This game is everything I hoped Ridge Racer 1 would be in terms of handling, tracks, visuals, and sound. It was a bit of a golden goose in my series collection, I'm guessing it sold quite poorly considering how uncommon these have been in retro stores or even online listings. Kind of like a "forgotten entry", relegated to series retrospectives from youtubers who aren't interested or wiki fodder for those interested in how Type 4 got it's name considering the it's often the 5th or 6th game listed. If you are looking for a really old Ridge Racer to play for fun, this is what you're looking for.
Firstly, the style here is just top notch. I'm not much of a fan of series mainstay songs like Rare Hero and Rotterdam Nation, but tracks from this game like Drive U 2 Dancing, Over The Highway, and especially Lords of Techno are absolute bangers. They channel the raw intensity and dance energy of Experience-era Prodigy fantastically, and I feel this is one of the most overlooked soundtracks in the series along with Rave Racer. The visuals also capture the early Playstation look just like the first game but much better emulate effects like the darkness of night and changing time of day.
This game also features the "one track that changes" feature of Ridge Racer OG, but the execution here is much cleaner and more interesting. Each of the three difficulties now has its own segments of track exclusive to it, and each one both challenges the driver in increasing intensity but also balances the readability much better than the advanced section of the original city course.
The real draw of this version of Ridge Racer is the handling model, and I'm bold enough to say this is when the series proper came into form gameplay-wise. The controls are much more precise and predictable than the first entry. Collisions are a bit more forgiving, with some side-swipes not causing the same speed-death as previously. This in combination with the easier-to-read track design makes for a much cleaner and more fun experience.
I didn't really expect to have this much to say about such a short and feature-trim game. But if you're able to play this one it's much more worthwhile than the first Ridge Racer. It's even got multiplayer apparently! Haven't tried it yet. It's also how I learned the PS1 has a console link cable.
Firstly, the style here is just top notch. I'm not much of a fan of series mainstay songs like Rare Hero and Rotterdam Nation, but tracks from this game like Drive U 2 Dancing, Over The Highway, and especially Lords of Techno are absolute bangers. They channel the raw intensity and dance energy of Experience-era Prodigy fantastically, and I feel this is one of the most overlooked soundtracks in the series along with Rave Racer. The visuals also capture the early Playstation look just like the first game but much better emulate effects like the darkness of night and changing time of day.
This game also features the "one track that changes" feature of Ridge Racer OG, but the execution here is much cleaner and more interesting. Each of the three difficulties now has its own segments of track exclusive to it, and each one both challenges the driver in increasing intensity but also balances the readability much better than the advanced section of the original city course.
The real draw of this version of Ridge Racer is the handling model, and I'm bold enough to say this is when the series proper came into form gameplay-wise. The controls are much more precise and predictable than the first entry. Collisions are a bit more forgiving, with some side-swipes not causing the same speed-death as previously. This in combination with the easier-to-read track design makes for a much cleaner and more fun experience.
I didn't really expect to have this much to say about such a short and feature-trim game. But if you're able to play this one it's much more worthwhile than the first Ridge Racer. It's even got multiplayer apparently! Haven't tried it yet. It's also how I learned the PS1 has a console link cable.
Devixicus
4 months ago