Retro|Spective 017: Ridge Racer

[chopemon]

I have played R4 once years ago. It's on my list to get to as the visuals and music are killer.

[wakka]

Another fan here. I really loved it and played absolutely tons of it. The whole aesthetic is brilliant and remains unique. But one other thing that really stuck with me is how much I enjoyed the career mode, with the conversations with the different managers scolding or encouraging you, or perhaps giving a bit of insight into their background and character motivations.

So, a seriously cool game, and one I played a huge amount of. But when I went back to it a few years ago, I'll be honest - I struggled with the handling. I'm fifty fifty on whether it's worth giving it another try at some point, or whether it's best left as a happy memory. It didn't click again nearly as quickly as other arcade racers of that vintage, like Sega Rally, do.

I don't think I got all 320 cars but I definitely got an awful lot of them.

[Dogg Thang]

I adore Type4. I think it played brilliantly and it’s where the RR handling really worked for me. The track design was superb. And on top of all that, the feel, visual and audio style was totally unique. It has such a strong sense of identity and leans into it. And it still looks gorgeous to this day as a result, an example of a game where the visual style overcomes the technical shortcomings.

I think it’s absolutely fantastic.

[Neon Ignition]

I never spent that much time on R4. I was quite taken by Rage Racer despite what I'm about to say - but with Ridge Racer I typically like it to feel like a Ridge Racer and the tone of the game matters a lot. This despite so few games carrying the tone of the originals and for some reason R4 never felt quite right. Always tempted to go back though, not sure if it's aged well enough at this point though

[QualityChimp]

So, I never actually bought Ridge Racer Type 4, but I rinsed the demo disc!



In fact, I tried to play it on my PS3 fairly recently and it worked, but it wasn't happy about it. Some of the graphics were messed up.

The art was on-point for this, even if you disliked the game. I loved the Pac-Man themed stuff!

The thing I remember about it is the amazing review and feature it got in Arcade magazine that talked about the different approaches to the courses, depending on what car you were driving.



You can read the magazine here:

https://retrocdn.net/images/f/fd/Arcade_UK_06.pdf

"...you have to win RR4's eight-race Grand Prix a whopping 64 times in order to access all of the game's available cars, and that 512-race undertaking might strike you as a rather forbidding, potentially tedious pursuit. But the Namco designers are way ahead of you. Because with every new car you access, the character of each track changes, and not just because you have to start braking/powersliding on corner you could previously whip round at full tilt.

On Helter Skelter (the game's very first course), for example, there's a small dip in the road just before a shallow corner leading to the last stretch. In the slow early cars, your car dutifully clings to the road into the bend, presenting no difficulties. Move up a couple of classes, though, and you'll be at the wheel of a much speedier vehicle, whose velocity will cause it to fly into the air at the dip, robbing you of control at the crucial point and sending you hurtling nose-first into the facing wall with a sickening crunch."

[Asura]

Loved it. Best game on PS1. Anyone who says it's bad is wrong.

->Open Spoiler<-

EDIT: Okay, so, truly, I do love RRT4, even though I'm aware of its faults.

I was a Saturn owner for most of the 32-bit era; I went Saturn -> N64 -> PS1. As a result, I only really got into the PS1's catalog in its late life; so some of the first PS1 games that I owned were Ridge Racer Type 4, Metal Gear Solid and Vagrant Story.

Consequently RRT4 was the first Ridge game that I owned. I'd played previous ones at friends' houses and in the arcades but this was the first one I absolutely rinsed, and I dread to think of the number of hours I put into it. I absolutely loved this game.

Visually it's gorgeous; like it's among the best looking games on PS1 IMO, and while I get that its gameplay divides people, as my first real point-of-reference for Ridge Racer it just feels right to me.

And that intro:

[Neon Ignition]

Game 04 - R4: Ridge Racer - Type 4
The next release was actually in Japanese arcades, Pcoket Racer, a chibi style buggy version of Ridge Racer which had had a similar mode included in Revolution but the next true sequel title was this fourth entry and the last one on PS1. Debuting garoud shading and featuring over 320 cars, the game was a big expansion on the prior title and also launched alongside the Jogcon controller, compatible also with the Pocket Station. The game scored strong reviews and also performed well at retail leaving the franchise in a solid place for the incoming new generation.




Where does R4 stand in the history of Ridge Racer?

[dataDave]

Somewhat related:

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[Nu-Eclipse]

Uh oh. He said it. He said RRT4. Shots fired!

I spoke facts. RRT4 is trash.

Bring it!!

[wakka]

Uh oh. He said it. He said RRT4. Shots fired!

[Nu-Eclipse]

Like I said earlier in the thread, Rage Racer is right down there with RRT4 as the worst in the Ridge franchise.

Would've much preferred a PS1 port of Rave Racer, a far superior game, instead.

[Dogg Thang]

I didn't own Rage Racer but I played it with mates and it was the first Ridge game that grabbed me.

[QualityChimp]

It was only on PlayStation, right? Never hit the arcades?

[teddymeow]

Rage Racer is a stone cold classic. Brilliant stuff!

[charlesr]

I don't think I ever played this one...