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    Originally posted by Zaki View Post
    Hotdog Storm



    I was sold on the name alone
    Played it today, knew I'd heard the name somewhere before!

    It's actually a good shmup!

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      I found one of my PlayStations in a storage tub, but no games. So I decided to import all the Ridge Racer games just for the hell of it. Playing the original Ridge Racer again on the real hardware brought back all the great memories of how much I loved it back in 1995. The look of the game - and all the great tunes - still make it a magical experience. I know I like Revolution and R4, so it will be interesting to see if Rage Racer appeals to me more these days.
      Last edited by Leon Retro; 06-09-2018, 13:16.

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        Racing games had real style and character back then. I feel like they lack that now.

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          Originally posted by Leon Retro View Post


          I found one of my PlayStations in a storage tub, but no games. So I decided to import all the Ridge Racer games just for the hell of it. Playing the original Ridge Racer again on the real hardware brought back all the great memories of how much I loved it back in 1995. The look of the game - and all the great tunes - still make it a magical experience. I know I like Revolution and R4, so it will be interesting to see if Rage Racer appeals to me more these days.
          True value for money there Leon


          I grabbed dual case Wipeout. I wish SOE had stuck with this style of case for PAL releases, they look much better imo.


          Also picked up some parts for my late 90s/early 2000s PC. I was going to go for a Slot 1 based Pentium III but ended up going for something a little newer in the end. I'm going to run 98SE and XP with this (Abit KT7 & Athlon XP 2100+).

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            Originally posted by wakka View Post
            Racing games had real style and character back then. I feel like they lack that now.
            People voted with their wallets, so publishers aren't interested in arcade-style racers anymore. It's all about realistic graphics, so the likes of Namco know they can't compete with Microsoft and Sony on that level. So publishers & developers don't tend to bother to make distinctive racing games, when it's all about Forza, Gran Turismo, and a few other racing sims. The general public aren't crying out for a new Ridge Racer or similar.

            I think it's a shame, but the gaming biz is completely different these days. It doesn't cater to enthusiasts, so is far more focused on the mass market and selling millions of copies.


            Originally posted by Cepp View Post
            True value for money there Leon
            Yeah, around £20 for all four. And the discs are mint.
            Last edited by Leon Retro; 06-09-2018, 14:52.

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              Awesome [MENTION=2924]Leon Retro[/MENTION] ... that's a huge amount of quality gaming for £20. Love the Ridge series, but it was never as pure as the first one and Revolution ... from a time when quality was more important than quantity.

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                Originally posted by Atticus View Post
                from a time when quality was more important than quantity.
                I would say there can be truth in the saying "less is more". I know it's probably an idea that most people couldn't grasp when it comes to games, because surely... more content has to always be a positive. I'd simply say that having a relatively small game that is full of quality and inspiring design, is better than having a big game that feels bloated with a mixed bag design wise.

                I think the modern cry for "content, content, content!" is very over the top. Some journalists are partly to blame for this attitude. Lots of them used to moan about the lack of content in arcade ports and arcade-style games in general. They refused to appreciate that sometimes a game can have enough quality to inspire gamers, despite having a small amount of content. The mantra was "we want tons of content", which ended up driving publishers to focus on big studios and expensive games with loads of content. It meant that imagination and creativity were no longer respected as much, with the amount of content becoming one of the more important aspects in games. This approach also led to publishers being more cautious and often trying to play safe.

                The days of people being happy with a creative racing game that has a few tracks, are long gone. In fact - the days of publishers being happy to cater to people craving inspiring arcade-style games, are long gone. All the elements that made arcade games so appealing and fun are now seen as quaint. It's now the domain of Indie developers to cater to a smaller market that craves imagination and arcade thrills.

                The mass market - and gamers in general - aren't very interested in games that aren't huge epic productions. I'd personally be happy to buy top quality arcade-style games that might have a relatively small amount of content but are big on inspiring design and addictive, fun gameplay. If a game is fun and addictive, I'll keep coming back to it. Which is why I still enjoy the Ridge Racer games on the PlayStation.

                Just my rant for the day.
                Last edited by Leon Retro; 06-09-2018, 18:03.

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                  Originally posted by Leon Retro View Post


                  I found one of my PlayStations in a storage tub, but no games. So I decided to import all the Ridge Racer games just for the hell of it. Playing the original Ridge Racer again on the real hardware brought back all the great memories of how much I loved it back in 1995. The look of the game - and all the great tunes - still make it a magical experience. I know I like Revolution and R4, so it will be interesting to see if Rage Racer appeals to me more these days.
                  I don’t think any of them have aged that well, both graphically and gameplay wise. Compared to RR7 they are very clunky and not the most fun to play (although I rinsed them all back in the day); i’d Even rate RR V higher than them all but I have very fond memories of rage racer. The music is great on that one! Don’t get the R4 gushing either, although my last recent play through was with a jogcon. Think they are best resigned to nostalgia tbh.

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                    Originally posted by dvdx2 View Post
                    I don’t think any of them have aged that well, both graphically and gameplay wise.
                    They definitely look very archaic technically, but the creative design still shines through. The excellent music really helps to boost the overall experience. They all play really well, which means the control feels just right for an arcade experience. So, as much as I think the original Ridge Racer is a very limited game, it's still a good example of how inspiring racing games could be in the 90s.


                    Originally posted by dvdx2 View Post
                    Compared to RR7 they are very clunky and not the most fun to play (although I rinsed them all back in the day);
                    I'd agree that RR7 is the best choice for people looking to buy a Ridge Racer game. It's still a good looking game that's fun to play. It really makes you want RR8.

                    Originally posted by dvdx2 View Post
                    Think they are best resigned to nostalgia tbh.
                    I think someone wanting to explore PS1 racers, would be wise to choose a Ridge Racer game. As much as they're all a bit clunky these days, you can still get into them and find yourself having a bit of fun.

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                      Originally posted by wakka View Post
                      Racing games had real style and character back then. I feel like they lack that now.
                      I think this was somewhat forced by the technical limitations of the time. No one imagined that the PS1 was capable of something like Gran Turismo back then and we had only just left the Mega Drive and SNES behind. Consequently, everyone was just trying to develop polygonal versions of Out Run and the like.

                      I agree that it's a shame that we don't see games like Ridge Racer anymore. It's also interesting how some of the more arcade style games have survived while others haven't. Games like UFC and Fight Night haven't taken over from Tekken and Street Fighter but arcade style racing games are definitely out of favour.

                      Originally posted by dvdx2 View Post
                      I don’t think any of them have aged that well, both graphically and gameplay wise. Compared to RR7 they are very clunky and not the most fun to play (although I rinsed them all back in the day); i’d Even rate RR V higher than them all but I have very fond memories of rage racer. The music is great on that one! Don’t get the R4 gushing either, although my last recent play through was with a jogcon. Think they are best resigned to nostalgia tbh.
                      I disagree, I think the first two have aged really well. I've been playing them loads recently on my Raspberry Pi and really enjoying them. I've never got the hype of R4 though although I was a big fan of Rage Racer back in the day.

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                        Originally posted by BigDeadFreak View Post
                        I think this was somewhat forced by the technical limitations of the time. No one imagined that the PS1 was capable of something like Gran Turismo
                        I don't think the look and overall creative style of games like OutRun, Daytona USA, and Ridge Racer was down to technical limitations. There were plenty of lifeless racing games released during the 8 & 16-bit era that aimed for a realistic look and feel.

                        Gran Turismo definitely grabbed attention and impressed people, but it was still far from a sim, and actually had quite a bit of creativity with original race track designs. The creativity was reduced in later GT games, with the latest iteration focusing on real world race tracks.

                        So the big racing games these days are fully focused on giving people realism and recreating real world race tracks. That's obviously what the mass market craves. It means that away from Forza & Gran Turismo, there isn't much of an appetite amongst gamers for creative racing games that offer something different.

                        It's a shame really, because modern tech could do wonders with a new OutRun or Ridge Racer. I'd love to see new iterations of those games that are full of creative charm. But I think Sega & Namco probably think they would be seen as backwards in the eyes of many gamers who wouldn't appreciate what they have to offer. As someone who loves the synonymous creative design and feel of arcade-style racers, I think it's a shame that the genre isn't really wanted on the modern gaming scene. I know some people will cite the Forza Horizon series, but I just see that as a realistic looking sandbox sort of racing game.

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                          Originally posted by Leon Retro View Post
                          The mass market - and gamers in general - aren't very interested in games that aren't huge epic productions.
                          This is probably why in the last two years I've got back into playing retro stuff, but virtually no modern games at the moment. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind playing the odd 'epic' title where it makes sense (can't justify the funds yet but would like to play Dragon Quest XI for example), but a lot of releases now come with so much content to play or unlock it's all a bit overwhelming and I find it offputting. Certain genres like RPGs you'd expect that with, but it's creeped into all other genres as well for the most part.

                          Also, I don't have as much time to game as I used to, so being able to put on a game and play it for half an hour is easier with pre-internet consoles. For example, I could put Ridge Racer on now and be playing it within a minute or two. With a modern console you could be waiting a couple of minutes just for the dashboard to load up, and that's assuming you don't have to download any updates or content. Worst experience was Gran Turismo 6 on PS3 for me... I updated the game from scratch and ended up waiting for it to download and install content for about five or six hours! Even after that you had to deal with loads of menus/content/long loading times before you could even get to race. My patience wore thin very quickly with that one needless to say.

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                            Been playing the OG Ridge Racer myself recently it's still a total blast and the music is obvs great.

                            Need to replace my pal Revolution with a jap copy and tuck into that, nice choices Leon.

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                              Originally posted by Hohum View Post
                              Don't get me wrong, I don't mind playing the odd 'epic' title where it makes sense (can't justify the funds yet but would like to play Dragon Quest XI for example), but a lot of releases now come with so much content to play or unlock it's all a bit overwhelming and I find it offputting. Certain genres like RPGs you'd expect that with, but it's creeped into all other genres as well for the most part.
                              Yeah, there's definitely nothing wrong with "epic" productions. I'm not bashing games that have tons of content and demand a lot of time and effort. I just think the focus on games striving for realism and tons of content, has changed perceptions of what a game should offer the consumer, so big publishers aren't overly interested in smaller, more creative games. That has led to a situation where you have Indie developers catering to people who want something different and maybe a bit more simple to play. And even then, many of them have to use crowdfunding to get projects off the ground.

                              Originally posted by Hohum View Post
                              Also, I don't have as much time to game as I used to, so being able to put on a game and play it for half an hour is easier with pre-internet consoles. For example, I could put Ridge Racer on now and be playing it within a minute or two. With a modern console you could be waiting a couple of minutes just for the dashboard to load up,
                              As much as I like the 'pick-up-and-play' aspect of many retro games, it's also creativity that inspires me. There are plenty of dull retro games. But when I look at the OutRun and Ridge Racer series', I see a lot of creative design that appeals to me. I can't help but want modern iterations that take advantage of current tech. So as much as I want instant thrills and fun gameplay that keeps me coming back for more, I also crave inspiring design that counters the real world realism focus that a lot of modern games have. When it comes to modern racing games, I think imagination is lacking, so it would be nice to see alternative racers away from Forza & Gran Turismo. I can appreciate realism, but sometimes I just want to play racers that inspire me with their creativity. It's a shame that the big publishers don't feel there's room for racing games with an artistic design. Maybe it's just a sad fact that many gamers don't want them.
                              Last edited by Leon Retro; 06-09-2018, 20:34.

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                                Originally posted by Baseley09 View Post
                                Been playing the OG Ridge Racer myself recently it's still a total blast and the music is obvs great.
                                It's from an era where music seemed like an organic and integral part of a game. I think modern gamers might not appreciate how creative art design, fitting music, and addictive gameplay all went together to make the best arcade-style racers feel so special.

                                Ridge Racer now looks incredibly blocky, but the creative design still shines bright. The brilliant music is a very important part of the design, so you couldn't remove it and still have the same thrilling experience.

                                Of course, there are people who might dislike everything the Ridge Racer series stands for. When something has very distinct design elements, they're not going to gel with everyone. Ridge Racer has a very clear design ethos that appealed to lots of people. The same with the OutRun and Daytona series of games. I don't think the same could be said of Forza & modern Gran Turismo games. The mass market seems to only want realism when it comes to racing games for the Xbox & PS4. It's a shame there doesn't seem to be room for more diverse racing titles.
                                Last edited by Leon Retro; 06-09-2018, 20:50.

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