Ridge Racer series, it also gave credibility to the original Playstation with an addictive

arcade racer that came straight from, well the arcade. It launched the series and started

a love affair between Ridge Racer and Playstation, that would be rekindled on every platform

Sony would release. But this is the original, the trend setter, the game that started it

all. It’s Ridge Racer, and man has this game aged.

Now I’m not going to complain because you know what you are getting when you load up

a Ridge Racer game. It is going to be arcade style racing, that is very fast and with physics

that amplify the speed. That is just what Ridge Racer is, and there is no point in expecting

anything different. What I will mention though is how limited the game feels when being played

today. When this game came out, I couldn’t take it out of my system. I learned the perfect

line for each track and the right passing techniques. I’m just saying, I love this

game. But with games like Gran Turismo out there, with so many options, Ridge Racer just

feels kinda shallow.

There are only four tracks in the game. There is the Beginner, Mid-Level, High Level, and

T.T. Each one is harder than the last, with tougher turns and opponents. And there are

only four cars, each with their own stats. One has better acceleration while another

has the best top speed. After you select your track and car, it is time to go racing.

The racing itself is very fun but also very challenging. The cars don’t really feel

like they have real weight, but are rather just floating on top of the tracks. This leads

to the cars feeling very fast but also requiring major concentration during turns. You will

easily slide across the track and hit every barrier if you do not focus. The game is all

about getting the best time. There are eleven other cars, but they stick to pre-determined

paths. So you are racing more so against the clock.

The game also was very impressive graphically, and surprisingly still holds up. Everything

has a very clean and smooth look, and the tracks have some nice details in the backgrounds.

This was a powerhouse when it was released and it still shows why.

Ridge Racer is a fun arcade racer that only suffers from some limited game modes. There

is no 2 player and only a couple tracks. But the fun and challenging arcade style racing

on those tracks more than makes up for it.