアール), Sega Saturn
2002.11.21: Zero4 Champ series: Drift Champ (ゼロヨンチャンプ シリーズ ドリフトチャンプ), PlayStation 2
(Hudson Soft
) 2002.12.24: Go! Zero4 Champ (GO!04チャンプ), Mobile phone
i-mode
504i (Hudson Soft / Profire)
Media Rings
was a Japanese music, video game, and software publishing company located in Akasaka, Tokyo. Founded in October 1989 as a music and video packaging firm, it since became a distributor and producer of electronic entertainment...
in 1991. Hudson Soft
Hudson Soft
, formally known as , is a majority-owned subsidiary of Konami Corporation is a Japanese electronic entertainment publisher headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with an additional office in the Hudson Building in Sapporo. It was founded on May 18, 1973...
-now a member of Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
group- licensed it for Drift Champ, the latest episode planned by Work Jam, developed by Tamsoft
Tamsoft
is a Japanese video game developer, founded on 26 June 1992.Some of their most popular games were released for Sony's PlayStation console, including the Battle Arena Toshinden series, early Choro Q games and Guardian's Crusade...
and for a mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
game developed by Profire, both were released in late 2002.
Zero-Yon
In Japan, street racingStreet racing
Street racing is a form of unsanctioned and illegal motor racing which takes place on public roads. Street racing can either be spontaneous or well-planned and coordinated. Well coordinated races are planned in advance and often have people communicating via 2-way radio/citizens' band radio and...
sometimes occurs on long straights in industrial areas, which are used for drag races
Drag racing
Drag racing is a competition in which specially prepared automobiles or motorcycles compete two at a time to be the first to cross a set finish line, from a standing start, in a straight line, over a measured distance, most commonly a ¼-mile straight track....
. These are known natively as 0-400m (meters) or Zero-Yon (ゼロヨン) races. Yon is Japanese for "4".
Overview
The series' touge racing, aero parts tuning and animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
-based "Story Mode" made it similar to other popular franchise like Initial D
Initial D
is a manga by Shuichi Shigeno which has been serialized in Kodansha's Young Magazine since 1995. It has been adapted into a long-running anime series by OB Planning, Studio Comet, Studio Gallop, Pastel, and A.C.G.T, and a live action film by Avex and Media Asia...
and Wangan Midnight
Wangan Midnight
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Michiharu Kusunoki and serialized in Shogakukan's Big Comic Spirits since 1990, later in Kodansha's Young Magazine. In 1999, it won the Kodansha Manga Award for general manga....
. It has also some RPG
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
and simulation adventure (the player does part time job to get money) found later in Shutokou Battle series
Shutokou Battle series
is an arcade oriented driving game series created by Genki in 1994. The games were released in America as Tokyo Xtreme Racer and in Europe as Tokyo Highway Challenge.-Shuto Expressway:...
titles such as Kattobi Tune and Racing Battle C1 Grand Prix.
Featured cars are sports grades from Japanese makers including Toyota MR2-GT (SW20), Mazda
Mazda
is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
RX-7 Type RS (FD3S), Mitsubishi Motors
Mitsubishi Motors
is a multinational automaker headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. In 2009 it was the fifth-largest Japan-based automaker and the 17th-largest in the world measured by production...
Lancer Evolution VI (CP9A) , Subaru
Subaru
; is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries .Subaru is internationally known for their use of the boxer engine layout popularized in cars by the Volkswagen Beetle and Porsche 911, in most of their vehicles above 1500 cc as well as...
Impreza WRX STi (GDB), Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec (BNR34) and Honda
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
NSX Type-S Zero (NA2), all of which are import scene
Import scene
The Import Scene or Import Racing Scene or Tuner Scene refers to the subculture that revolves around modifying imported brand cars , especially those of Japanese brands, for street racing.-History:...
classics.
Series timeline
1991.03.08: Zero4 Champ (ゼロヨンチャンプ), PC EngineTurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16, fully titled as TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem and known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
HuCard 1993.05.03: Zero4 Champ II (ゼロヨンチャンプII), PC Engine Super CD-ROM2 1994.07.22: Zero4 Champ RR (ゼロヨンチャンプ ダブルアール), Super Famicom
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
1995.12.25: Zero4 Champ RR-Z (ゼロヨンチャンプ ダブルアール・ヅィー), Super Famicom 1997.06.20: Zero4 Champ DooZy-J (ゼロヨンチャンプ ドゥーヅィージェイ), PlayStation 1997.06.20: Zero4 Champ DooZy-J Type-R (ゼロヨンチャンプ ドゥーヅィージェイ タイプアール), Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
2002.11.21: Zero4 Champ series: Drift Champ (ゼロヨンチャンプ シリーズ ドリフトチャンプ), PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
(Hudson Soft
Hudson Soft
, formally known as , is a majority-owned subsidiary of Konami Corporation is a Japanese electronic entertainment publisher headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with an additional office in the Hudson Building in Sapporo. It was founded on May 18, 1973...
) 2002.12.24: Go! Zero4 Champ (GO!04チャンプ), Mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
i-mode
I-mode
NTT DoCoMo's i-mode is a mobile internet service popular in Japan. Unlike Wireless Application Protocol, i-mode encompasses a wider variety of internet standards, including web access, e-mail and the packet-switched network that delivers the data...
504i (Hudson Soft / Profire)