No Export for You: Not a single company in North America has expressed interest in picking up either the anime or the manga. However, an official Chinese translation of the manga is available in Taiwan. The anime is much better despite being not licensed outside Japan; you could find the anime episodes elsewhere on YouTube.
Video Game:
Author's Saving Throw: Attempted twice in succession. For Maximum Tune 5, both the international and Japanese versions of the game were released simultaneously so that overseas players wouldn't have to wait, as stated in a developer blog. However, this wasn't well-liked by overseas players due to the international versions using Maximum Tune 4 as a base rather than using the new hardware and engine for the Japanese version, resulting in less content (such as missing the dress-up shop system and the Sub-Center courses). In response, Maximum Tune 5 DX was released with the same content across all versions to prevent such an issue again, going back to the tradeoff of the non-Japanese versions taking longer to be released.
The international version of Maximum Tune removes the Gemballa-tuned Porsches, as Namco didn't want to pay Porsche's, and by extension Gemballa's, legendary multi-hundred-million-dollar licensing fees to have them available outside of the Japanese version. This led to a bit of Writing Around Trademarks when it came to depicting Shima's Blackbird in the first three-ish games, with the real Blackbird being swapped out with a black Z33.
Averted for the first time in the English version of Maximum Tune 4, which retains most of the non-Japanese cars that have already been released for original Japanese version. Unfortunately, regarding Maximum Tune 4 and beyond...see No Export for You below.
So the US is finally getting Maximum Tune 5.. Never mind that other regions has reached 6 at this point, which means the US is three versions behind Asia, Australia and Japan, but also the card porting service will not be revived for the market. US players will have to restart from scratch. To make matters worse, the US builds remove the Toyota Celsior and Aristo.
Likewise, the North American version of 5DX+ removed Toyota Soarer 2.5GT Twin Turbo (also known as Lexus SC in North America) that debuted from the Japanese version of Maximum Tune 5, due to Lexus USA not allowing their cars being used in arcade-platform racing games in general.
The Indonesian version of the game is pretty much like the Asia and Australia version, albeit it's release date is considerably behind and it's Ghost Battle mode is restricted to Indonesia region only (and vice versa in the Asia / Australia version). However, this was averted in MT6 where Indonesia now joins with the rest of Asia and Oceania.
North America and Mainland China versions of 5DX+ had both NSXes (NA1 and NC1) being replaced by an Acura versions of these cars. As a result, the ghosts of these cars in both Japan Challenge and VSORG will not be encountered or raced against each other with the exception of Honda S2000 (despite not playable), which was the only time a Honda car appeared in these versions, despite the Acura versions of NSXes were shared by Honda versions outside of these territories (with the exception of a steering wheel located on the left instead of right in any Honda-badged cars).
China got Maximum Tune 4 but has strangely yet to receive any subsequent versions. Even North America has a later installment! However, it's reportedly that due to the issues regarding vanilla WMMT5, China will skip it in favor of 5DX.
For some reason, the Japanese versions of the HD games get mini-map on the HUD, while all other versions don't until the Asian version of Maximum Tune 6 where the player can toggle the mini-map on or off.
"Entry (Maxi5 Version)" is supposed to be used for the login screens in Maximum Tune 5, but this only applies to the Japanese version; the non-Japanese versions of the same game omit this track and simply reuse "Entry Maxi4" (Maximum Tune 4's login BGM).
Deep down into the 2022 Compilation Re-release versions of the older Maximum Tune albums, released on streaming services by Yuzo Koshiro himself, there were prototype versions of the menu music (rival and course select theme in Maximum Tune, login music in Maximum Tune 3) that were replaced in the final releases of respective games, and had more tranced tune compared to finished product.
Dummied Out: The aforementioned Gemballa-tuned Porsches in the international versions of MT 1 and 2. Thanks to a little hacking, some players were able to make them playable, and thanks to the "discarded card" system that allows players to make partially-tuned clones of their cards, almost any player in the world was able to get their hands on one. All traces of them were removed completely starting from the international version of MT 3. Subverted in MT 4 where the RUF Porsches are brought in, and again in MT 6 where Porsches are officially brought in.
Also in 5DX+ onwards, the Honda S660 as the kei-car did not make the cut into the base car roster, nor it is listed as one of secret/event-only cars.
He Also Did: Genki, the developer of non-Maximum Tune games, began providing the additional software cooperation for the Maximum Tune series from 4 onwards.
Maximum Tune 4 was released in other Asian countries exactly a year after its original Japanese release in December 2011.
Maximum Tune 5 is infamous in this regard. It was released in 2014 in the Asia Pacific, Australia, and New Zealand, and then in 2017 in North America...at a time when Japan was on Maximum Tune 5DX+ and most of the rest of the Asia-Pacific was on 5DX. 5DX+ in turn would reach North America in 2022, 5 years later.
China jumped from Maximum Tune 4 to 5DX in 2018.
6 repeated the steps of 4 and took one whole year to leave Japan, only beginning to show up in Far East countries in early July 2019 before appearing at other Asian countries nearing the end of July 2019.
The original Wangan Midnight arcade game, and the console entries.
The English versions of Maximum Tune 4 and 5 are currently only available in various English-speaking countries in Southeast Asia (eg. Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, etc.). This is despite the card transfer event that lets players transfer their cards from Maximum Tune 3DX+ to Maximum Tune 4ending in October 2013, so if Maximum Tune 4 (or 5) ever gets in other markets, players in those markets will have to start all over again.
The curse is finally broken, certain US arcades finally got Maximum Tune 5... In 2017. But as mentioned above... Yeah, see Bad Export For You above. Sadly tho, the game remains NEFY for Europe and the UK.
No Port For You: The Maximum Tune games are exclusive to arcades.
A double example when 5DX was released. The Japanese versions of 5DX added the cars exclusive to the English/overseas versions of vanilla 5. In return, the English/overseas versions of 5DX added the features which were exclusive to the Japanese versions of 5.
When North America skipped 5DX, several of the elements like the new interface and the stamp system along with added cars and tracks from Japanese version of 5 and other versions of 5DX were added in the North American release of 5DX+ with the exception of Toyota Soarer.
As noted in What Could Have Been entry for 6R below, features which were in the Japan-only 6R were reused in the overseas releases of 6RR.
Sequel First: The U.S. gets Maximum Tune 5 but not Maximum Tune 4, the latter of which was wordlessly skipped over by Namco. Justified, as each installment is incremental and it wouldn't make sense to localize and release Maximum Tune 4 at this point.
Now, China gets Maximum Tune 5DX after 6 years of being stuck with Maximum Tune 4. The Maximum Tune 5'' was skipped due to the regional-segregation problems.
North America finally gets Maximum Tune 5DX+ after 4 years being stuck with Maximum Tune 5, skipping 5DX. Coincidentally, at the same month, Asia gets 6RR after being stuck with Maximum Tune 6 for almost 2 years, skipping 6R.
Sequel Gap: First one for the United States: Maximum Tune 3DX+ was released in 2010, and they would not get another Maximum Tune game for seven years. The next game they got? Maximum Tune 5.
China, as well, receives Maximum Tune 5 DX after six years of getting stuck with Maximum Tune 4.
Serendipity Writes the Plot: The Yamate Tunnel course in the Japanese version of Maximum Tune 5 was reconfigured for 5DX and beyond because a road along the original version of the course was closed down in real life. Maximum Tune 6 updated the tracks that fits the structures in Japan after Maximum Tune 4's release such as Diver City building in Odaiba and the light show effect at the Fuji TV building in the Wangan.
"The Final Count Down" in Maximum Tune 4 is not a Europe song.
"Still Alive" in Maximum Tune 5DX+ is not sung by GLaDOS.
UNIX: The arcade cabinets of Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 3 and 4 was well as the Asian versions of 5 to 5DX+ runs a distribution of Linux called "Arcade Linux Live". Given that the game runs on the Namco ES series PC-based hardware, this is hardly surprising. However, The Asian version of Maximum Tune 6 switched to ESA3 hardware that runs on Windows 10 IoT Enterprise Edition.
A rather... persistent belief since Maximum Tune 3 is that dress-up parts affect car performance, in spite of operator manuals, official pages, and agreements by many serious players indicating the contrary.
There actually is a small bit of truth to this. While dress-up parts certainly won't affect the vehicle's horsepower or handling rating, certain aero parts sets can increase the vehicle's width, which, in turn, can make it somewhat more difficult to weave through traffic or take very tight corners. But what's truly bizarre is that the neon tube kits on certain cars (such as the 1st gen Mazda Roadster) are incorrectly placed on the vehicle's 3D model, and will actually increase the vehicle's length. The reason this occurs is that neon tube kits are considered physical objects by the game, and on a small handful of cars, they are placed slightly ahead of the front bumper, rather than directly underneath.
Another mistaken belief is that holding down the red button in a VS battle to flash one's headlights makes the player go faster if they're behind. It doesn't.
What Could Have Been: Due to COVID-19 Pandemic disrupting the development, Maximum Tune 6R became a Japan-only title. The overseas releases will instead skip to 6RR.
Working Title: The first Maximum Tune game was codenamed Maxi Boost during development, before sticking with the final product name which spawned the game series.
Assorted:
Hardware:
The first two games run on SEGA's Xbox-based Chihiro hardware.
The Maximum Tune 3 family runs on Namco's Linux-based N2 hardware.
Maximum Tune 4 and the non-Japanese versions of Maximum Tune 5 until 5DX+ run on Namco's ESA1 hardware, still based on Linux.
The Japanese version of Maximum Tune 5 and all versions of 5DX and 5DX+ run on the ESA3 hardware, which is based on Windows. The Asian version of Maximum Tune 6 run on the ESA3 hardware, which was based on Windows 10 IoT Enterprise Edition while the Japanese version of the ESA3 hardware still run on Windows 7 Embedded.
The servers for Maximum Tune 4 and later are segregated into the following regions: Japan, mainland China, the rest of the Asia-Pacific, and North America. (Indonesia was previously on its own server before being merged with Asia in 6.) This is necessary due to the differing release schedulesnote North America notoriously is on 5, when three other regions are on 6 and China is still on 5DX. and sometimes content between regionsnote for example, Japanese Maximum Tune 5 had two courses not available in any other region. Players cannot interact with data (such as Time Attack tables and ghosts) from other regions, although there are occasional events and modes where players can race against ghosts from other regions (such as the Japan Challenge).
. However, this wasn't well-liked by overseas players due to the international versions using Maximum Tune 4 as a base rather than using the new hardware and engine for the Japanese version, resulting in less content (such as missing the dress-up shop system and the Sub-Center courses). In response