Racing Lagoon ROM Description
Rev Up Your PS1 With This Hidden Gem Street Racer
If you’re looking to satisfy your need for speed on the original PlayStation, you can’t go wrong with Racing Lagoon, a cult classic street racer/RPG hybrid developed by legendary studio Square (now Square Enix). Released in 1999, this Yokohama-based game never made it out of Japan, but thanks to a recent fan translation patch, you can now experience its unique fusion of high-octane racing and gripping melodrama.
Racing Lagoon drops you into the neon-lit streets of 1990s Yokohama as Sho Akasaki, a rookie racer with amnesia who joins the underground Bay Lagoon Racing team. After encountering rival crews like the menacing Night Racers Honmuku, you’ll participate in illicit street races, customize your ride, and uncover the mysterious “Fastest Legend” 10-year-old racing event tied to Sho’s murky past.
With an initial D-style gameplay loop of cruising the city streets, flashing headlights to initiate races, and betting custom car parts against opponents, Racing Lagoon pioneered the open-world racing framework later perfected by Midnight Club and Need For Speed Underground. Its flexible car customization system also shines, allowing you to swap engines, chassis, and bodies to create wild hybrids like a souped-up V6 Beetle with a bosozoku body kit.
But it’s the silky smooth jazz-electronica soundtrack, with heart-pumping trance anthems and sultry sax solos, that really steals the show. Composed by Noriko Matsueda of Front Mission 2 fame, the music alone makes Racing Lagoon worth experiencing. While the repetitive tracks and slippery driving physics drag things down, they’re easy to forgive thanks to the game’s overflowing sense of style.
Overall, Racing Lagoon stands as a fascinating artifact of Square’s experimental PS1 era. And with its recent English translation, this once-exclusive curio is now accessible to all adventurous retro enthusiasts. So plug in that original PlayStation, download this gem from ROMSDL.NET, and take a ride through the neon-bathed streets of Yokohama. Just make sure to have the ePSXe emulator on hand to bring this obscure classic to life in all its pixelated glory!
| Filename | Size | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Racing Lagoon (Japan Asia) | 450.03 M | Redump - 7Z |
| Racing Lagoon (Japan Asia).chd | 456.65 M | CHD Format |
| Racing Lagoon (Japan Asia) (T-En by Hilltop v1.1) | 454.17 M | Fan Translation |
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