Peak Performance

The first game in the Touge MAX series, Peak Performance was the only one in the series to receive an American release, with a tie-in to the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, two years before Gran Turismo 2.

This needs some investigation. Discuss ideas and findings on the talk page. Specifically: Find the debug menu code for the US/EU version, and take a screenshot of the debug menu in US version. There is a Nissan Sileighty (TYPE-180) according to this list, is it used?

Debug Display#

Use the following code, then press a button (described in the following sections) during a race to display debug text.

80013480 0000
80013482 0000
80013484 0000
80013486 0000
D0097CA0 0001
80098A34 0003
D0097CA0 0002
80098A34 0005
D0097CA0 0004
80098A34 0007
D0097CA0 0008
80098A34 0008
D0097CA0 0010
80098A34 0009

CarInfo#

Press L2 to display car information.

CarPos#

Press R2 to display car coordinates.

CD#

Press L1 to display CD playback status.

Display Mode#

Press R1 to change display mode. (This refers to things such as split-screen configuration, which is chosen at the start of a two-player race).

CarOfs#

Press Triangle to display car offsets.

Developers Message#

'...But what does it mean?' This game has text or audio that needs to be translated. If you are fluent with this language, please read our translation guidelines and then submit a translation!

Present in README.TXT.

 峠ＭＡＸをお買い上げありがとうございます。

 山のように販売されている他のドライビングゲームと違い、峠ＭＡＸは車の走り（挙動）
を十分に楽しめるよう制作しました。車種も特徴の異なったモデルが沢山あるので、慣れる
まで少し練習が必要ですが、自分なりのテクニックを磨く事が楽しめるゲームです。
 始めは（例の）８６で、ドリフト感覚をたっぷり味わってみてください。
 車は２８＋１車種（＋２種類？）も入っています。すごい事になってしまいましたが、探して
みてくださいね！
 また、シナリオモードは「ドリフト」というものをテーマとして考えた場合に、だた峠を走る
という以外にも様々なシチュエーションが考えられるのでは・・・という所からスタートしま
した。ＢａｙＡｒｅａなどはシナリオの勢いで制作してしまったコースです。
 ところで、コース中にも、あちらこちらに遊びが入っています。ＦＡＮモードでドリフトの
練習ついでに、探して楽しんでいただけると、私たちもうれしく思います。
 それでは、今後のＣＡＶＥの作品にもご期待ください。
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　ＣＡＶＥ開発スタッフ一同　　Dec.１９９６



・ジムカーナのコースセレクトで、ＮＥＷの所にカーソルを合わせて[L1]を押すと、
１８のサンプルコースを試す事が出来ます。[←][→]でコースを選んで決定してください。
（最初の「ＭＡＸ ＳＰＥＥＤ」では、ＣＡＶＥ社内で０’３０’０００を切っています。
腕に自信のある方は、ぜひ挑戦してみてください。）
・ストーリーモードでは、二周目以降にヒートの内容が一部変わります。（相手の車種等）
シナリオの分岐を全て見たい方は、ＮＥＷゲームではなくＣＯＮＴＩＮＵＥで試すと良いかも
しれません。あと、羊をあまりいじめないでやってください。

Regional Differences#

To do: Circuit differences between Touge MAX and Peak Performance (mostly in terms of billboards and other decoration).

Title Screen and Menus#

Japan	International

Besides the name and logo change, Peak Performance features a different background in its title screen compared to Touge MAX, as well as featuring a slightly different looking "PRESS START BUTTON", which is also at a higher position, for a reason mentioned below.

Japan	International

The international versions add labels mentioning the selection and cancel buttons to all menus. Its addition meant that the menu options themselves were moved somewhat higher compared to the Japanese version, which in turn is also why the title screen's "PRESS START BUTTON" message is at a different position on Peak Performance.

Additionally, the following changes were made in regards to some of the modes between versions:

• The Japanese version includes a story mode, which would become a staple of the Touge MAX series. It was removed from Peak Performance, presumably because Atlus did not want to translate it.
• Touge MAX also features an option in the menu called "PR", which is a series of advertisements for various automotive magazines and parts shops active in Japan during the game's release, some of which are also present as sponsors in various billboards throughout the circuits. This too was removed from Peak Performance.
• The Gymkhana mode, based on the motorsport events of the same name, was renamed to Course Editor in Peak Performance, though it still functions the same way its Touge MAX counterpart does, meaning the only course editing you're really doing is just placing cones on a premade circuit. It also adds a text box on the lower right corner mentioning the editor's pause/save menu, albeit written as if it's to quit the mode entirely ("Press Start to Exit").

Vehicles#

As was common with various racing games of this era, Touge MAX featured vehicles clearly based on real cars (mostly Japanese sports cars) but with no actual branding from any real manufacturer, with the cars themselves being referred to by a shortened form of their model preceded by a "TYPE-" prefix. For Peak Performance their names were altered; instead of the shortened model names, each car's model is instead represented by the vehicle class they belong to followed by a number representing their position in said class, and rather than a "TYPE-" prefix, it's preceded by "CAR-" instead. The vehicle classes themselves were changed to be garages in Peak Performance, with the slight exception of the SPECIAL class. Below is a table comparing the vehicle names of both Touge MAX and Peak Performance, alongside the real vehicles they're based on.

As both versions feature a vehicle name editor (similarly to Tokyo Highway Battle and the like), the user can ultimately just rename the vehicles to their original names or whatever they so desire, circumventing these altered names.

While all the vehicles are the same in both versions, some of them (the first three class D vehicles) had their liveries partially altered between releases, all of them relating to the Pikes Peak tie-in.

The "SUPER HILL CLIMB" sticker on the Dodge Viper lookalike was slightly altered; the "SUPER" was changed to "PIKES PEAK", while the number 22 decal above it on the hood was changed to the Pikes Peak Hill Climb logo.

Japan	International

The pick-up truck had similar changes, though it also changed the "TOP FORCE" decal to an Atlus decal, and the "INTERNATIONAL HILL CLIMB" banner on the windshield was altered to mention Peak Performance.

Japan	International

The back features the same "TOP FORCE"/"ATLUS" change, while also changing the "EVOLUTION" on the top to "CAVE. 1997" instead.

Japan	International

The dune buggy also had the same "SUPER"/"PIKES PEAK" change as the previous two, while also changing the "O.WHEEL" (as in open-wheel) decal at the top of the spoiler to a Cave decal instead.

Pikes Peak#

As previously mentioned in this page, Peak Performance featured a tie-in with the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb motorsporting event, which led to the aforementioned altered liveries, as well as the renaming of the Hill Climb to be based on Pikes Peak.

Japan	International

Despite the name change, the course layout is the same between both versions, with the slight exception of the removal of the reverse variation for Peak Performance. The actual listing of the track itself on the course selection menu was also changed so that it's the first choice, which in turn makes Pikes Peak the default track for Time Attack mode on Peak Performance.

Amusingly, a screenshot of the original Touge MAX version was present on both a North American magazine ad and the back cover for Peak Performance, presumably indicating that the name change was a late addition in development, or that the only screenshots Atlus USA's marketing team ever had were of the Japanese version.

US magazine ad	US back cover