History VideoGame / WanganMidnight

* RemixedLevel: The only real difference between the Yaesu courses and the C1 courses is a particular fork in the northeast corner of the C1 loop. Other than that, both courses are the same.

* LostInTranslation: In the second game, one of the titles you can unlock (specifically, by losing on Stage 79 of the second loop) is "Oh! Bear Z", or ''Ah, Kuma no Z'' in the original Japanese. This hinges on the fact that in Japanese, the Devil Z is called the ''Akuma no Z''; ''Akuma'' means "devil", while ''kuma'' means "bear", so the pun doesn't work in other languages.

* DamnYouMuscleMemory: If you are traveling from Asia to anywhere in the West that has the game or vice versa, be warned that the shifter will be on the opposite side of the cabinet from what it is back home (on the right for American and European cabs, on the left for Asian and UK cabs).

** In ''[=MT6R=]'' in Japan and ''[=MT6RR=]'' in Asia, BMW M4 G82 and Toyota GR Supra J29/BD42 are unlockable for limited time only event in this version.

** Now here's WMMT 5 -> WMMT 5 DX -> WMMT 5 DX+, and WMMT 6 -> WMMT 6 R -> WMMT 6 RR.

** Cool Smooth: Cyan

** Wild Smooth: Purple

** Cool Rough: Yellow

** Wild Rough: Red

* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: Your car's aura changes color depending on your driving style in versus mode:

* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: The versus battle auras change color depending on the players' driving style in versus mode:

* ForcedLevelGrinding: 60 stages for a full-tune in MT 1, 80 in MT 2 and 3, 100 in 3DX and 3DX+, 59 in 4 to 5DX+, and 79 in MT 6 to 6RR. And each stage eats up one credit.

** In ''Maximum Tune 4'', the issue is avoided altogether because there are lamps along the road providing illumination.

* LevelInReverse: Extreme VS Mode, in which in addition to the {{Interface Screw}}s, all of the roads are raced on backwards, meaning that you're driving such that the opposite direction of the route is on your left rather than the right[[note]]Japan is a "drive on the left side of the road" country[[/note]], racing on the "Inward" side of C1 in the "Outward" direction, etc. This may not seem like much of a hassle at first, but some routes have unique hazard in one direction only, and the Osaka and Nagoya courses become very different beasts as outside of Extreme VS Mode, there's no counterclockwise variant of either route. Hakone gets a more [[{{Pun}} extreme]] treatment: The map itself is mirrored! Later games remove Extreme VS, but allow for the selection of reverse variants of C1 and Osaka and the mirrored variant of Hakone in VS matches.

* LongSongShortScene: "Who's Your Rival?" from ''Maximum Tune 4'' to ''[=5DX=]+'' is 4'33" long on original soundtracks, which is as long as a handful of race tracks...but it's actually a ''menu'' track, specifically for Ghost Battle mode. Most likely downplayed, as the menus for Ghost Battle can take a while to navigate, depending on the player. Ditto for "Avatar's Alert" from ''Maximum Tune 6'', which is 3'20" long on original soundtracks, but this is also downplayed since the player can extend their menu time back to 99 seconds if they pick one ghost of a certain name and select another name for a ghost.

* MarketBasedTitle: The U.S. version of ''Maximum Tune 5'' notably does not have the "Wangan Midnight" part in its title or logo, and additonally all of the previous games whose soundtracks are represented in the game are given {{Retronym}}s that get the same treatment, with the sole exception of ''Wangan Midnight R'' which is called ''Midnight R'' (just calling it ''[[OneLetterTitle R]]'' would look extremely silly). Conspicuously, ''Wangan Terminal'' is left as is.[[note]]It's still possible to piece together the full name of the series from various elements of the game: '' '''Wangan''' Terminal'', '' '''Midnight''' R'', and '' '''Maximum Tune''' ''. In 5DX+, the tiny word "Wangan Midnight" can be seen in the VSORG background.[[/note]]

* NonStandardGameOver: Driving the cars into wrong way for a timer countdown will cause an instant retirement, but it is possible only if you aren't playing Multiplayer Battle, and you have the Retire Option turned on on your game save in your card.

* PimpedOutCar: The Dress-Up system. Completing Ghost Battle races fills up a meter that, when full, grants you new cosmetic upgrades for your vehicle, such as tires, spoilers, decals, and even neon underglow. These parts don't influence your car's performance, so you can be as [[WhatAPieceOfJunk plain]] or as [[RiceBurner ricey]] as you want.

* PowerCreepPowerSeep: No car is allowed to start with more with than 350 HP in its stock form. This means that cars whose engines, even in stock form, produce more power than that limit will have their engine outputs nerfed accordingly to 300 HP, such as Corvette ZR-1 that has 639 HP in stock form. Also, any car with a transmission with more than 6 forward gears will only have the upper six speeds usable due to physical hardware restraints in regards to the arcade cabinet as the physical shift lever only has 6 positions, not counting neutral (eg. A 7-speed gearbox will only have gears 2 through 7 usable).

** Choosing certain colors on certain cars allows you to have a "variant model" of said car. For example, to get the Nür variant of the Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec II ([=R34=]), you would select Millennium Jade as your [=R34=]'s paint color. To get the RS variant of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions up to VIII (complete with no-frills steel wheels), you would select Scotia White (Evo III, V, and VI) or White Solid (Evo VIII only).

** Also in ''Maximum Tune 6'', due to Maxi G system abolished, the Mazda MX-5 RF (ND), Nissan Fairlady Z S130, and Nissan Leopard are rewarded based on total accumulation in Maxi G from ''[=MT5DX+=]''.

** [=WMMT5=]: Adds the Mt.Taikan area of Hakone, which is a separate track. Also, [[BadExportForYou it adds Sub-center Area in Japanese version, which couldn't be seen in overseas versions until...]]

** A variation. Tatsuya's Blackbird, a highly-modified 964-series Porsche 911 Turbo 3.6, causes some issues when it needs to be portrayed in a Wangan Midnight video game, since up until 2017 Porsche had a 20 year long exclusivity agreement with Electronic Arts that blocked Porsche's trademark from being featured on any videogame series other than ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeed'', thus preventing Namco (who handles the Maximum Tune spinoff) or Genki (who handled the first arcade game, its [=PS2=] and PSP ports, and its own Wangan Midnight game for the [=PS3=]) from being allowed the rights to represent Porsche in any video game adaptation of the manga. As a results, these two companies have turned to Porsche-esque builders RUF or Gemballa for help. In the Genki-produced games (and later games Genki have assistance on, read below), the Blackbird is represented by the RUF CTR. Known as the "Yellowbird", it's essentially RUF's take on a modified 930-seris Turbo. In the [=PS3=] Wangan Midnight game, the Yellowbird was joined by the RCT, based on the 964-series 911 Turbo, allowing players to choose which depiction of the Blackbird they'd like to use. In the first 3 of the Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune games, Namco used the Gemballa [=3.8RS=], another modified 930-series 911, but uses a [=3.8L=] non-turbo engine from the rare 964-series 911 Carrera RS 3.8. RUF made their Maximum Tune debut in the fourth game (in which Genki started providing assistance on) with the CTR and the 997-series version of the RGT, with the CTR and RCT once again representing the Blackbird. Porsche finally made their debut in ''Maximum Tune 6'', with the introduction of the 718 Cayman S, the 930, 964, and 991-series 911 Turbo models and the 928 GT.

** The worst of all is the Devil Z. During ''6RR's'' release, Bandai Namco lost the rights to RS Watanabe tires since ''Maximum Tune'' in 2004 and was replaced by Work Wheels Japan brand. This caused the rims for Devil Z to change from a Watanabe 8-Spoke to Rays [=TE37=].

* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: The versus battle auras change color depending on the players' driving style:
** Cool Smooth: Cyan
** Neutral Smooth: Blue
** Wild Smooth: Purple
** Cool Neutral: Green
** True Neutral: White
** Wild Neutral: Pink
** Cool Rough: Yellow
** Neutral Rough: Orange
** Wild Rough: Red

*** It breaks the trend of Story Mode completion equalling a full-tune. A story loop in this game, as well as subsequent versions, is 100 stages, but only 80 stages are needed for a full tune.

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: From [=WMMT3=] and onwards, there are King/Top player status that are displayed in one of its AttractMode. To become like them, players must beat previous King/Top player ghost. Default King/Top players ghosts are quite easy, but player-generated King/Top players ghosts all have various difficulty, depending on how well they beat the previous King/Top player's ghost.

* PreAsskickingOneLiner: "CCR" Motoki of the rather adversarial [=R200CLUB=] delivers one to the player in ''Maximum Tune 1'' and ''2'':
--> "Our club [=R200CLUB=] will destroy you."

--> "A girl's driving that white [=32R=]. And they say nobody's with her. We [=R200s=] can take her down!"
** Which can also be interpreted as:
--> "There's a girl in that white [=32R=] and she's alone. But our club [=R200CLUB=] will destroy her."

''(Stage 16)'' '''Masaki:''' "I don't like your car."\\

* BreakingOldTrends: ''Maximum Tune 6'' bucks several patterns from prior games:
** Its login theme is the first one not to be officially titled "Entry Maxi''(version)''", instead being titled "Reborn". It is also the first login theme to have proper lyrics, as opposed to vocal samples or being instrumental.
** It is the first game in the series not to introduce any new roads or courses.
** It breaks the trend of Story Mode completion equalling a full-tune. A story loop in this game, as well as subsequent versions, is 100 stages, but only 80 stages are needed for a full tune.

** It is the first game in the series not to introduce any new roads or tracks.

** Its login theme is the first one not to be officially titled "Entry Maxi''(version)''", instead being titled "Reborn". It is also the first login theme to have proper lyrics, as opposed to vocal samples.

* AnachronismStew: The game series has such problems like its anime counterpart, by having some characters driving newer cars that weren't produced at the time of its original manga writing. For instance, Tatsuya Shima drives a Nissan 350Z Z33 in the overseas version of first three games, and Kazuhiko Yamamoto drives a Subaru Impreza WRX STI GRB hatchback during ''[=3DX=]'' and a Mazda MX-5 ND in ''[=MT6=]''?

* LevelInReverse: Extreme VS Mode, in which in addition to the {{Interface Screw}}s, all of the roads are raced on backwards, meaning that you're driving such that the opposite direction of the route is on your left rather than the right[[note]]Japan is a "drive on the left side of the road" country[[/note]], racing on the "Inward" side of C1 in the "Outward" direction, etc. This may not seem like much of a hassle at first, but some routes have unique hazard in one direction only, and the Osaka and Nagoya courses become very different beasts as outside of Extreme VS Mode, there's no counterclockwise variant of either route. Hakone gets a more [[{{Pun}} extreme]] treatment: The map itself is mirrored!

** There are no roundabouts at both ends of Hakone or Fukuoka Expressway in real life. Speaking of Mt. Taikan, there are also traffic driving on the opposite side of the road, since there are no oncoming traffic ever since.
** The jump sections in Wangan Line and Minato Mirai outer loop (Yokohama) are non-existent in real life either.
**
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: From [=WMMT3=] and ownwards, there are King/Top player status that are displayed in one of its AttractMode. To become like them, players must beat previous King/Top player ghost. Default King/Top players ghosts are quite easy, but player-generated King/Top players ghosts all have various difficulty, depending on how well they beat the previous King/Top player's ghost.

* ArtisticLicenseGeography: There are no roundabouts at both ends of Hakone, Mt. Taikan or even in Fukuoka Expressway in real life. Speaking of Mt. Taikan, there are also traffic driving on the opposite side of the road, since there are no oncoming traffic ever since.

---> ''(Stage 16)'' '''Masaki:''' "I don't like your car" \\

''(Stage 78)'' '''Akio:''' "[[DoesnotknowHisownstrength Did I go a bit overboard?]] Hehe, sorry..."

** Subverted again in [=WMMT5DX+=], as we will get Honda, the first new Japanese maker to join the roster, as well as Lamborghini, an Italian supercar maker.
* DamnYouMuscleMemory: If you are traveling from Asia to anywhere in the West that has the game or vice versa, be warned that the shifter will be on the opposite side of the cabinet from what it is back home (on the right for American and European cabs, on the left for Asian cabs).
* DevelopersForesight:

''(Stage 26)'' '''Shima:''' "Nobody gets ahead of the Blackbird." \\
''(Stage 34)'' '''Sonoda:''' "You're the one with lame skills!"

* ForcedLevelGrinding: 60 stages for a full-tune in MT 1 and 4 to 5DX+, 80 in MT 2, 3 and 6 and 100 in 3DX and 3DX+. And each stage eats up one credit.

* GameBreakingBug: The game is notorious for "wheel errors" that occur if the wheel is slammed too hard to either of its physical limits. Which, given the tendency of children and ill-mannered players to roughhandle arcade machines in public arcades, happens ''a lot''. As the error stops the game from being playable, it requires operator intervention to get the game back up and running.

* GameOverMan: In ''Wangan Midnight R'', usually when you lose the race, Jun Kitami taunts you at the continue screen. However, if you lose to Akio or Tatsuya Shima (or in rare occassions, Reina Akikawa at the final stage), they will taunt you in the continue screen instead.

** Story Chapter 51 features two wannabe racers driving a particular yellow Mazda RX-7 FD and white and carbon-hooded Toyota Sprinter Trueno [=AE86=]. Perhaps the [[Manga/InitialD fake Project.D]] retreated to the highways after being humiliated by the real thing? May also double as a TakeThat.
* SocializationBonus: Discards from [=WMMT5DX=] to 5DX+ could only be gifted to another player. If you wanted to get one yourself, you better ask your friends or local players for one. No longer the case in [=MT6=] as players may now use their own discards.

* TheComputerIsACheatingBastard: In a matter of speaking. The Ghost Car in Ghost Battle is basically a replay of that player's run down to every turn, braking, and collision made. When playing against it, it will try to stay true to its recorded course to the point of easily pushing away traffic cars (whereas you tend to get mucked up trying the same thing), and if you and it collide, it will most certainly get away scot free while you are left in the dust (unless you are in front of it), and if you thought you could just punt the ghost into a tollbooth, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W0z6YHjwFE think again]], as the ghost will quickly free itself and re-accelerate to in excess of its top speed in order to re-sync with the recorded run. It's become especially bad when you race against the Top Ghost Car of the course you are challenging or against a car in Japan Challenge mode in [=WMMT4=] and onward, which could potentially reach UnwinnableByDesign levels. As such, many players pull a NonStandardGameOver as means of quitting the race to avoid losing.

* MarketBasedTitle: The U.S. version of ''Maximum Tune 5'' notably does not have the "Wangan Midnight" part in its title or logo, and additonally all of the previous games whose soundtracks are represented in the game are given {{Retronym}}s that get the same treatment, with the sole exception of ''Wangan Midnight R'' which is called ''Midnight R'' (just calling it ''[[OneLetterTitle R]]'' would look extremely silly). Conspicuously, ''Wangan Terminal'' is left as is.[[note]]It's still possible to piece together the full name of the series from various elements of the game: '' '''Wangan''' Terminal'', '' '''Midnight''' R'', and '' '''Maximum Tune''' ''.[[/note]]

** A variation. Tatsuya's Blackbird, a highly-modified 964-series Porsche 911 Turbo 3.6, causes some issues when it needs to be portrayed in a Wangan Midnight video game, since up until 2017 Porsche had a 20 year long exclusivity agreement with Electronic Arts that blocked Porsche's trademark from being featured on any videogame series other than ''NeedForSpeed'', thus preventing Namco (who handles the Maximum Tune spinoff) or Genki (who handled the first arcade game, its [=PS2=] and PSP ports, and its own Wangan Midnight game for the [=PS3=]) from being allowed the rights to represent Porsche in any video game adaptation of the manga. As a results, these two companies have turned to Porsche tuners RUF or Gemballa for help. In the Genki-produced games, the Blackbird is represented by the RUF CTR. Known as the "Yellowbird", it's essentially RUF's take on a modified 930-seris Turbo. In the [=PS3=] Wangan Midnight game, the Yellowbird was joined by the RCT, based on the 964-series 911 Turbo, allowing players to choose which depiction of the Blackbird they'd like to use. In the first 3 of the Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune games, Namco used the Gemballa [=3.8RS=], another modified 930-series 911, but uses a [=3.8L=] non-turbo engine from the rare 964-series 911 Carrera RS 3.8. RUF made their Maximum Tune debut in the fourth game with the CTR and the 997-series version of the RGT, with the CTR and RCT once again representing the Blackbird. Porsche finally made their debut in ''Maximum Tune 6'', with the introduction of the 718 Cayman S, the 930, 964, and 991-series 911 Turbo models and the 928 GT.

* CanonForeigner: Music-wise, "Blackbird's Theme" of the [=PS2=] ''Wangan Midnight'' was not included in the original arcade releases, due to when Genki was unable to get the licensing for Shima's car led to him being AdaptedOut in Namco-released arcade versions. The music was later included in the aforementioned [=PS2=] port and also part of the unlocked compilation tracks starting from ''Maximum Tune 3''.

[[caption-width-right:350:''Roar through at over 300 km/h.''[[note]]And try not to bump into one of the ten million Namco-paintjob cars on the road.[[/note]]]]

* DumpStat: Surprisingly for a series focused on high-speed highway racing, top speed is this in ''Maximum Tune''. At full tune, cars only differ in top speed by about 5-6 km/h at most, in order to maintain CompetitiveBalance. On any course that isn't the Wangan Line, this difference is absolutely irrelevant, since if you have to make even a decently sharp turn your speed is going to decrease as you go into it. To illustrate In ''Maximum Tune 4'' and later, the Toyota Hiace and the Alcone SVX both have the highest top speed at 351 km/h, but the former is a [[JokeCharacter Joke Car]] with poor everything-else and the latter is [[ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman only a viable competitor when time attacking on Wangan]].

* RuleOfCool: Can a Toyota Corolla really be safe and stable with 840 horsepower? How about the Hiace, the R2, and the Pajero? In fact who in their right mind would drive a vehicle like the high-ride version of the Hiace at over 300km/h on a cornering race course?