Back to the origins of the best arcade racer series (sorry Sega fans): it was a brain-melting technological marvel in 1993, and this System 22 version still impresses compared to the Playstation port.
The main issue with Ridge Racer nowadays is pretty obvious. There's only one car (the F/A Racing) and one course (later known as Seaside Route 765). You can choose between four races: novice (two laps), intermediate (three laps), advanced (three laps on an extended version of the track) and T.T. (not really a time trial but a 1-on-1 with a rival on the advanced track). Every race is faster than the last one, kinda like going from 50 to 100 and 150cc in Mario Kart. This is an extremely short game, but it makes sense when you see it as a replayable ride.
So, how does it play? Well, it's a smooth racing game with simple but very fun to master drifting mechanics. While turning at high speed, let go of the gas pedal, tap the brakes, and then accelerate. You'll start sliding gracefully on the road without losing too much speed. There's a couple of turns where drifting is imperative.
AI is very simple. The other cars are merely obstacles, their main purpose being to obstruct your driving line. There's an exception though: a yellow Solvalou which acts as a "rival" car. It can be a bit of a pain in advanced difficulty, since its speed varies greatly from "obviously waiting for you" to "so fast I'll soon break the laws of physics". Probably some kind of weird rubberbanding going on, but if you don't make mistakes it's definitely beatable.
Last but not least: the soundtrack. There's between six different songs to choose, all pumping electronic music tracks. It was probably a shock for a lot of people back then to hear gabber in a video game. Well, it sure was for me when I was a kid!
Did I enjoy replaying the original Ridge Racer in 2022 as much as in the 90s'? Hell yeah, I did! But it took me 30 minutes to beat all the races so it was a short pleasure.
The main issue with Ridge Racer nowadays is pretty obvious. There's only one car (the F/A Racing) and one course (later known as Seaside Route 765). You can choose between four races: novice (two laps), intermediate (three laps), advanced (three laps on an extended version of the track) and T.T. (not really a time trial but a 1-on-1 with a rival on the advanced track). Every race is faster than the last one, kinda like going from 50 to 100 and 150cc in Mario Kart. This is an extremely short game, but it makes sense when you see it as a replayable ride.
So, how does it play? Well, it's a smooth racing game with simple but very fun to master drifting mechanics. While turning at high speed, let go of the gas pedal, tap the brakes, and then accelerate. You'll start sliding gracefully on the road without losing too much speed. There's a couple of turns where drifting is imperative.
AI is very simple. The other cars are merely obstacles, their main purpose being to obstruct your driving line. There's an exception though: a yellow Solvalou which acts as a "rival" car. It can be a bit of a pain in advanced difficulty, since its speed varies greatly from "obviously waiting for you" to "so fast I'll soon break the laws of physics". Probably some kind of weird rubberbanding going on, but if you don't make mistakes it's definitely beatable.
Last but not least: the soundtrack. There's between six different songs to choose, all pumping electronic music tracks. It was probably a shock for a lot of people back then to hear gabber in a video game. Well, it sure was for me when I was a kid!
Did I enjoy replaying the original Ridge Racer in 2022 as much as in the 90s'? Hell yeah, I did! But it took me 30 minutes to beat all the races so it was a short pleasure.