Developer: Namco Publisher: Namco Release: 09/09/95 Genre: Racing
Sony Imagesoft during the 16-bit era was a questionable publisher. When you have the likes of Cliffhanger and the Last Action Hero under your belt it stands to reason that people would skeptical of your ability to enter the market as a console manufacturer. They needed standout titles to gain respect and while Psygnosis came through with a hit list Ridge Racer was the star of the PS One launch lineup. Namco showed the power of the system with an excellent conversion that while light on content is still pretty fun.
Namco and Sega seemingly went back and forth with their arcade efforts. When one would create a hit the other would follow soon after. Daytona USA begat Ridge Racer, Virtua Fighter led to Tekken, and Virtua Cop inspired Time Crisis. This battle would continue at home and sadly in Sega’s case Namco came out on top in nearly every case. Ridge Racer embarrasses the Saturn version of Daytona in every way outside of music.
As a conversion Ridge Racer is fantastic. Texture resolution is lower than in the arcade so there is a minor loss of detail and a bit of pixelation. But the tradeoff is a rock solid thirty frames per second which makes the control incredibly smooth. There is some minor pop-in that is cleverly hidden by turns and the design of the track but only the most critical arcade fans will notice. It was games like Ridge Racer that helped give the PlayStation the impression that it was more powerful than the Saturn. While Sega would catch up quickly with the quality of their ports first impressions are everything and Namco created a strong one.
Ridge Racer sits firmly in arcade territory when it comes to its handling. You don’t have to worry about the rigid physics and aerodynamics of simulation racing. The control is looser to allow for power sliding around the tracks. While it is a neat skill to learn it is not mandatory. The handling is just fine on its own even with d-pad control. The game allows for a lot of mistakes as skimming walls or outright crashes do not cause much loss of speed. The initial four cars vary in their stats although with the exception of the yellow solvalou you won’t notice too much.
Ridge Racer has always been more forgiving than its Sega counterpart. Checkpoints are generous and there is no rubber banding. Regardless of each track the AI is too aggressive, or at least they aren’t to my eyes. It can get a little dicey on advanced mode but it isn’t like other racing games where a single mistake means everyone surpasses you. This makes the game very accessible although you can argue it does not have the depth of more sim focused titles.
The one area that Ridge Racer comes up short is in its content. Racing games during the fifth generation largely suffered from this problem but Ridge Racer was notably even worse in this regard. Technically there are three tracks separated into novice, intermediate, and advanced difficulty. In reality it is a single track. The intermediate difficulty adds a higher top speed, more laps, and aggressive AI. The advanced level adds a new highway section but it still cannot hide the fact that you are racing on the same course. This is the game’s biggest flaw and one that hurts its replay value. Without even a multiplayer mode the thrills are short lived with this one.
There are a few unlockables to soften the blow. Placing first on each track as well as the Time Trial mode will unlock mirror mode. This reverses each of the game’s tracks which for some make them feel new. Ridge Racer has one of the coolest extras of that era. While the game is loading you can play a quick game of Galaxian. If you manage to kill all the aliens you unlock eight additional cars. This is not as easy as it sounds but is worth the effort. The game already has little content; you might as well try to get as much out of it as possible.
In Closing
Ridge Racer is an excellent version of the arcade game. It gave Sony the authenticity they needed to compete as a console manufacturer. While the port is incredible for its time it still cannot hide the fact that it is light on content. This is good for a quick fix but not for those looking for a complete package.
