Retro|Spective 017: Ridge Racer

[Neon Ignition]

Lost in the purge of 2016, the original Retro|Spective discussed the franchise in general in a long winding debate, later a look back discussed in in general due to the anniversary. Now we revive the original discussion to follow on in the same manner we recently did for the Metroid franchise, an entry by entry breakdown and discussion on the series and what each entry got right and wrong in light of the sixth chapters new life on Xbox.

Game 01 - Ridge Racer
A spiritual successor to the game Sim Drive, intended to be a Formula 1 game but pivoted to tap into the hill racing trend in Japan, this arcade title made waves with its fast gameplay and bright 3D visuals. The home port to PlayStation 1 proved highyl successful spawning a long lineage of sequels. In addition, a full scale version was made for arcade where players sat behind the wheel of a Mazda in front of the game on a projector screen.

Is the original game still a seminal entry in the series or has time finally overtaken it?

[Atticus]

The original is the best. That's not nostalgia, it just is. The game had such a clear vision at the beginning. The circuit is perfection, perhaps may favourite videogame circuit ever. It's marries with the drift handling to create something tight and precise and feel-good with every single lap. The traffic isn't always easy to weave through but it shouldn't be, it's racing and every place is earned.

On top of the mechanics it has the most amazing identity and presence too. The candy coloured cars and the pounding soundtrack ARE Ridge Racer. The sit-down cab was fab and the PlayStation game managed to capture the essence of something way more complex and powerful (as Sega Rally did on the Saturn) ... and the game made the PlayStation launch so exciting.

The MX5 was a mistake imo. It was a real-world car coupled with non-real-world in-game models. Also, the handling wasn't sharp feeling in that version. It was a gimmick the game really didn't need.

So ... unless I have a very old console, why can't I play this stone cold classic? Just do what they did with Daytona. An arcade accurate version at a budget price and nothing move. I would love that.

[Asura]

I still go back to the original quite a bit; I think it's great fun. That being said, it's not so much a nostalgia thing for me; I went with the Saturn in that gen and didn't really play the Ridge games until the Dreamcast was on the horizon.

The main thing about the franchise which bothers me is that the PS4 generation has come and gone, and there isn't a single RR game on it. Not even a retro port. A whole Playstation generation without Ridge Racer.

[QualityChimp]

I've definitely played the full-scale Ridge Racer arcade, but can't remember if it was in Sega Joypolis in Odaiba, or Mr. B's in Blackpool.

Those places are pretty interchangeable.

[Neon Ignition]

Yep, I played the full scale at Blackpool. It was definitely the worst way to play it but I could never resist when I saw it because the entire thing was just so insane to look at.

I did enjoy the original entry in general but it never got its claws into me as much as the original Sega Rally did. I think my appreciation of it is better in later years.

[Nu-Eclipse]

The original Ridge is a massive part of my gaming history (as I'm sure it is for many others) and it's an iconic part of the PlayStation legacy.

That said, I'm taking Ridge Racer Revolution over the OG version these days as it is much more refined.

[wakka]

Ah Ridge Racer. How do I love thee, let me count the ways...

I'm not going to launch into a screed, but I'll just say that the new Four Quarters barcade in Elephant and Castle has a dual cab Ridge Racer 2 setup. And I played it with my mates the other day and I was drunk and it was great.

Just a rock solid, stone cold classic of a videogame that will never get old for me. Gameplay to die for and a ridiculously cool aesthetic from top to bottom.

[Dogg Thang]

I think my experience with the original Ridge Racer is affected so much by Daytona that it's hard to untangle them. So much of my memory of encountering the game really comes down to "I prefer this in Daytona". Especially when it came to the handling. I just did not like how Ridge Racer felt and it would be quite a few games into the series before I connected with it. So as wrong as this may be, I very much had a feeling that Ridge Racer was a great game for those people who just hadn't experienced Daytona.

And that never really changed. I remember getting the polished version as a bonus disk with something (was it with Type4 or was it something on PS2?) and instantly I didn't like it all over again in spite of loving the series by that stage. And same again when it was used as a base for I think the DS version. I just don't like how that car controls.

[Asura]

I think my experience with the original Ridge Racer is affected so much by Daytona that it's hard to untangle them.

I think I know how you feel. I was exposed to both games at around the same time, and being a Saturn owner, naturally I gravitated to Daytona.

What's weird is that even now, it's incredible we got two such absolute bangers in the same genre at a similar time which were so different.

[samanosuke]

I echo those comments. Back in the day, in the arcades I felt RR was a poor man’s Daytona. I always wondered why you couldn’t crash or even spin the car when making contact with other drivers, why there were no run-off sections which made it feel like the whole track was just a tunnel, or why the exterior view handled so badly making the game only playable from the in-car option. But in spite of this I *loved* Ridge Racer in the arcade and thought it was amazing in its own right, Rave Racer even moreso.

Where things changed for me were the home ports; whereas the Saturn conversion of Daytona was hugely disappointing for me when I first saw it, Ridge Racer on the PlayStation absolutely blew me away. I remember being round a mate’s house and we were having a bit of a sesh on the herbs, and we just played RR all day and then all through the night, with the in game music pumping and spurring us all on to better our times. My mate Shaun said at the end of the night “that is an amazing console” which summed it up perfectly. We were all blown away.

[Neon Ignition]

Game 02 - Ridge Racer Revolution
Namco had very quickly released Ridge Racer 2 and Rave Racer into the arcades which sold themselves as sequels to the original game but featured very minor revisions rather than offering new games to arcade goers. For home console they followed their home conversion of the original with this new release that added link up multiplayer, two hidden cars, a new soundtrack largely based on that of Ridge Racer 2. The game was successful but received some criticism for being overly similar to the previous years game.



Was Revolution a worthy follow up?

[Nu-Eclipse]

Was Revolution a worthy follow up?

Yes.

Unquestionably the definitive version of the original RR.

Splices the best bits of RR and RR2 perfectly as well as adding inspired refinements (LAN multiplayer, hidden cars, etc.).

[Atticus]

Game 02 - Ridge Racer Revolution
received some criticism for being overly similar to the previous years game

I remember that but didn't agree. The game was different enough and similar enough to work and give us more of what we love. Just watching that gif I can remember landing the jump straight into a drift. Ahh

[QualityChimp]

Was Revolution a worthy follow up?

No.

You don't race any ridges.

[Asura]

The eventual post about RRT4, approaching us every moment