Should Nintendo just not care about 3rd parties?

[nakamura]

Play the first 5 Ridge Racer games and they are all remarkably different yet they keep to the same formula. Ridge Racers, Ridger Racers 2, Ridge Racer 6-7, Ridge Racer 3D and Ridge Racer Vita are all exactly the same game, nothing at all is different. Namco haven't done anything bar a few different tracks for almost 10 years and frankly it is disgusting.

[MisterBubbles]

But change into what?, you still haven't answered my question.

[nakamura]

Just change the structure and vary the way each game plays.

Ridge Racer was the first game. Cartoony style visuals, awesome rave soundtrack.

Rage Racer was a switch to more challenging gameplay which forced the use of manual gears. You really had to maximize revs to get the most out of each car uphill. It also had some awesome techniques that masters could learn. For instance rather than driift around a bend, you could nudge the brakes, turn in and downshift and you could get a huge accelration boost if timed right. Drifting was also dramatically different to the first game and indeed with each car. You could upgrade the cars and also change tyres to suit your driving style. It also had a gritty look visually with suitable jungle style music to suit.

Ridge Racer Type 4 had a more jazzy style with a funk/ambient soundtrack. The gameplay was also notably different with a totally different handling feel. Drifting was much more aggressive as you really had to push the cars into turns to get the most out. Manual gears again was a huge benefit as you could maintain speed after collisions. It was also a collect them all style racer.

Ridge Racer V mixed a few ideas from each game. Grip and drift became even more prominent. Also each car felt so incredibly different to drive, you could even feel the weight balance on the rear engine cars. Upgraded cars were back but in a more simple form. Garage editing made its debut. Art style was more realistic and music more rocky.

Ridge Racers on PSP was also different. It has a smoother drifting style with less emphasis on grip driving. Drifting was also more forgiving but still great fun. Art took a fairly realistic approach. This formula however has been repeated since with no effort to mix it up.

There are loads of things Namco could do, they have already done it after all. The could keep the core ideals of Ridge Racer and build something fresh. Upgrading? Real cars and tracks? Different art and music style? Championships? Rally? Drop Nitrous?

The series is stale. Unbounded was a nice game but it was nothing at all to do with Ridge Racer.

[J0e Musashi]

I don't really know how they could change it now. Like Bomberman, if it's not broken, don't fix it I say. There is absolutely nothing wrong with any RR game post V.

Real cars wouldn't work at all.

Rally defeats the entire object of Ridge Racer.

The nitrous system in RR is the best nitrous system of any racing game, you can adjust it to suit you perfectly.

Ridge Racers was originally called New Ridge Racer. They'd need to do New, New Ridge Racer now, but how is that possible? Maybe the cars could have guns...

[nakamura]

Of course there is nothing wrong with the latest Ridge Racer games, they are all the same game with different skins. Great racers, I have them all bar 7 but they all feel one and the same.

There is plenty they could do to keep it fresh and also keep the series roots.

[MisterBubbles]

So exactly change absolutely nothing, just bring back features used before, RR can never be anything else and im entirely happy with that and agree with Joe.

[Brad]

Re: Should Nintendo just not care about 3rd parties?

Ps4. 120fps.

[dataDave]

Why does everybody say RR has to change?

Everybody? What, one person?

I reckon they should just reserve Ridge for Sony console unveiling, the formula is just about perfected. Release it once every five years or so. New Tracks, new cars, new music.

[nakamura]

I wonder how many think Ridge Racer is ok to stay exactly same are the ones that think Fifa is a rip off.

[J0e Musashi]

I've only ever played Fifa '96, so I wouldn't know. Each Fifa is surely pretty much the same as the one before it, but with minor adjustments? How can they make it better. Give the players guns?

[MisterBubbles]

Staying the same, and bringing out new content is totally different, said for the last time RR doesn't need to change, just give us new tracks, new cars, new music every few years as DataDave says. And not me to the question.

[sj33]

There is also the simple fact that, content-wise at least, the recent iterations really have been exactly the same. Ridge Racer 7 is basically a tweaked version of Ridge Racer 6, Ridge Racer 2 PSP was the same as the original Ridge Racer PSP but with extra content, and the Vita game recycles content again.

The core of the series doesn't necessarily have to change, but the next Ridge Racer game is really going to have to have some new content i.e. a completely new selection of courses rather than recycling the old ones and throwing in a couple of token new ones.

[J0e Musashi]

People would still moan. Gran Turismo has had the same tracks and cars since the first game. They just add new ones to each title. Exactly the same as they do with Ridge Racer. Exactly the same as they do with Street Fighter. Exactly the same...

[nakamura]

Indeed. But Ridge Racer has done nothing at all. All the recent games play exactly the same. GT has evolved as a simulation. It is more realistic than ever and features weather and a track editor.

[Pikate]

I don't play racing games but ever since I first saw it in a Top 10 games list I've thought they should just remake Ridge Racer Type 4 in 1080p but not change any of the actual art designs and keep the yellow menus. Then they should do the same in 4K, then in PS5/Xbox1440 "Matrix-like beamed straight to your brain". Ridge Race Type 4 is the only game in existence that I'll buy a Sony Console for (PSone with the little screen one day, probably).