Battle Gear
Taito's arcade racing series featuring Japanese touge and online play.
Battle Gear (バトル・ギア), previously known as Side by Side (サイド・バイ・サイド), is a series of racing video games developed and published by Taito. First released in arcades with Side by Side in 1996, the series later appeared on home consoles such as the PlayStation and PlayStation 2. The games are notable for featuring import sports cars from Japanese automakers and tracks resembling Japanese mountain passes (touge), and for introducing online features and vehicle customization through the NESYS network starting with Battle Gear 3.
- first_release
- Side by Side, August 1996
- developer_publisher
- Taito
- platforms
- Arcade, PlayStation, PlayStation 2
- notable_features
- Online leaderboards, vehicle customization, car-key save system
- last_release
- Battle Gear 4 Tuned, November 2006
- series_status
- Inactive; NESYS servers shut down by March 31, 2019
Lore & Background
The series began as Side by Side in 1996, allowing players to select import sports cars from Toyota, Nissan, Honda, and Mazda, with Mitsubishi and Subaru added in Side by Side 2. Tracks generally resemble Japanese mountain passes known as touge. The first Side by Side proved a hit in Japan. The first two Battle Gear games retained the same gameplay as the Side by Side titles. Starting with Battle Gear 3, online features such as leaderboards and vehicle customization were included through the NESYS network in both arcade and home versions. In arcade versions, devices resembling an actual car key were used instead of save cards; players turned the ignition key after inserting a coin to play with saved data. Battle Gear 4 introduced European and American makers for the first and only time, including Renault, Peugeot, Citroën, Mini, Volkswagen, and Ford, with Suzuki added in Battle Gear 4 Tuned.
Reader's Guide
The Battle Gear series holds significance as a Japanese arcade racing franchise that evolved from the earlier Side by Side games. It was among the first arcade racing series to integrate online features via the NESYS network, including leaderboards and vehicle customization, starting with Battle Gear 3. The series' unique save system using a car key instead of cards distinguished it from competitors like Initial D Arcade Stage and Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune. The inclusion of European and American car makers in Battle Gear 4 marked a brief expansion beyond Japanese brands. The PlayStation 2 version of Battle Gear 2 was licensed by Midas Interactive and released as Tokyo Road Race in PAL territories, with online features removed. All NESYS servers were eventually shut down, the last being Battle Gear 4 Tuned on March 31, 2019. A planned successor, Top Speed, was announced in 2009 but canceled after location testing. The series appeared on monthly Japanese arcade rankings, with several entries placing in the top five.
Did You Know?
- The arcade versions of Battle Gear used a device resembling an actual car key instead of save cards.
- Battle Gear 4 was the only entry to include European and American car makers such as Renault, Peugeot, and Ford.
- The PlayStation 2 version of Battle Gear 2 was released in Europe as Tokyo Road Race with online leaderboards removed.
- A planned successor titled Top Speed was announced in 2009 but canceled after location testing.
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