Case Cover
Ridge Racer
Case Cover
Game File
Publisher: Namco
Release Date: March 24, 2005
Number of Players: 1 - 8
Wi-Fi Mode: Ad-Hoc
Initially, I didn't have plans to buy this game. I'm not into sports games & racing games are one of them. It was only after a month or so that I decided to buy this game. Not into racing games, was this a wise purchase for me?
About the game
Ridge Racer is an arcade-type racing game where it focuses on drifting. In other words, it's not a realistic game. Ridge Racer is not a port, but a somewhat collection of past Ridge Racer games into one. It contains music & race tracks from past Ridge Racer games. There are 3 modes to play with: World Race, Single Race, & Wi-Fi Battle. The Wi-Fi Battle is a mulit-player mode that allows up to 8 players to racer against each other using Ad-Hoc. Although the game box says it has Intrastructure mode, it's not true. It's actually a typo. Even though the multi-player mode will give you & your friends lots of fun, there are other features that Ridge Racer offers that can keep you busy for awhile when playing alone.
Graphics
This is bascially what sells the PSP in my opinion. When you start the game (& bypass the mini Rally-X game), you will see the game's intro movie. The movie looks stunning. The cars & scenery was breathtaking. Although Reiko Nagase makes a comeback to the Ridge Racer series & appears in this movie, I don't see what makes some people attracted to her. Personally, I didn't think her face & hair looked too good. Her hair looked like plastic as if the developers were trying to make her hair looks wet & her facial features looked too "computer animated". Then again, maybe I'm not turned on by video game female sprites. Ignoring the movie, how about the graphics during gameplay?
The race tracks look gorgeous. The city lights, sunset, the beach, you name it. I hardly notice any "blocks" from the scenery. The cars on the other hand do suffer some "blocks". I didn't think some of the cars look good, but then again, these cars aren't real. Overall, the graphics are great in this game & really makes the PSP shine.
Music & Sounds
There are a lot of music tracks in this game. Some are new to the game, while others are original classics & remixes from past Ridge Racer games. I enjoy some of them as they have a techno feel to them. However, I felt some of them didn't quite fit in with some of the race tracks. Luckily, you can change the music before starting the race, provided you know the track's name.
The sound effects are not bad. The sound of the engines seems to be different for each car. I noticed it a bit when some cars passed me or I make a passed on them. The braking sounds may be weird if you brake too long. The announcer during the race can be annoying at times. Some people don't mind it. There are 2 announcers: a female & a male. I've yet heard the female announcer, so I can't comment on it. Although I heard the male announcer many time already, it's starting to grow on me as it gets less annoying.
Gameplay
If you haven't played any Ridge Racer games or arcade drift racing games, you may have some problems with the drifting system at the start. The drifting seems unrealistic when you turn the corner at high speeds & try to straighten your car. When I started playing, I was drifting all over the place & crashing into walls when I made turns. At times, I would face the wrong way & I spent some of my time trying to face the right direction. After some practice though, I managed to get use to the drifting in a short period of time.
The game offers two views, the third-person view & driver seat. It has allows you to either use the directional pad or analog nub for steering. At times, I use both to gain better control of my car during drifting.
The racing itself can be a challenge at times. When you manage to get the first place position, the car behind you will tailgate. In my experience, I seldom gain a fair amount of distance between myself & the second place car to guarantee my victory. When I use nitro to get away, the computer will do the same. In fact, the computer will use nitro to get pass you as well even if you aren't using any. It can be frustrating for some people as they try to hold the top position down the stretch. In the EX tours (available only in the North American version at the time of writing), this is even more frustrating from what I heard. I haven't reach the EX tours yet, so I don't know how bad it is.
Extras, Bonuses, & Secrets
There are a lot of cars & tracks to unlock that can keep you busy for a while. However, I heard that some of the cars are the same with some minor changes made to them such as its class. Some of the unlockable tracks are the same as other tracks, just going the opposite direction. However, some of the secret cars, such as the Pac Man & Rally-X cars, will probably be worth your time to unlock. Also, the Rally-X mini-game is a welcome addition.
Differences between the North American & Japanese Versions
The only noticeable difference between the two versions is the North American has the EX tours mode.
Replay Value
With a large number of tracks & cars to play with, it can keep you busy for a short time. Since this is a racing game, the replay value can die out pretty fast if you don't make use of the multi-player mode. Racing games can only last for a short period of time & this one is no exception. Playing it once in a while it will make it last long. But playing it non-stop can really drain it.
Overall Conclusion
Even if you are not into racing games, you should give this one a shot. It's a fun game to kill some time with. At the time, this was one of the few racing games available for the PSP. Now that there is a wider selection of them now, you can probably make a pass on this game if arcade style drifting isn't your thing. Since I'm not into racing games, this will be one of the few racing games I will own. GT4 may be my other. I would rate this game a 8/10 due to its fun factor, extras, & short replay value.
Last updated on June 28, 2007
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