Home » This ’90s Space Shooter Game Had A Lexus LS 400 As A Final Boss: Cold Start

This ’90s Space Shooter Game Had A Lexus LS 400 As A Final Boss: Cold Start

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I realize I already did one archaic video game/automotive mashup as a Cold Start this week, but I just found out about this and I really had to share it with all of you because, well, I think you’ll see why because. It seems back in 1991 there was an obscure video game, released in Japan by Video System Company, Ltd., called Turbo Force. It was a pretty straightforward shooter with a mildly goofy story and a really incredible final boss. That boss? A gray 1990 or so Lexus LS 400, just like the dentist in chinos down the street from you drove when you were a kid. Only here, it’s in space, and its shooting at you.

The whole plot of the game revolves a bit around cars, at least somewhat. In an interview with one of the graphic designers who worked on the game, Soukou Junyoukan, this was the basic plot:

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“The story is that an American Air Force pilot, while racing his car on a public road, wanders into another mysterious dimension and gets caught up in a war there. Oops!”

Racing on public roads is never a good idea, but I didn’t realize getting caught up in a war in an alternate dimension was one of the possible consequences, but I’m glad I know now, before I do something stupid.

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See how that flyer says “UNCOVER THE UNEXPECTED FINAL BOSS WHO CONTROLS THE EMPIRE?” They’re referring to that early 1990s Japanese luxury car, which you can see in action here:

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Yep, that’s an LS 400 all right. That is unexpected. And it sure seems mad! In the game, it’s known as Mega Car.

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It’s opening all its doors and firing everything its got at you! I’ve almost never seen these cars behave in such a manner. These were refined, fancy vehicles, remember, full of genteel dignity, as you can see from Lexus’ advertising of the period:

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Is that the sort of car that blasts you with laser pulses or whatever those are? I can only really identify one of the projectiles the car shoots, though. These:

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Look at that! It’s shooting little Lexus badges! It seems the kinds of projectiles Mega Car shoots are related to the characters painted on the Lexus’ hood:

神風 (Kamikaze [divine wind]): the car rushes the player to cause damage and fires cylindrical missiles.
日本 (Nihon [Japan]): the car fires round missiles at the player.
忍 (Shinobi [ninja]): the car opens its doors and fires still other missiles from inside its cab. It also disappears and reappears quickly.

The “round missiles” referenced up there are the Lexus badges you can see above.

Turbo Force

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As far as I’m aware, this is the only example in all of videogamedom of a (relatively) stock car used just pretty much as-is in normal reality as a final boss. It’s weird, right? I mean, that era of Lexus was great and hugely influential, but kind of boring, really, in all its sensible-luxuriousness. It hardly feels like what I would think of as an incredibly dangerous space-borne Mega Car. But here we are.

Whose idea was this? Who pitched it, and who approved it? Who said, hey, instead of coming up with some elaborate new alien or spaceship for the boss, what if we just use that new car I saw in the parking lot yesterday afternoon?

Amazing.

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Citrus
Citrus
18 days ago

The game is kind of bland and instead of ending it just loops, but the art is pretty fun.

D-dub
D-dub
18 days ago

Pedantic LS400 owner here. The LS400 doesn’t have stationary rear quarter glass windows as depicted here. The entire rear window goes down in a complicated sinking-ship-like maneuver.

Last edited 18 days ago by D-dub
AssMatt
AssMatt
18 days ago

Wait, you built a space machine…out of a Lamborghini?!

Taargus Taargus
Taargus Taargus
18 days ago

Not only is the boss an LS, but it’s a GIGANTIC LS. Look at the size of it relative to your car/ship!

Now that’s a luxury sedan right there.

Michael Beranek
Michael Beranek
18 days ago

It’s Uber Grosser.

Cam.man67
Cam.man67
18 days ago

Were this game to be rereleased the final boss should be a Nissan Altima with a “Locally Hated” sticker.

Michael Beranek
Michael Beranek
18 days ago
Reply to  Cam.man67

Or a bro-dozer with flags on the bed.

S0crates82
S0crates82
17 days ago

Don’t forget the stickers that proclaim to the world that even though they’re allowed to drive, they never grew up.

TriangleRAD
TriangleRAD
18 days ago
Reply to  Cam.man67

Oh..my..God…..It’s got a……temp tag! RUN!

Toecutter
Toecutter
17 days ago
Reply to  Cam.man67

Driven by a drunken, methed-out juggalo!

CandleCamper
CandleCamper
18 days ago

Didn’t the JDM version of this car have a Toyota badge? Fascinating that the game uses Lexus badges.

Brandon Forbes
Brandon Forbes
18 days ago
Reply to  CandleCamper

Indeed it did. It was a Toyota Celsior in Japan.

Trust Doesn't Rust
Trust Doesn't Rust
18 days ago

Given how I see LS400’s of that vintage still being driven, I think this a totally valid prediction of the future.

Michael Beranek
Michael Beranek
18 days ago

Ironically, what will send an LS400 to the pasture is the electronics. Tin whiskers grow and brick all of those modules, and spares are not readily available.
Motor, transmission, body, chassis, all good to go. But not without working electronic modules!

Canopysaurus
Canopysaurus
18 days ago

Little known fact: Turbo Force was a recruitment tool like the game in “The Last Starfighter.” Every time you destroyed the Mega Car in Turbo Force, an LS 400 and its driver were destroyed in real life. No worries, they were all villains.

DrFunk
DrFunk
18 days ago

Video System Company, Ltd also developed Aero Fighters, a game where one of the main characters is a dolphin who flies a jet

Musicman27
Musicman27
18 days ago
Reply to  DrFunk

Ecco The Dolphin: Ecco’s revenge.

Spopepro
Spopepro
18 days ago

The Lexus emblems surprised me… I was about to proclaim it is a Toyota Celsior given the date and source. The street fighter bonus stage is definitely a Celsior.

Michael Beranek
Michael Beranek
18 days ago

I’ll take on this Space-Lexus with the C1 ‘Vette from Heavy Metal, fully equipped with the LocNar.

Cheap Bastard
Cheap Bastard
18 days ago

I prefer South Park Kenny’s cat piss T/A.

Toecutter
Toecutter
17 days ago

The LocNar is mine!

Chronometric
Chronometric
18 days ago

Clearly a metaphor for the luxury car segment going forward from the 90s.

ChefCJ
ChefCJ
18 days ago

I miss the days when videogame box art told beautiful, wonderful lies about the game you were getting ready to play

NC Miata NA
NC Miata NA
18 days ago

Back in the day, you truly had to work to kill a LS 400.

Brandon Forbes
Brandon Forbes
18 days ago
Reply to  NC Miata NA

That hasn’t changed.

Chris Stevenson
Chris Stevenson
17 days ago
Reply to  NC Miata NA

Just select E. Honda and spam the Hundred Hand Slap to kill it on the bonus level.

MATTinMKE
MATTinMKE
18 days ago

I see a whole series for this! The hero driving a Chevy while the Boss is a F150, similar for Honda vs Toyota, or Stellantis vs itself!

A. Barth
A. Barth
18 days ago

what if we just use that new car I saw in the parking lot yesterday afternoon?

Maybe “I saw” actually means “that cut me off and stole my spot”.

Dude Drives Cars
Dude Drives Cars
18 days ago

The Lexus LS 400 sure had its day in arcade games, eh? #MortalKombat

Musicman27
Musicman27
18 days ago

There it was getting the crap beat out of it, here it’s beating the crap out of you. Is this the Lexus 400’s villain arc!?

El Chubbacabra
El Chubbacabra
18 days ago
Reply to  Musicman27

There’s also that one fight in Jazzpunk when you have to beat the crap out of it, so…yeah.

NebraskaStig
NebraskaStig
18 days ago

#StreetFighter

Toecutter
Toecutter
17 days ago

The image above is Street Fighter II.

Here’s one in Final Fight(albeit slightly changed):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nHzkPSQbxc

Musicman27
Musicman27
18 days ago

IT SHOOTS LEXUS LOGOS HAHAHAHAHAHAHA THAT’S WILD!!!

Flyingstitch
Flyingstitch
18 days ago
Reply to  Musicman27

Product placement? I’LL SHOW YOU PRODUCT PLACEMENT!

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