90
As a fan of the Ridge Racer franchise, I was very much impressed in the whole layout of the game. The graphics are great, the game play although slightly unrealistic (drifting). I was impressed.
But I was expecting a totally new Ridge Racer rather than a compilation of all of them muddled together.
If you havent been folloing the Ridge Racer Franchise then this game will appeal very highly to you. Although you cant customise your cars you get to feel the thrill of high speed racing on set tracks.
75
I borrowed this game from my friend, and I am playing it right now. I though it was pretty cool in the beggining, but now, I am so PISSED at the game, I hit my PSP.
The graphics are amazing, and the soundtrack is all techno. Drifting is pretty fun, but gets old pretty fast. The game also will get repetitive very soon. There are not many modes for the game. Just racing and thats it. I know it is an ARCADE racer and there is not supposed to be anything else, but gosh, just racing is just plain boring. Hitting cars in front of you will give them a huge boost. Bumping into people is a fun parting of racing, but now it is just a nuisance. The handling on the cars is not that realistic, I mean, how the crap can you gain speed drifting on a straightaway at a 45 degree angle?!
It's fine, but I think that it is overrated.
88
I recommend this game to any racing fans out there. The graphics are stunning for a PSP title. Feels like a PS2 game in ur hands. The load times are decently short an they wont bother you to much. The sounds in this game are a bit limited. The small variety of options in this game are what really pull it back. This game is a must buy if your friends have it or you can get online with your PSP because the multi player is spectacular.
71
When I first got it I said 'wow look at me', but then a week later thought this is so boring.
92
Ridge Racer was originally a arcade machine and I have very fond memories of being a youngster, spending lots of money to play this game. Namco joined the Sony game console revolution almost a decade ago and it has not looked back since. Ridge Racer really has not changed very much over the years. Apart from the obvious improvement in graphics and sound, the gameplay has remained the same, solid, fast arcade style racing. No car modifications, no tinkering with gear ratios or any of that jazz, just a fun arcade racing game!
Gameplay
I will admit I had my doubts about buying Ridge Racer on the PSP. As much as I love the Ridge Racer series, I had a bad feeling that this game was just going to be real pretty graphics with no gameplay. I have however been very pleasantly surprised. When you first turn the game on you are greeted with a very old 1980's looking racing game which looks as though it has come straight from the NES or the Sega Master System. Once you get past this you are treated to a very nice introduction that really shows you just what the PSP is capable of.
There are four gameplay modes, single race, time attack, world tours, and wireless battle. In single race you can pick any of the available tracks and then compete in a single race. Time attack is sort of the same, you can pick any available track or car and you can try to record your best lap times. In wireless battle, if you have a friend with a PSP and a copy of Ridge Racer you can play against each other by using this option. World tours is the main part of the game.
Time to start your engines
World Tours takes you on a journey through a series of multiple race events. You start off the basic tour with three different kinds of cars. All have different handling styles. One is very balanced, quite safe and easy to control, another is harder to control and will be more of a challenge for you to pull off drifts and with the last car it is very easy to drift over long stretches. All the way through the game this setup will not change. The only thing that changes is how fast the cars can go. In all there are 54 cars for you to unlock. The basic tour is very, very easy and will not offer much of a challenge. This is good because it allows you to master the art of drifting.
This game is largely based on drifting. Call it what you will, drifting, power sliding, skidding it's all the same. For the first time in a Ridge Racer game you have the ability to use Nitrous Oxide which can be obtained by drifting around as many corners as possible. The more you drift the quicker your nitrous tanks fill up. You must learn how to do this or you will not have a chance in the later stages of the game. Once you have completed the basic tour you progress onto the Pro Tour. This is a whole different ball game -- the AI is improved, the computer controlled cars are a lot smarter, you will not automatically finish first every race. You have to earn it in the Pro Tour. From the Pro tour you go to the EX tour, then from there you go to the Pro EX tour. The Pro Ex tour is so hard, and I quote this from Namco, they only expect 1 in 20000 to be able to complete it. They say even the people who designed the game, and know it inside out, have only completed the Pro Ex tour twice in 90 days.
The tracks are very nicely designed. In the world tours mode you will find all the tracks from every Ridge Racer game ever made, which is pretty cool. Nice to be able to play the track from the original Ridge Racer from the PS1. The tracks feature great terrain ranging from tunnels, bridges, hairpin turns, waterfalls and rivers, helicopters, jets and other things which add to the tracks. Night and day races are available and all the tracks look stunning.
How does it handle?
The controls are very simple and that makes this game wonderful to play. You can use either the directional or analog stick. I actually find it a lot easier to use the D-Pad over the analog stick. X is your accelerator and Square is the break. If you drift enough and get your nitrous tanks filled then the right shoulder button gives you the boost from the nitrous.
Graphics and Sound
Graphically, Ridge Racer is the best PSP launch title. The visuals are extremely crisp and clear, the backdrops are stunningly detailed. Not once have I experience any slowdown or a drop in frame rate. You really have to see it to believe it. I never thought I would see the day when a handheld could produce such beautiful graphics.
The sound is great as well. Ridge Racer fans will know what to expect from the music, lots of dance and fast paced music really set the scene, and really adds a lot to the game overall. As usual there is a really annoying cheesy commentator that talks to you in the background, it all adds to an unforgettable gaming experience though.
Overall
I love Ridge Racers, this is how racing games should be - fast, fun and furious, no messing around, just buckle your seatbelt and enjoy the ride. This is a great game on a great system and you will not be disappointed. It will last awhile and has plenty enough to keep you coming back for more. This will be the best $39.99 you will spend for awhile.
80
Great game. The lack of variety in the tracks is its biggest letdown.
98
After the reviews on here this was my first PSP game and I have not been disappointed. The levels are long enough to be fun but short enough for a quick blast. Starts out easy and goes uphill. Graphics are great. Sound is good with earphones! Must have!
1
I'm not a fan of realistic racing games and I only played this cause my friend has it. The graphics are fine but gameplay kinda sucked. If you want a good game, get WipEoutPure, it totaly pwns this game big time.
100
I love this game. The graphics are amazing and the length of the game, this game will take a time to beat for anyone. The mingame at the beggining is also a boatload of fun. All in all, the graphics make the key frame of this game but the number of races will keep you playing for a long time
95
Very very nice game! At the moment this is only game I have for my PSP, but the graphics, the music and the game are pretty fun! Car control is very simple with the analog stick and the speed effect of nitro is like an orgasm for the eyes. Try this!
100
Graphics good. Gameplay good. Price good, go buy it.
95
The graphics for this game are fantastic. The good people that made this game really put in some hard work. The design of the cars is really good too. Through out the game you will win special demo movies from the previous series of RR. You will probably pass this game in no time, but it has alot of replayability. If you want a good racing game and you're counting on the graphics, you should get this game.
96
I got this game a while ago, and it's not too shabby. The controls, I can't complain about, neither can I complain about the graphics. All in all, I like this game, so buy it!
80
Ridge Racer is a one of a kind series, if you make a turn it gets into a drift and you drift through the corner. You can handle the drifting in just a matter seconds, it's cool to do it. This kind of gameplay is pretty cool.
The graphics are nice, especially the envoirements, like the airplanes and stuff. The cars are also cool but the car lights are a bit flat, but it doesn't matter. There are a lot of sounds in the game, you can choose a track for every race and the game even has its own music player (AV-player).
So the game is pretty fun to play and it has a lot extras. It's nice to do a single race with a special car ( that you must win first) if you played the game out or you can do it in car  . So I would say its worth your mioney.
95
If you're looking for a quick game or several hours of fun this game rocks.The graphics are awesome and the game play is addictive I highly recommend this title
100
This latest version of Ridge Racer is the sum of all past RR games melted into one. Take the best courses from previous RR games, remixed versions of original music, a new fleet a highend eye candy track cars, a frame rate other race games wish they had, coat everything you see before you with insane jaw dropping graphics and finish it off with control that has never been more tight & solid.
If you are a true RR diehard, get the Direct Audio Soundtrack. It's 2 CD's in length, filled to the rim with insane RR music from the PSP game.
86
What do you mean the game is dirt? I mean this is a great game, I don't understand why the other reviewers dislike this game. First off Ridge Racer gives you a great sense of speed, second off, you have over 50 cars that can be unlocked, Heres a hint, Pac-man.
Anyways the tracks are great, they all vary differently although it was kinda disapointing that some tracks were just extended versions of another track. Also how the AI plays cheaply at times, they get in the way. It feels like you aren't even racing them but rather they are just obstacles in the way to frustrate you. What makes it even worst is they stick you all the way in the back and allow the First place person to start a half a track in the front. Some may complain about it, but if you were skilled enough then you can easily gain first by the Second lap. Anyways some basis for the game, the game is all about drifting the corners, this isn't one of those types of games where you break around the corners, here you surf the corners.
After awhile you should be riding cars that go at around 200 MPH, this sense of speed is great, feels faster than Wipeout in which they say their cars go at 750 mph. My favorite tracks in the game are the ones that take place at night, only because they're the easiest. Hey, stop reading and go try out this game. Just remember this is an "ARCADE RACER." Most arcade racers stick you in the back anyways. Ironic I was complaining about it earlier, but oh well it's a great game really. Right now I'm trying to unlock the Angel car, it's driving me crazy.
Learning Curve time: 30-60 minutes
90
Little more can be said about this, well little more positive that is.
The game isn't perfect, it has it flaws. The soundtrack for instance isn't on par with the older games, but, thankfully, most of my favorite tracks from the old games made it onto this one.
Even though the Nitro feature does add a little life to the game I think it still needs some work to balance it a bit more, mostly the way you acquire it though.
Together with Wipeout, I never leave home without these two games.
85
A great game that really shows what the PSP can do with its excellent graphics. Apart from Burnout it's the best raching game on the PSP. The only let down is that it becomes boring too quickly as it doesn't have many game modes and there's nothing really new. When you get over the graphics you realise that you've seen it all before. A must for die hard fans of Ridge Racer.
95
This game is great. The graphics are sweet, well the whole game is sweet, but I wish you can customize your car.
98
With a dearth of gaming options out there currently for PSP, Ridge Racer still holds its own with any of the newer games. With excellent graphics, music, gameplay - as well as that Namco polish - this is a must own for anybody that has a PSP! Whether to play, look at or just listen to the tunes, this games got it all. Superb, one of the reasons you shouldn't lose faith in the PSP just yet.
60
It's a good game. Many tracks, cars, and has a mini game.
86
Really fun, especially with the Pac-Man car. In some places it will cheat but it's still very beatable.
92
Nice smooth graphics, should get it if you like racing games.
94
This is one of the most fun games I have ever played on the PSP it is basically the game that made me want to go out and pick up a PSP. If you like drift driving games and like more of the arcade driving style then you will love this game
86
It seems that every Sony console needs a Ridge Racer title for release. I picked up this one, and I can tell u, it ain't just the graphics!
Everybody who hasn't played a Ridge Racer-game, shame on you, if you have, you know the deal. Drift though corners at incredible speeds like nothing else.. In a couple of racers you can master the controls, and it only gets better from there.. Well, only the stupid opponents' AI annoys sometimes.
Nice loading times, great for pickin up on the train or bus. Choose a race, a car and off you go!
What can I say, this looks as smooth as any PS2-racer out there. Really detailed cars, environments, and it's so cool when a plane or helicopter flies over..
Ridge Racer provides exactly the music you need when racing over sunny, exciting tracks. Not every song is super, but Namco still did a great job on audio. The cars sound sweet too.
Races can be played even with one UMD. Maybe not official, but it worked pretty good with me.. You can choose from all the tracks, cars, but nothing is added here.
95
I really had a hard time initially with this game. Mainly cause I did not get the hang of drifts and couldn't finish the first tour race! After I got the hang of it, it was the hardest PSP game I own to put down. The pro races are a relapse of getting into it in the beginning (gets REALLY tough again!), but well worth it. I recommend this game as a must own on your PSP! So much fun, great music too! I cant wait to unlock the Pacman car!!!
93
This game is ubelievable. The visuals are nice, and the gameplay as well. You can unlock new cars, and specail cars. (One which pacman is sitting in.)
98
Ridge Racer is very realistic when you drift. I do not like when you hit the wall, you get even close to the wall and it slows you down. I would like this game even more if it had a web browser. But this game is good as it is.
95
If you're looking for simulation then wait and buy GT 4 Mobile. If you're looking for a quick blast around some great tracks at unrealistic speeds then this is the game for you. Graphics are splendid, in game menu navigation is intuitive and I like the way each car has a background music track associated with it (which you can change if you wish). Cool game especially in manual mode, and it stays faithful to the original coin op that I wasted so much of my childhood playing in the local arcade. A worthy addition to your collection.
94
Man, Ridge Racer looks freaking amazing...
Alright, now that that’s out of the way, let me actually try to get started with this review. See, I’ve been trying to write this for a couple of days, but I keep getting overwhelmed with the fact that Ridge Racer looks so great. But here I go, talking about how pretty the game is, and not about the other important aspects of it....
So, without further ado, I bring to you, my Ridge Racer review....
Ridge Racer is an arcade-style racing game, so it’s right up my alley. I’ll admit that I cannot play Gran Turismo. I just can’t appreciate the series. I like arcade racing games, where nitrous shoots out your exhaust pipes. I find that much more satisfying. And I don’t like to have to break to go around corners either. I like ripping around them at one hundred and fifty miles an hour. Ridge Racer is the game that lets me do that. There’s no fancy engine work to be done here; cars have top speeds and drift differently and these are the only things you need to be concerned with.
Ridge Racer features about two-dozen different tracks, including fan favorites from previous games as well as new ones. I really liked the selection of the tracks. Each one was completely designed to work with the game perfectly. Every corner provides an opportunity to drift around it, and there are lots of straight segments to build up your top speed. Drifting around corners builds up your nitrous gauge, which is an all-new addition to the series. The nitrous is very nicely implemented into the game, though I would have liked to see more instances where the nitrous can build up, like we saw with Burnout 3. Sometimes your car will get airborne or you’ll pass a car really closely, and I think in these instances filling up some of the nitrous would have been appropriate.
To go along with the nitrous, there are almost as many cars than there are tracks in the game. Each car has slightly different capabilities, and each race practically requires that you pick the right one. Some drift more easily than others, which may seem like a good thing but on a track with lots of short, sharp turns, you really don’t want to be sliding all over the place, so a car with less tendency to drift and a lower speed might be a good choice. All the cars come with the option of either automatic or manual transmissions, and thanks to the PSP’s great D-Pad and analog nub, you can get complete control of your vehicles.
Most of your time with Ridge Racer will be spent in its “World Tour” mode. Here, you’ll race tour after tour after tour, with each tour presenting new challenges. Their graded based on difficulty, and your reward for finishing one tour is a new car, new tracks, and another tour to conquer. You can easily spend 15-25 hours in this mode alone, and if you try to get first place in every race, you’ll be spending probably another 5-10 hours.
In Ridge Racer, you don’t earn your pole position like you do in Gran Turismo. Instead, you always start in dead last and have to fight your way to get into first. In the beginning, this isn’t a problem at all, but towards the later tours, you’re really going to have to fight your way just into fifth and fourth places. This formula holds steady throughout the entire game, so some people might be a little peeved at it. Even if you get first in the last race, you still have to work your way up from dead last. It’s a little irritating at times, but it fits the arcade style of the game.
One of the best features in Ridge Racer is the fact that you can play the game wirelessly against anyone. One of my buddies and I put it to the test. I sat in the backroom of my store, which is adjacent to the food court, and he sat in the food court. After one failed connection, we were able to play without any interruption. My friend moved around, walked back and forth from the food court, into the store right next to me, and then back out onto the floor with no stutter or lag. It was impressive to say the least.
While the wireless feature is one of the best things in Ridge Racer, the very best feature of Ridge Racer comes in the form of its gorgeous graphics engine. I’ve played several PSP games and none of the games are nearly as vibrant as this one. Crisp, vibrant scenery compliments an impressive draw distance which compliments great car models which compliments remarkable after-race replays which compliments…you get the idea I bet. During one race, as I turned a corner, I noticed a giant airplane cursing along overhead. I thought that was pretty cool, and unnecessary, which made it even cooler. Because of the games speed, there’s a bit of blurring caused by the PSP’s screen, but it’s not all that noticeable. A collection of peppy racing tunes keeps your ears entertained during the whole racing experience and drowns out a slightly annoying announcer.
At the end of the day, Ridge Racer is not only a great PSP launch game, but a great game in general. The most major problem is not anything with the game, but that it sucks up your battery life faster than anything else on the system. Expect about a 3 hour charge playing Ridge Racer. But, it certainly can stand it’s own against its console counterparts. If you’re the proud owner of Sony’s awesome new handheld, you can’t afford not to pick up this entertaining racer from Namco. If you’re not yet the owner of Sony’s awesome handheld, then this is a game worth buying one for.
And man, Ridge Racer looks freaking amazing.
95
I love this game. Fun to drive. Graphics are great. Not too complex or difficult to control cars.
This is a great game to demonstrate the graphic capability to my friends. I play it everyday on the train to and from work.
95
I have to agree with some of the other reviewers that this is the best racing game I've played. Wipeout XL held the title for years, and Burnout 3 was close, but this game keeps me coming back, and I keep catching myself sitting in front of my PC/consoles playing a quick game of Ridge Racer PSP.
For those who don't know Ridge Racer at all, this is an arcade racer, not one of those uncontrollable "simulation" games where you spend most of your time building and fixing the car. Basically, you pick your car speed class (unlockable), and choose between 3 drift types: balanced, small easy drifts, or long, sustainable, harder to exit drifts, then you pick a track and race. It seems GRiP cars are gone from this title, but I never used them and didn't know anyone who did, so they were probably dropped due to lack of popularity.
Speaking of arcade racers, there is still no car damage. I haven't played Ridge Racer since R4, but in comparison to it, I noticed that it's definitely easier to go in and out of drifts, and colliding with opponents doesn't hurt as much, though it will still often send them flying into the lead. You seem largely invincible while drifting, and once I got to class 4, I would often drift into someone's rear bumper, or clip the walls with minor, or at least believable slowdown. Your car still collides with that "3D model" feel, but if you're a Ridge Racer fan, you're probably used to it now. For me, it's a minor thing, but if you tend to race by smashing your opponents off the road or spinning them out, it won't work here! Just like a real race, you don't try to kill the other competitors.
This game has a nice selection of cars, lots of tracks including the best of the older games, graphically pumped up for PSP, and a ton of tours to keep you busy. It also has a custom tour mode that lets you tell it how long you want to play, and it'll make a tour to fit the time slot! Carrying on the Ridge Racer loading game tradition, this one comes with Pole Position. Overall, this is a game you don't have to be afraid of tearing into and beating in a day - you'll get your money's worth and then some!
It also has several discs worth of BGM including 2 of classic tracks, 1 remix, and 2 of original tunes. If you like Namco's sound team, you'll love this game for this too.
Graphics - Generally, I don't care as long as they're not horrible - these ones are great, and it seems like you're playing a pocket PS2! I'd elaborate, but go look at some screenshots! 
Load times are good too, usually only a few seconds. I actually disabled the startup mini-game because it loads fast enough as it is.
Sleep mode - Most games I've seen have no issues on any version of the PSP, but just to clarify, you can even put your PSP to sleep in the middle of a loading screen with no ill effect. I've never seen this game glitch out or crash.
Other stuff: This version has a "nitrous" boost that you fill up by doing high-speed drifts. It doesn't fill like crazy, but isn't hard to get either. I find it doesn't hurt the gameplay, and the AIs seem to use it a reasonable amount, probably earning it the same way you do.
Overall, think of it as the best of the Ridge Racer series, collected and improved a bit for good measure. I've heard of other projects along these lines, like Burnout Legends, so if Ridge Racer is an indicator of what's to come, the PSP will be a must-have even for non-portable gamers.
91
The first time I started up this game I was impressed, first with the opening movie which is great. The menus also rival Wipeout for the coolest and cleanest around. Then I started playing this game, and was very impressed with the foolproof drifting techniques, good AI which offer a diverse and often challenging gameplay. Graphics of course, have to be one of the game's main strengths, with them looking as silky and smooth as it would appear on the PS2, but of course the console would make it look a bit better. I haven't tried out the wireless play yet, but from other people I hear it is seamless and comparable to console 2 player. The only weaknesses that this game has is that the loading times are a bit on the slow side, you cann expect intervals between the menu and race to be round about ten seconds and possibly higher.
Overall, I would reccommend this purchase to anyone who would want it to show off the PSP's capabilities and anyone who wants a solid and enthralling racing game.
96
It gets a little boring after a while, but I think it's the best racer out for the PSP right now and it has an original soundtrack and flawless graphics.
99
Said before in many other posts, so I won't beat a dead horse.
93
This is the only game I have and it's really fun. Drifting takes a bit to get used to but once you do its awesome. The only problem is that it doesn't take to long to beat the whole game. The graphics are amazing. Really good game
99
The first thing that comes to you is the gameplay and music. Music, it has all the Rigde histories, including Pac Man, Ralley X, and many more. And it also included a Rally X mini game. You have to buy this game, the best one every made in history.
93
First off let me just say that this game is awesome. It was the first game I bought for my PSP and from the moment I saw the intro cinema I was hooked. The graphics are amazing, granted the light doesn’t glint off your bumper the way it does in Grand Turismo 3, but the backgrounds are beautiful, and the cars are sexy.
The game offers you about a dozen classes of cars to choose from as you progress through the levels, and each class has three drift types so you can find to one the works for you. The game is a decent length (I can never finish racing games, one day about 90% finished I just stop playing for awhile. then, a month later I pick it up again from the beginning) you battle through 3 series of 15 or so sets of about 5 races.
On to the negative. The thing that I noticed about this game? The drift is SO FRIKEN WRONG! Here’s the thing though, it took me like 3 weeks to even notice. You see, when you go into a drift you don’t lose traction and let inertia take over, you get set on a track that automatically pulls you through the turn. In practice it feels almost the same because your car does exactly what you would expect it to do, but it does it automatically, not because of how you control it. You want proof of this? Next time you pick up the game drift left on a right hand turn (or vice versa) and watch as you drift cleanly to the right anyway, you'll end up facing the wrong way but you’ll have drifted that turn like a pro... well a pro going impossibly backward through a hairpin turn.
Overall this auto-drift thing isn’t enough to hurt my appreciation of this game too much. Ridge Racer is a well-made racer and I would recommend it to anyone.
93
Best game for PSP!!! The Graphics are amazing - I had purchased this game in Japan along with Bleach - I played this game for the entire 14hr flight home. This game just hooked me from the intro movie until the final race. I am sad that I beat the entire game. If you own a PSP you need this Game!!
96
There are two types of racing game you wand spend your hard earned cash on, driving sims (gt4m) and pure racing (ridge racer).
what I'm trying to say is that this is the best PURE racing game out there now. When gt4m comes out, I doubt youll ever play it again!
90
Impressive game. The drift action is cool, but I prefer a real physics engine similar to the Gran Turismo series. Either way it's much better than Need for Speed Underground.
98
I really love this game, it's better than ANY racing game for PSP. The graphics are stunning and the gameplay is stellar. Even if you're not a fan of racing games, it will amaze you.
65
It looks like all other games. There is noting special about about the game: race around circles, and every other thing you see in every other game. I regret buying the game. The only thing I like about the game is the graphics, they're really good.
88
While I personally have not played any of the earlier Ridge Racer games and I can't comment on how well the game has evolved I can comment on my experinces with the latest release of Ridge Racers on PSP. When I decided to purchase my Sony PSP I was looking for a game to grab with it, after looking around at the release titles I decided to grab ridge racers, this was the game that most apealed to myself. I imported the game to Australia and I subsequently have got the Japanese version of this game, but as long as you have a breif idea of the general menus (which can be learnt with about 5 minutes fiddling around) the Japanses language is not much of a setback. Once racing in the game all on screen displays are in English, and in the games menus and race all commentry and voice overs are english.
The game is very easy to play and the cars steering can be controlled with either the Analog stick or the D-pad and you can switch between the two during races and not have to change anything (after being a long time d-pad user I am fiding my self switching from the analog stick to the s-pad with out noticing). Load times are impresive and sure put most current ps2, xbox and pc racing sims of comparable graphics to shame.
The game have a masive number of cars most being revisions of earlier models but with so many cars and quite a few unique tracks there is plenty of replay value and this game deffinately shows good value in this alone, the world tours is much like any other racing sim tho where you just compete in tournament after tournament and at the end of each you unlock anywhere from 1 to 6 new cars and on the odd occasion a new track.
The graphics are great but can some times show a little bit of jaggy corners but this is understadable, after all this is only a portably games console and for that it does a great job. The games sound track is also very large (with close to 50 songs from varying (tho mainly dance/techno styles) styles) and the sfx just finish of this game, which I am sure will remain a top game for quite some time, unfortunately due to lack of availablity of consoles in Australia I can not comment on network play tho.
94
I got Ridge racers last week and i've played it to death.This is probably the best release game EVER.The game is a fast paced arcade racer. Ridge Racer brings all the cars and tracks from previos RR games and the songs too.The only bad thing is that there is some slowdown and jaggys but thats expected on a handheld. A must buy!
100
Ridge racer is one of the best release titles for any system. It is also a great great game for the franchise. The amount of detail when racing is outstanding. There are planes moving in the background that look excelent. The audio is very good in this game as well. The controls are also very well done with the use of either an anolog stick and directional pad. Best release title ever and I enjoyed it very much.
91
Ridge Racer is eye candy for the PSP. Graphics and gameplay are exceptional. Sometimes wonky physics reminds you that you're playing an arcade racer, not a driving simulator. Think of this as a fast & fun alternative to gt4m.
96
Ridge racer is just plain awesome. it's kind of like burnout 3 without the crasches.load times are bearable, while grafix are top notch.One notice able flaw is the turnning. if you try to turn without drifting you barely move.also, ihate that if you hit another car you slow down alot and they get a huge speed boost. Still a fun game.
91
The best part is that it takes a while to win every race unlike other racing games Ive played. The load time is also Great. The soundtrack could be a little better but you can't judge a game by that.
89
And by we, I mean people who like to drive and like driving games where you have to drive and not saw at the wheel while sliding ninety degrees sideways at 350 kph.
Need for Speed Rivals is just that. Sure its arcade-y, but at least brakes and racing line become necessary parts of the game. Unlike ridge racer which just put me to sleep, this game does not allow blinking, steering too hard, or ignoring your rivals without sacrificing victory. In fact the physics in NFS are the best we have in any racing game for the PSP so far, and even though Im constructring shrines to speed the releases of GT4 Mobile and TOCA race driver, when I have the need for both speed and actual depth that KIND of approximates real driving, well this is it.
For those of you who think ridge racer is real driving, or even fun I intend to write a fully damning review on that next.
Another impressive feature is the varied depth of NFS. The choices of car go far beyond Ridge Racer, and customizing their look and performance is just as much fun as in other NFSU titles (meaning LOTS). All the tracks are new and most contain clever and challenging shortcuts hidden behind breakable barriers. This game has more modes than you can shake a stick at. The new nitro mode is good for those who truely want to get unreal. The drift mode is vastly improved over NFSU for the ps2, and in addition you have circuit and arcade modes for standard races, and second only to drift is the autocross mode, where you race a full grid on tracks strangely reminicsent of NFSU's drift tracks. Unlike RR where you just blow by the competition in persuit of some guy with an ever increasing headstart, the cars you race actually make you feel like you're in a race and play just as dirty as you do.
NFSU has always had twitchy steering. When I played gran tourismo and popped in NFS one day, I felt like I had terrets. The same is true here. Like any driving game, less steering is better in NFS; dont let the tires slide, relax, look as far down the road as possible, and you'll soon be steering like a champ. If you dont like using the analogue nub, well , I pity you. Remember that 300kph is about the average speed of an F1 car around any given track, so dont expect your Toyota Celica to drive like a dream at that speed eh? Oh and heres a tip about steering for you ridge racers: brake!
One place where NFS definately loses to ridge racer is graphics. I traded my RR in for NFS and immediately noticed the lower framerate and lack of antialiasing. The framerate is locked at 30 fps. It seems a little jerky in comparison but after 10 or 20 minutes you wont notice. Moreover the scenes are absolutely beautiful and detailed. The traffic is a blast to try to avoid and necessitates constant awareness.The sound is excellent though I did encounter one bug where the sound of your engine drops out sometimes (maybe two percent of the time) until you switch gears again. Besides that you have full 3D stereo with all the other cars around you and their tires and gear shifts and all. Really top notch. Rating the music is a subjective thing but I would say that only one or two songs grate on my nerves, three quarters are passable, and a few good ones.
One thing missing (as in all NFSU titles) is a replay function. I know I dont use it often, but after spending so long customizing your car, why not be able to see it rip a few laps as a spectator? Besides I drive in first person view (as should you all) so I never actually get to see my car racing.
This game remains fun in circuit mode as long as you take care to keep your car competitive for the race your in. Bored? turn down your mods a little and see if your still in the game, Ace.
This is the only PSP game that has instigated a legitimate all nighter for me, so I give it high marks.
90
imo, after trying both games and getting afirly far in each one, i can say that ridge racer is a better buy and for a better price. but if you LOVED the nfsu customability then go for that.
The fact that you gain nitro by drifting (already fun as it is) is just genius by the creators. A bit of customabilty would be nice but i'm not complaining, because the graphics are absolutely gorgeous and outrank nfs's gfx 10 to 1.
If you really want to test out the capabilities of your psp and have a great game to boot, this is definitely a great buy.
95
Already coming from a background from playing all the Ridge Racer games, this one surpasses them all! This was the first PSP game I bought with my PSP on the US launch date, and I have to say, that I made the right choice! Once I pop this game in, I was in shocked! RR utilizes the PSP to its fullest potential! Nice smooth graphics and gameplay, beautiful artistic sceneries, and amazing gameplay, adding the nitrous and drifting techniques!
For the soundtrack, there were a only few good tracks such as the tracks from R4, and "silver stream" but thats about it. Everything else is too Techno-ish or Happy Hardcore type. In Ridge Racer 1 & 2, you can play your own music cds during gameplay. It would of been really cool if the game did the same and allow you to play your own music tracks from the memory stick, but I guess the PSP hardware is not capable of doing so yet (although I read somewhere that you can. *Maybe in the future*).
I would definitely recommend this game to all PSP owners!
93
This is my first PSP game and I'm am impressed. The graphics looks awsome on the PSP's screen. The World Tour is short but you will probably want to play it over again. There are not to many cars and none of them are licensed 
This game is mainly about the drifting, which has great physics. As you power slide around the course, you earn turbo which you can use as a nice boost. I didn't like the fact that you can't stop the turbo when you hit R though. Also, I didn't like that you have to start out in 12th place, and pass everyone up within three laps. The number 1 racer is usually 20-25 seconds ahead of you from the start. So, in some of the races when you need to get 1st place, you will need to drive FLAWLESSLY if you want to win. One screw up and you've most likely lost.
The A.I. won't really do anything to stop you until you're in about 5th place. Tthen they will cut you off. The tracks are beautiful. The trees and other environments look great when you are driving by them. Also, the crowds are nice. Sound is excellent too. There are several different mixes you can listen to as your race, including song remixes from the old Ridge Racers. I have yet to get online working but I'm sure its good.
This is an excellent racing and launch title. Definately check this out, but it is very challenging.
80
You will enjoy this game (not an order, its just reality). Something about doing powerslides is great fun, and they are so easy to do in this game.
The game is pretty easy to play. Theoretically you should fly through this. I got through 95% of the game in less than a week (one of the perks of working for the company I work for in OSaka is that I have to sit on the train for a long time...at least I get paid to play PSP)
The cars are pretty decent. If you are new to the series, the car shapes are basically a rip off of the porsche 911, the audi TT? nissan fairlady, as well as a few other models... that should tell you in itself that the cars look pretty sharp...(for me the best handling car is the 911 style car). Recommendation...dont touch anything with dynamic drift.
The game overall looks impressive (moves very smoothly), but it has issues with longevity, that is to say that you wont wont to play it again after you have gotten to the 95% mark, or perhaps if you even finish it. I mean the game has a few easter eggs and stuff, like secret cars (which I didnt car much for because they handled poorly), and videos and stuff like that, but as you approach 100% you cease to care.
What annoyed me somewhat was later on in the final tour (if I remember correctly there are 4 tours? and 6 or 7 car classes) <forgive me but I played this about 40 days ago>, some of the cars were ridiculously far away, I mean you start with the 1st car 15seconds in front of you, and you have to get passed all these cars to get to 1st to win...15 seconds is a lot of time to make up in 3 laps when the guy in first is doing perfect laps...it just become more of a hassle then its worth...in the end I just had enough, as I was next to the guy in 1st on the last lap but he cut me off, so I fell back 3 seconds and couldnt make the time back...Maybe you guys are better (that shouldnt be hard, but it is a hassle)
Last thing worth mentioning, and I dont know if this will be fixed up in the US version, is when you wake your PSP up (you can put it into temporary sleep), the game will continue playing, but then it will jump. This is irritating when you have corners coming up, so watch out for that.
Anyway overall this is a solid title, and if you can find it cheaply, pick it up, but once you beat it...you arent going to touch it for a while. Invest if its cheap, but dont drop too much for it. Goodluck guys
90
I think the game on World Tour is a bit short - have replayed/completed the World Tour twice; trying and managing to come in 1st for all races on the second round of playing. The computer AI in Basic and Pro are pretty rudimentary and do not do anything to block or otherwise slow you down - in the end, it feels as though that its you against the track/time. In Expert mode, AI is pretty much the same except that the cars zoom ahead very quickly and once again, the challenge is against the track and trying to pass the final car just before the finish line on the 3rd lap. Time Attack and Single Race are nice time fillers. There may be things I am missing out as my version is in Japanese and I may not have explored all options yet.
100
I'm not a huge fan of arcade style driving games however this game seems to be a must have when first getting a psp and with graphics as nice as this (points to the screenshot) its not hard to see why. its a great game to have and to also fill time either by playing the odd single race, multiplayer with your friends or if you're really into it you can try completing the world tour tracks and also have a go at unlocking heaps more tracks and pretty cars.
I hate to be a bit nitpicky but the commentary guy really annoys me lol i really don't like being coached when i "drive" i suppose he provides atmosphere while you're driving; otherwise its a nice game to start off the collection.
92
Well what can I say..this is the best Ridge Racer to date. The game goes back and redoes the old classic Ridge Racer games with courses and soundtrack. There are new tracks and new music to the game. There are cars to unlock. The graphics are very impressive and they are almost upto par with the PS2 Ridge Racer V.
For the controls of the game, it is very similar to Ridge Racer Type R4 and the game;s emphasis is on drifting. The loading time are not bad at all, say wait 7 secs before you start a race. If you like Ridge Racer esp R4 then you will 100% love this game. Now for GT fans who hate RR, you may as well wait for GT4 Mobile to come out.
The only thing I dislike with RR PSP is how easy the computer is in the first 6 tours. Other than that, it's worth buying.
100
Great launch game. Can't wait to see the games improve and look back at RR and remember fondly the hours spent power drifting around insane corners. A game you could go back to again + again.
88
The announcer shouts as the engine roars on your car.
Ridge Racer is an arcade racing game where youre thrown into the action as soon as you step on the gas. Sony has a kind of tradition of releasing Ridge Racer as its first generation title for its first generation consoles (released on both playstation 1 and 2) and the same can be said for the PSP.
A great start indeed, from the moment you power up youll be introduced to a slick opening cinema and a tutorial for the menu (in Jap). The menu is easy to navigate (mixed with English) for those of you who dont speak or read it like me.
You start with only a few cars and a few tracks and more will unlocked as you progress in the world tour. The rest of the menu is the typical single race, wireless battle and options.
As mentioned being an arcade game, setup is fairly quick; pick a car, choose automatic or manual, color, and your ready to roll. There are load times, but its not long, considering the next time it loads is after youve played the course (3 laps default) and watched your replay.
For those of you who have played the previous versions know what to expect, even from the start, the track is the same, however, theyve included tracks from all the previous ridge racers.
Graphically, youll have second thoughts whether or not your playing on a portable system and I mean it in a good way. From the buildings, sunsets, beaches and speed, its impressive and may even make you compare which version its closest to, the Playstation 1 or 2? At first it can even be jaw dropping gorgeous on such a tiny screen.
Controls vary as you have a choice to choose between the analog stick ore the d-pad. My preference is analog for the precise control. Prepare yourself for lots of drifting, cause this is where the game makes its mark. Some may think its a bit much, but the more you drift on the corners the chances of having turbo will increase (a great add on and cool effect).
I have to stress on the music, Ive heard its great, but in my situation I tend to listen to my own tunes or no sound when Im traveling. In other words, youll have to find someone else that can give an extensive review on the music if thats your interest.
I havent had much experience with the wireless battle, but what I have played so far its great with no lag. Cant wait to get into this when I find a friend with more time.
Im not big on racing games, but this is an easy title to get into that doesnt require much tinkering on the cars and easy learning curve. Itll only be a matter of time before you find yourself getting the fastest lap and trying to unlock all cars and tracks. A great start indeed.
100
This game is a ton of fun. Never played much of any of the Ridge Racer games so I can't compare to them. I have enjoyed playing this one though. I have played this game wireless against others and I very much have enjoyed this. One person sets up as the leader and everyone else connectes up as friends. The game keeps track of all wireless battles that you have competed in. It tells you how many you have one and your win percentage. I have played as many as 3 people on a single track. There are a few glitches once in awhile when someone tells me they show that they are in front and on my screen it shows that I am. But somehow the system works through this and I have yet to have a race that isn't accurate at the finish line. And we have had a 3 person race where all of us were in less than a second of each other.
90
I've been playing this since the day after I got my PSP, and I have to say, it just keeps me coming back for more. It's not perfect from a physics standpoint (go into a drift at the start of a turn and the game tends to 'guide' you through as if on rails), but an arcade style racer doesn't need to be.
What it does need is fantastic graphics (check) great driving music (check) and the ability to slowly discover more cars and tracks with variable qualities (check). Ridge Racers totally blows people away when I show people the PSP for the first time. For a game with no direct licensing of cars or established tracks, the various locations and rides look and play great and the anticipation of revealing 'the next thing' in the game is palpable.
If it weren't for this game, I wouldn't be on this new device nearly as much as I have been. So often when a new system gets released, you buy a couple of games, one or both of which may be pretty good, but usually it's a waiting game until the first really killer title comes out. Not so with Ridge Racers -- the killer title is already here. If it's a sign of games to come on the PSP, we're in for one hell of a ride... So to speak.
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