ok here the review
I'm sure everyone already knows you can choose from the Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka (Hanshin) highway systems. I started out in Osaka with a 180sx Type X (of course!). Once you choose the city you start in, you're stuck with it for a while. There's a good variety of cars you can start with, from hachirokus to Toyota Chasers. At first, you can only drive clockwise on the loop line. I haven't unlocked anything yet, but eventually you can unlock the Wangansen (or drive on it in free mode). The first thing I noticed was the music. HOLY CRAP IT SUCKS!!! It's like a cross between ska, punk, and country. This is Shutokou Battle, not Cletus the Slack-Jawed Yokel's Tractor Pull.. the music really ruins the atmosphere, and I was expecting much better since the music in SB0 was done by Two-five.
Graphics - No monocle-popping visuals here, but the graphics are decent, and definitely an improvement over SB0. The roads (the Osaka Wangansen at least) are true to life.. unfortunately they didn't include the coolest part of the Wangansen (heading into Kobe with the big yellow light strips on the walls). The roads also don't seem unusually wide like in the previous SB games.
Gameplay is pretty much the same as before, except now yor oil and water temperature go up as you drive. You can stop at a pit area to cool down and change settings. New to SB01 is the Win Combo. There's a win combo multiplier when your prize money is totaled after a battle - the more consecutive wins you have, the bigger the multiplier gets. There are also three car battles. I only got into one with a pair of Wanderers. Not sure how it happened - out of nowhere a couple of wanderers just rolled up and challenged me.
The handling took a little while to get used to, but it's not too bad. Kind of a happy medium between the control of SB0 and SB2 for DC. One thing that's annoying me is that whenever I get the rear end out, the car almost always goes into the wall. But, it could just be setup or my technique. Drifting is possible, but it's not like Kaido Battle or anything. What really sucks is that you have to hold down the X button pretty hard to get full acceleration. I tried turning the response up, but it didn't help much. I'll have to search for an old Dual Shock 1 controller so I don't get carpal tunnel syndrome.
One of the coolest things about the new SB is the customization. You've got all the things you could mess with before, but now you can also adjust your alignment settings (toe and camber, maybe more things with better suspension). This time around we have licensed wheels. The selection doesn't seem as big as Kaido Battle, but you can probably unlock more. Unfortunately BBS and SSR wheels don't seem to be in the game. All aero parts can be purchased in 3 different materials - FRP, urethane, and D-Carbon (carbon fiber). This game is ricer heaven.. you can customize almost anything on your car, even the color of the windows. Designing custom stickers and graphics is fun too.
Overall, Shutokou Battle 01 seems like it's going to be pretty cool, but the music has got to go. Hopefully Nagoya and Tokyo have different BGM. I was also kind of hoping you could go to famous spots like Nanko-kita in Osaka or Daikoku-futo in Tokyo and do some street drifting, but no such luck.. maybe next time!
. the boss is three in the first stage 
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