The game fades in from the developer logo into a cityscape of a Japanese highway. We see a sports car barreling down the pixel highway into frame.
In the car are two characters, which I'll give some stereotypical names since I can't read Japanese.
Hiro:
Hiro is our player character, wears a red leather jacket and sports a massive mullet. He is a cool dude. He's obsessed with racing and his friend has finally let him drive his car.
Kino
Is Hiros best friend, and owns the car they're driving.
But this car is not just any car, but gods gift to automobiles, the first generation Toyota MR2 (fuck yeah). 1.6 litres of mid engined fury in a tight affordable package. The baby Ferrari.
(If you haven't caught on yet, I may happen to own a MR2 or two myself, and might be a little biased.)
The game features dialog boxes, not unlike Final Fantasy or other JRPGs. It opens on the friends conversation.
: What do you think of my MR2? Please drive it gently!
: Yes… I know I know, i’m trying to take it easy… but this is incredible!
: I won’t let you drive it anymore…
: This car is great, it has power, and corners well!
: That’s right, with this car - you can beat any other car out there!
You see what I'm saying? This game is hitting aaalll the right notes for me so far.
They pull up a set of traffic lights, and look behind to see another car rolling up alongside.
It’s that particular reddish brown you only get in rusty old Datsuns, and has the old style hood mirrors. Clearly an antique next to our 1985 MR2.
: Is this guy trying to fight with us?
: Just give it a quick run. Even I could beat a car like that!
The light turns green, and the Datsun tears off into the distance, leaving us in the dust.
: Woah, that was no joke! That car is too fast!
: Maybe you're just a bad driver Hiro…
I have to agree with Kino there,surely this game is not insulting the good character of the Toyota MR2 with such a poor performance.
: What the hell was that car?! It’s so cool!
Hiro and Kino pull into a parking area, that's filled with other sports cars and motorcycles.
: Oh, the car from before is over there!
They pull alongside, and lean out to talk to the man.
: Hey, why is your car so fast?
Bowie
We're introduced to the driver of the Datsun. He's clearly a no nonsense tough guy. Let's call him Bowie, because he kind of looks like David Bowie.
: This car is made for… ZERO FOUR.
: What is a… ZERO FOUR?!?
: A ZERO FOUR is a race where two cars start still, and see who can get the fastest time to 400 metres.
: Wait, you only drive in a straight line?
: You idiot! That’s why you can’t get enough of it! One mistake, and you’re out! Is there any race as tough as that?!
Hiro seems genuinely surprised by the concept that something like a drag race exists, and Bowie seems to be rather overexaggerating the dangers of driving in a straight line. I can think of a few ‘tougher’ racing categories, but anyway…
They continue to chat. After insulting our hero, Bowie is suddenly polite, revealing that he’s going to ‘do the Zero 4’ in the future, and humbly suggests that Hiro and Koni should come and watch him.
My assumption thus far is to ‘do the Zero 4’ must mean ‘beat the person with the fastest record’.
Hiro and Kino look around the parking area.
: Wow. there’s a lot of fast cars here… even better than that car before!
Hiro spies a cute looking lady sitting on the hood of a car, giving him the eye.
This inspires something... primal in him.
: Alright, I’m going to do a 0 - 400!
: Wait… seriously?
: Yes. I’m going to be the 0-400 CHAMPION!
: Oh dear...
The scene fades out, and we see a close-up of a R32 Skyline parked next to a partially demolished wall. The camera pans over to reveal the title: ZERO 4 CHAMP!
If you're interested, here's what the above looks like in the actual game with its soundtrack, running on my my CRT, as it's meant to be seen.
Of course, my phone does a shit job of capturing the CRT colours, so it looks washed out. But it looks pretty good in person.
: What do you think of my MR2? Please drive it gently!
: Yes… I know I know, i’m trying to take it easy… but this is incredible! 
: This car is made for… ZERO FOUR. 
