Best Ridge Racer

[Leon Retro]

RR should only be played on a PS pad. That's why it sucks on 360. I bet that 95% of people don't even use digital controls either.

I use the digital pad on the 360, but the analogue stick still works, though you'll not be as good.

I wish Namco would take the handling of the modern versions, and look back to the original when it comes to the style. I want colourful cars, bright skies, that arcade vibe, with a cool commentator again, not someone who sounds like they should be in SSX.

The reason I don't totally like RR6 & RR7, is simply because they feel very soulless. Yeah... there are some nice touches, but the overall atmosphere is too bleak for my liking.

I'm always hoping that Namco will reveal a colourful, happy new version. The visual style they chose for RR4 onwards, is now very warn-out. Time for a refreshing new look to things, I think.

[hudson]

RR should only be played on a PS pad. That's why it sucks on 360. I bet that 95% of people don't even use digital controls either.

Alway on a dpad for me. More responsive (or that's what my heart tells me ). It's got to be bumper view too, none of this 3rd person/car view shennanigans

[ItsThere]

The d-Pad control on RR7 is superb! In fact all this chat makes me want to finish that one off. Its the only PS3 game I still play.

However got to update the machine again so that will take 17 weeks

[Anpanman]

Great thread, great thread.

For me tops has to be the first one.
Superbly engineered game. When you unlocked the ‘Devil Car’ 13, with it you could go round any version of the circuit at full pelt without letting go of the accelerator, drifting or using the brake.

You couldn’t do this on the later versions of course due to the track complexity, that said I found errors on both RRR and Rage where when driving along at certain points you hit what seemed to be an invisible barrier.
Great music and I agree the best commentator – ‘you gotta teach meeeeee’

Still enjoyed RRR and Rage though, and R4 had some wonderful atmospheric lighting.

Never played V or 6.

RR7 is a great return to form for me, brings back all the memories of the first one but I agree with the other comments in that the nitrous business is crap.
Still, it really is underrated, there is a hell of a lot of hours of play in this game.

The first ridge on the PSP deserves great mention, things move at an incredible speed, in particular I enjoyed very much looking at the unlocked movies.
Rage and R4 concentrated on the petrolhead aspect of racing whereas the PSP version ending movie wouldn’t be out of place in a Ferrari showroom, NAMCO have done a brilliant job of ‘branding’ with Assoluto and the like, this is carried on in v7 with NAMCO really going to town with the Ridge Racer ‘world’.

Would like a compilation though, how about it NAMCO?

[saturn-gamer]

I owned the 60fps version of the Japanese Demo disc that came with RR4, but wasn't that time trial only, no enemies in the race? It was extremely sweet though. I also prefer the old colorful look over the new look.

RR6 is a very good game on the 360, its one of those underrated gems. I absolutely liked its online play, it was a hardcore scene with hardly any lamers around. I prefered it over PGR3 for online play.World Xplorer became a bit boring though. I also liked the RR7 demo and am waiting for a pricedrop on that one.

[sj33]

Never played V or 6.

RR7 is a great return to form for me, brings back all the memories of the first one but I agree with the other comments in that the nitrous business is crap.
Still, it really is underrated, there is a hell of a lot of hours of play in this game.

7 is an evolution of 6 basically, so if you loved 7 (which I do), you'd also love 6 (or would have, 7 makes 6 redundant).

Never played V, always wondered if it was closer to the old-style RR games or the new-style (except Nitrous).

[JP]

I didn't take to 6 for some reason. That was why I only picked up 7 quite some time after launch on here and was really surprised at just how much I enjoyed it!

I think they pretty much were based around the same game but I must have only spent a few of hours on 6 and it just didn't work for me in any way for some reason. I'm not sure if I even picked it up twice to give it another go as I really wanted to enjoy it.

It felt more like 5 to me which I felt was by far the worst version to appear which wasn't on a Nintendo console. I thought they both just felt completely sterile and cold.

It would be nice to see some far more arcade influenced graphics in the next version though.

[MatWoods]

first arcade machine, ridge racer, sit down cab with a clutch and the volume turned WAY up....

remember watching a guy play it in the old arcade in manchester which is now the rosetti hotel and thinking, 'i could not play that good', a few months l8r and a few pounds lighter, i was driving up there with the best of them - the best course, the best music and imho, never pettered.

[gizmo1990]

This is easy.

Rave Racer in the arcades.

Rage Racer on console.

[MarioMark]

Ace thread.

Here's Rave Racer in action. Aww I want that cab!!!

[kyo_244]

First one I played was RR revo on the ps1. Ah fond ps1 memories Next I tried the demo of Rage and Type 4, and was blown away by the latter. Type 4 for me was the most playable and had one of hte best funkiest and most original sound tracks to date! Well for a racer..

Oh and we had Rave Raver in our local arcades aswell

So for me its gotta be 4 for playability, atmosphere and sound, and rave for the pure arcade feel and lush visuals!

[hudson]

Ace thread.

Here's Rave Racer in action. Aww I want that cab!!!

Try getting this cab up your stairs

[Kubrick]

I see a lot of mentions for the R4 soundtrack but to me it's easily my least favourite. The tunes are actually not that bad when you listen to them, but they're not memorable and just never felt at home in Ridge Racer to me.

Nothing will ever eclipse the rave music from the first couple of games.

[MarioMark]

Try getting this cab up your stairs

Oh yeah! I think there's one of those at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

[TheForce]

I´m late into this, but without any doubt... RidgeRacerRevolution , I really played that to death ! I remember playing it in the end for many many hours the long lap with the White Angel car, trying to get 3 perfect laps ...

RaveRacer was excellent also , we had an arcade cab in the area so I would travel there just to play that game, a real shame they never released it on a home console

ps,. I adored the 1st one also, I quite liked RageRacer and after that they got a bit worse (imo) ...