TOKYO - The 39th Amusement Machine Show started today at Tokyo Big Sight in Japan. Sega occupied one of the largest spaces on the show floor, offering games from several different genres. The most popular proved to be a driving game based on the Japanese anime Initial D: Arcade Stage. The game was developed by Sega Rosso, which previously worked on such games as Sega Rally Championship and Star Wars Arcade. Sega AM2 displayed the already-released Virtua Fighter 4 and a new title called The King of Route 66, where players drive a truck on a highway or play Crazy Taxi-style minigames. The game is similar to Sega's previously released 18 Wheeler: American Pro Trucker. Wow Entertainment showed off the gun-shooting game Lupin The Third, which is based on the popular Japanese comic of the same name.

　　Treasure's latest shooter Ikaruga was also available in playable form at the Sega booth. In the game, players can switch between white and black modes on their spacecraft, and while in that color, players can absorb enemy attacks of the same color. Other titles on display were Virtua On Force, which is scheduled for an October release in Japanese arcades, and Power Smash 2, otherwise known as Tennis 2K2 in North America.