Melbourne-based game developer Tantalus today announced the imminent release of its first ever game for the Nintendo DSi™. Built from the ground up and exclusively for that platform, Drift Street International is the ultimate high-speed, white-knuckle street racing experience. Gamers will slide and boost their tightly tuned performance car around challenging city streets across the US, UK and Japan, in high-intensity midnight races. Drift Street International will be available for download in North America on March 22, with Europe and Australasia to follow.

Tantalus is one of the world’s foremost handheld racing developers, with a string of hits including multiple titles in the Cars and MX vs ATV series, and the now legendary Top Gear Rally on Game Boy Advance. Despite this impressive pedigree, CEO Tom Crago says Drift Street International represents the company’s greatest achievement yet. “To have Top Gear published by Nintendo and win a number of Game of the Year awards was a huge rush, but we all feel as though we’ve made something even more special with Drift Street International,” said Crago. “Visually, it stands apart from anything else out there, and in terms of car handling and gameplay it’s in a league of its own.”

Drift Street International invites gamers to test their skills against challenging, aggressive AI drivers, or take on their friends in four-player head-to-head wireless races. Additionally, each track plays host to arcade-style checkpoint races and challenging speed trials in which gamers have to keep the speedo close to the max or risk getting eliminated. Unmatched speed, smoothness and draw distance are only possible because our technology takes full advantage of the expanded Nintendo DSi hardware.

Drift Street International will only be available on Nintendo DSiWare™, from March 22, for 800 Nintendo points.