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Saturday, May 21, 2011

Ridge Racer PSP Game Review (2005)

By Bill Huiting


Ridge Racer is really a classic racing series by Namco, and it incorporates an arcade racing feel with a Gran Turismo feel. It has great driving looks and cars that look realistic, while incorporating that arcade feel when driving.

Ridge Racer was an excellent racing game when it launched with the PSP in North America, and I still take pleasure in taking it out to play. Ridge Racer is probably my favorite racing game on the PSP next to Burnout. Although Burnout came out later, and it had a lot more of an arcade extreme feel to it. Ridge Racer has a more racing feel to it, while keeping some of those arcade ideas. What I mean with the arcade ideas, is the realism of the game. Sometimes your car heads toward a sharp turn at 100mph, yet it turns with ease. And the cars resemble real cars, but have fake made up names. But the realism comes in with the driving, and some of the physics. The cars react well like they would in real life, and the driving has no ?hitches? like rockets or giant crashes. I think Namco was looking for more of a realistic game, but the arcade feel to it makes it really fun.

The game could be played in tour mode (career mode) single race, time attack, or ad-hoc multiplayer (8 players max). The tour mode is simple and requires no knowledge of the game. You just need to complete distinct sets of races (typically about 3 races in a set), and at the end of each and every race, you generally unlock a course or a car. Whilst games like these at times fail because there's nearly no point to the game, it really is ok for this game, because it was created to be an arcade racer.

The controls are really simple, and they're what you'd expect from a standard PS2 or PS3 racing button layout. X is accelerate,  is brake, and R is nitrous. You also have your view change button but it is rarely touched. So, even if you are a hard-core PS2/PS3 racer or a causal gamer/ the controls are guaranteed fool-proof.

Drifting is a huge part of Ridge Racer. When you go around turns, the vehicle automatically starts drifting, and you can gain nitrous this way. It makes the game more fun and cool looking. It's sometimes hard to keep the drift steady, but it's a cool way to add a little fun to the game.

Ratings:

Gameplay:

It is foolproof and fun, it gets progressively harder, however it starts out simple sufficient for the average person/gamer to figure out. There is a straightforward goal and it really is progressive through the game. Although this was designed as an arcade styled game, I?m positive Namco could have stuck something in there that would brighten up the game a bit bit. Whilst the gameplay might be a little dry, it is going to keep you busy for awhile, and I rate the gameplay an 8.4/10

Graphics:

The graphics had been leading of the line compared to other people when it launched, and I do give it credit for that. In some situations, it can compete with other PSP games. This game wasn?t meant for graphics although, but the cut-scenes and intro are truly outstanding should you wish to look for some sweet graphics. Back when this game was launched, I would have given this games graphics an incredibly high score, but now they are average, so I give it a 9.0/10. I know Namco couldn?t do anything about the graphics following the release, but compared to PSP games now, its average-excellent.

Sound:

The ability to pick your song just before a race (not from your memory stick although) was a cool thought, as well as the overall engine sounds along with other issues like which are excellent. Not to mention that mysterious guy who is often telling you, ?You can pass him!? or ?Hey! Watch where you might be driving!? The sound is fantastic, but I feel they could have offered other forms of music inside the game besides techno/disco music. The music is great for racing though. Overall I give the sound a 9.5/10, although I?ll in no way listen to techno.

This was a fantastic game which I rented from blockbuster shortly after I got my PSP back in 2005. I liked it so significantly that I decided to go back recently and rent it once more. I have nearly completed the game, and it really is extremely enjoyable. Ridge Racer can be a excellent game, but you should rent it very first. This really is 1 of those games that some folks will like and some individuals won't like. Overall, I give the game an 8.7/10.




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