Ridge Racer V...How Good?!?!

[Treble]

Just got my Messiahed PS2, and can finally play this game, which I got for the unbelievable bargain price of ?6 for the Japanese version. It's amazing ^_^

The graphics are far better than I had heard. In fact, the reviews did them a major disservice when it came out. Using RGB, they sparkle and shine, just like the other cars on the track. Ok, there is a little aliasing, but nothing like I was lead to understand.

The speed is blinding. I played on Standard, and thought, "who, this is fast". Then I completed that, got an engine upgrade and was like "whoa, this is f**king fast!!!".

The audio is superb, and the music is very good as well, even. All the options/select screens are very stylish, and it has all the hallmarks of stylish design that Namco brought to the earlier games. If you haven't got it, buy it now. Sheer excellence.

[wager]

If you haven't got it, buy it now. Sheer excellence.

Totally agree with that. Top game. Got my PS2 modded by Saur few months back and RRV was one of the first titles i picked up. Pure class.

[Smeghead]

bought PAL version for ?8 the other week expecting very slow gameplay and terrible graphics, boarders are it's only fault PAL an with a widescreen TV they can be streatched out, speed isn't an issue at all it still flies along, I agree great game! surely one of the last "pure fun" racers?

[Chadruharazzeb]

Welcom Treble - another member of the flock.

Ridge 5 is the ultimate. Spread the word.

[marcus]

This game was criminally slated when it was released, yet I still consider it to be the finest arcade racer Ive ever played. The presentation is also superb, I loved the silhoetted (sp?) front end especially. The game has a style and charm of its own, the tracks are great, and the speed is blinding. This was the reason I bought a Japanese PS2 at launch, I recall that for about two weeks after I got it Alpha would come round here almost daily and just totally cain the game, I never got a look in! I still go back to it occasionally though, and its always a pleasure to play.

[Burai]

The sadness is that sooooooooooo many people have been put off this game by the poor reviews that it received.

Don't believe the anti-hype - Every PS2 collection NEEDS this game to be in it.

The city... is yours!

[Vaipon]

Ridge V is THE DADDY!!! 'nuff said...

[SharkSkin-Man]

If Ridge Racer V was released tomorrow I'd still be impressed by it, its a fantastic game.

[Ravon]

Had a few friends that would play this all the time, but i was more of a GT fan......but when i finally got around to playing it i just couldn't put it down... great arcade racer..

[Geoff D]

Yep, it's a goody alright - got my Jpn version for a fiver from CEX.

Top quality arcade racing action - my fave racer on the PS2

[Treble]

Two things I wasn't prepared for:
The pace of the game. It's blindingly fast. I loved MSR but, even though you can have a lower in-car view in that game, RRV feels about 30% faster at top speed.

The graphics. The are exceptional. I wasn't expecting lighting effects of this calibre, or Ridge City to be so solid (pop-up is pretty minimal).

My only slight niggles are that the cars aren't all multi-coloured like they were in the original (I loved the hyper-real colours of the cars ) and the lack of a rear-view mirror. I had Revolution, and it really helped in that game. Using the shoulder buttons to look behind is a slight compromise in comparison. Other than that, it's pretty damn flawless for a racing game.

8)

[PeteJ]

I'm sold

It'll have to be the PAL version though, which I hope does the game justice....

[goldbricker]

I wonder why this did get so slated by reviewers on release?

Perhaps the hype about the machine prior to release meant that people were expecting a bigger step from the first Ridge Racer release from the platform?

My experience with the game is that they have extended the handling model to make the power sliding harder to control but far more rewarding when you get it right. 8)

[Treble]

One of the reasons I never got it when I had a PAL PS2 was because of the borders. Although the game was optimised for speed, the borders are massive.

The problem with this is lack of peripheral vision. Obviously, being able to see stuff in a racing game is pretty important ( ), and it does make it hard (I played it on my mate's at release).

Still, get it if it's cheap.

[Brodie]

Totally agree that the game rocks.

I only have the PAL version unfortunately, and the borders do look horrendous, but it's still fast, and Ridge Racer has always been pure fun anyway. Still if i get my PS2 chipped, I will definitely pick up again.

Change of topic slightly, but does anyone else think that RR Type 4 was one of the best looking PSone games?