Where TXR: Zero differentiates Fut 15 Coins itself from the cluttered masses of the arcade racing genre is with the battle system. As in the previous TXR games, the game is about one-on-one racing through the traffic-filled highways of Tokyo. You and your rival each have a meter that gradually dwindles when you're in second place. The closer the second-place driver is to the leader the more slowly his meter diminishes. The driver whose meter expires first loses. The object of the game is to stay ahead of your rival at all costs, until his meter expires completely. In the process, there are generally plenty of lead changes and posturing as the two rivals race recklessly in and out of twists and around slow-moving trucks and passenger cars.

Fortunately, the AI in TXR: Zero is highly advanced--some of the best we've encountered in the racing genre--and the computer-controlled racers exhibit extremely realistic racing tendencies. By your posturing and position alone the AI racers can make relatively intelligent guesses as to your driving characteristics in any given situation--some of the more advanced rivals are very intelligent. In a later level against one of the 13 devils--the game's rival bosses--the opposing driver consistently beat us to a specific spot on the track. For example, as we would begin to go left to pass our opponent he would instantly recognize the direction and speed up to cut us off. In this way, the battle-based gameplay system adds a welcome dimension to what is otherwise a typical arcade racer.

Visually, TXR: Zero has improved only marginally, when compared to the Dreamcast game on which it is based. The car models are fairly detailed, and it is easy to spot the driver and even portions of the instrument panel during replays. The environments aren't quite as robust graphically, and the lack of full-screen antialiasing and noninterlaced frames significantly drags down the game's visual quality. For example, outlines of objects in the distance frequently blur together, and on bridges the closely positioned tension cables overlap to create a tortuous visual mess. Adding to this, the fact that the races all take place at night doesn't help the game's visual cause. Although there are a smattering of ambient environmental objects, such as high-rises, tunnels, and assorted roadside signage, you spend most of the game staring into the blackness of night and at the peripheral traffic.