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| Summary: Gentlemen, start your engines!
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.
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