PS1's Ridge Racer collection in all it's glory, the series' high notes:
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| Just play the NTSC versions these days, they run faster. The PAL games had great boxart though! |
With or without you
There wouldn't have been a PlayStation without Namco and there wouldn't have been a home invasion by Namco without the PlayStation. Sony's decision to team up with Namco for their first console launch was a brilliant one; it would secure them popular arcade titles and go straight up against as a competitor for the Sega Saturn. Namco and Sega competed in the arcades for modern 3D titles of their time; Daytona USA vs. Ridge Racer, Virtua Fighter vs. Tekken and Virtua Cop vs. Time Crisis to name some of the major titles.
As obscure as the whole "arcade" phenomena may seem to the young people of today, they actually meant something back in 1994. They meant a huge deal in fact. Bringing arcade titles to home consoles was important, and bringing the new 3D games over was revolutionary. Sega easily made their Saturn launch picks from the long line-up of in-house titles. Sony, on the other hand, had to team up with a third-party developer and so the friendship with Namco began.
As obscure as the whole "arcade" phenomena may seem to the young people of today, they actually meant something back in 1994. They meant a huge deal in fact. Bringing arcade titles to home consoles was important, and bringing the new 3D games over was revolutionary. Sega easily made their Saturn launch picks from the long line-up of in-house titles. Sony, on the other hand, had to team up with a third-party developer and so the friendship with Namco began.
Anybody interested in gaming history knows the story of 1994 too well; Sony launched it's PlayStation a $100 cheaper than Sega did with it's Saturn. The Saturn hardware was complex and clumsy to develop for and so Sega messed up their console versions of their star titles Daytona USA and Virtua Fighter with bad framerate and graphics. Sony, with their new PlayStation more technically aimed at 3D and Namco arcade hardware, succeeded in bringing great arcade ports of Ridge Racer and Tekken for launch. At least great arcade ports of 1995 standard.
One could argue that Namco simply was a copy-cat of all of Sega's games, and indeed it was partially true for the arcades. However, Namco prepared themselves better for the home consoles and as such managed the transition from arcade to consoles far better than Sega. Ironically in hindsight, considering Sega innovated and dominated the 3D graphics race for years before and after.
This arcade port success gave Sony the lead, and Sega had lost that moment in time to win the battle and gain the consumers trust. Though Sega later ported Sega Rally and Virtua Fighter 2 in excellent home versions from the arcade, the sales race was lost. Sega had won the battle in the arcades with Daytona USA far outselling the popularity to Ridge Racer, but at home Ridge Racer was the king. Sony and Namco had put the arcades in your home; an early warning of the arcade scene's death, but that's a story for another time.
This arcade port success gave Sony the lead, and Sega had lost that moment in time to win the battle and gain the consumers trust. Though Sega later ported Sega Rally and Virtua Fighter 2 in excellent home versions from the arcade, the sales race was lost. Sega had won the battle in the arcades with Daytona USA far outselling the popularity to Ridge Racer, but at home Ridge Racer was the king. Sony and Namco had put the arcades in your home; an early warning of the arcade scene's death, but that's a story for another time.
In this blog post, for my "Looking back" series, I will focus on my two favourite Ridge Racer's: Rage Racer and Ridge Racer Type 4. The third and fourth version on the PS1. First though, lets take a look at the series up until those two fantastic entries.
It began with racing on ridges
The Ridge Racer series has always been centred around street racing in the fictional "Ridge City", focusing on cornering with drifts. It's a pure arcade racing experience with little focus on realism. Taking corners is all about letting the gas go and then pressing it again at the right moment making the car loosen grip and sliding through a corner. Advanced players progress and learn how to slightly hit the brake to loosen grip in a far more controlled fashion. The cars vary in there amount of grip, some require a lot of drifting, while others turn sharper and don't loose grip as easily.
Learning the drift mechanic is key to all Ridge Racer games and learning each and every track by heart and every corner within them. When to start a drift, when to hit that sweet spot for the apex in a corner and when to straighten up and speed forward on the following straight. It's a ballet in a auto-mobile environment, risk versus reward; the faster and tighter you pass through a corner the better, however hitting walls results in a brutal punishment by a halt in your speed.
You could argue and say simulator racing games are far more technical and advanced, but then you've missed the point of quality arcade racers like Ridge Racer or Daytona USA. They might not be realistic, but they are equally as challenging and difficult to master as simulators.
The arcade drifting mechanics is something we seein modern games like the Burnout and the Need For Speed series. With a key difference; they are far more forgiving in their drifting mechanics and when you screw up. They miss that crucial high risk high reward temptation, which is key to the fun of mastering a classic arcade racer.
Learning the drift mechanic is key to all Ridge Racer games and learning each and every track by heart and every corner within them. When to start a drift, when to hit that sweet spot for the apex in a corner and when to straighten up and speed forward on the following straight. It's a ballet in a auto-mobile environment, risk versus reward; the faster and tighter you pass through a corner the better, however hitting walls results in a brutal punishment by a halt in your speed.
You could argue and say simulator racing games are far more technical and advanced, but then you've missed the point of quality arcade racers like Ridge Racer or Daytona USA. They might not be realistic, but they are equally as challenging and difficult to master as simulators.
The arcade drifting mechanics is something we seein modern games like the Burnout and the Need For Speed series. With a key difference; they are far more forgiving in their drifting mechanics and when you screw up. They miss that crucial high risk high reward temptation, which is key to the fun of mastering a classic arcade racer.
What's worse is that after RRV, the series turned towards a set path through a corner once a drift was initiated, and the corners became too easy of a task to successfully pull off. You'd always get through the corner, regardless of how you entered it. The old RR titles however, do not have this forgiving aid as modern arcade racers do, thus their learning curve is steeper and each corner begs for new approaches to master even better than your last lap. There are no boosts or other fancy stuff here, just skill.
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| Most PlayStation owners had at least one of these brilliant games! |
The beginning of a franchise
Ridge Racer, Ridge Racer 2 and Ridge Racer Revolution are the first three entries in the RR series and are difficult to set apart at first glance. They were released in a short time span of 1993-95, upgrading on the original formula only slightly for each release.
The first game featured a laughable, but iconic, total number of one and a half race track! Requiring you to race at higher difficulty levels and with various cars to progress. RR2, an arcade upgrade of RR1, added a rear view mirror and an extra track. It is often referred to as the best version of RR1 and a more direct competitor to Daytona USA.
As seen above, a visit I had to Tokyo gave me understanding of where the urban environments for Ridge Racer were taken from. It's almost like a part of the track itself; arriving in this huge city on the elevated highways that wind themselves in between skyscrapers making their way down to ground level.
The common denominator for these three first games were; sunny tracks with an urban, Tokyo-looking start area, beaches, palms and a seaside. Complete with a cheesy and cheerful Japanese techno soundtrack, a stupid, over-the-top race commentator and, of course, a bikini babe starting the race. All shown in vibrant, popping colours so iconic for these early 3D arcade games.
RR Revolution introduced the rear view mirror from the arcade-only RR2 for PS1 owners and three brand new tracks with changing daylight. RRR was what the home version of RR1 should have been like from the start; more tracks and options for a player with more time on their hands at home than in a busy arcade hall. RRR dared to be focused even more on the hardcore RR fans, and gave them more of the same formula with even more tricky race tracks. As such the title alienated newcomers somewhat.
Looking back, RRR was a great sequel for fans and is sadly over looked, often referred to almost like an add-on. Scraping beneath the top layer though and you realise it's better realised RR than the first and game offering a lot more replay value and substance. With lots of cars, three tracks and slightly cleaner graphics, RRR compliments the first game perfectly and really should be played if you were on the fence about it back in the day. It's much more of an evolution than revolution, but I guess the latter sounded better in a title!
Rave Racer was the next entry and an arcade exclusive. It featured wider tracks with various routes to choose while racing. What's of a key note here though, is the massive visual change in art direction. A darker style with a more realistic tone, while still retaining some of the light-hearted and colourful vibe of the previous titles. It was the first RR game to feature an intro with what was to become RRs mascot; the female character Reiko Nagase as a racing host.
Rave Racer sadly never received a home release, though at one point it did have a cancelled PC port. Rave ran on superior arcade hardware compared to RR 1&2 and would have been difficult for the PS1 to match graphically. As such it marks the point where RR splits from it's arcade heritage into home console focused versions, ending the RR arcade focus for many years. Reflecting in hindsight how the market was shifting away from arcades to peoples homes.
The first game featured a laughable, but iconic, total number of one and a half race track! Requiring you to race at higher difficulty levels and with various cars to progress. RR2, an arcade upgrade of RR1, added a rear view mirror and an extra track. It is often referred to as the best version of RR1 and a more direct competitor to Daytona USA.
As seen above, a visit I had to Tokyo gave me understanding of where the urban environments for Ridge Racer were taken from. It's almost like a part of the track itself; arriving in this huge city on the elevated highways that wind themselves in between skyscrapers making their way down to ground level.
The common denominator for these three first games were; sunny tracks with an urban, Tokyo-looking start area, beaches, palms and a seaside. Complete with a cheesy and cheerful Japanese techno soundtrack, a stupid, over-the-top race commentator and, of course, a bikini babe starting the race. All shown in vibrant, popping colours so iconic for these early 3D arcade games.
RR Revolution introduced the rear view mirror from the arcade-only RR2 for PS1 owners and three brand new tracks with changing daylight. RRR was what the home version of RR1 should have been like from the start; more tracks and options for a player with more time on their hands at home than in a busy arcade hall. RRR dared to be focused even more on the hardcore RR fans, and gave them more of the same formula with even more tricky race tracks. As such the title alienated newcomers somewhat.
Looking back, RRR was a great sequel for fans and is sadly over looked, often referred to almost like an add-on. Scraping beneath the top layer though and you realise it's better realised RR than the first and game offering a lot more replay value and substance. With lots of cars, three tracks and slightly cleaner graphics, RRR compliments the first game perfectly and really should be played if you were on the fence about it back in the day. It's much more of an evolution than revolution, but I guess the latter sounded better in a title!
Rave Racer was the next entry and an arcade exclusive. It featured wider tracks with various routes to choose while racing. What's of a key note here though, is the massive visual change in art direction. A darker style with a more realistic tone, while still retaining some of the light-hearted and colourful vibe of the previous titles. It was the first RR game to feature an intro with what was to become RRs mascot; the female character Reiko Nagase as a racing host.
Then the road rage began
Rage Racer continued the slightly darker style that Rave Racer had introduced, but turned dialled it heavily up. Gone were the colourful tracks, tropical vibe, playful techno music and announcer and in replacement was a more realistic and very gritty looking RR with a pumping and rougher accompanying soundtrack.
At first glance, the squarish car models and grainy textures looked almost basic and rough, but beneath lay a memorable and original racer that visually grew on you. Rage marked the beginning of RR taking a distance from it's arcade heritage and taking form of a title built solely for a home version in mind, complete with a proper single player championship mode.
What I love about Rage Racer is that it's one of the very few racing games that has an actual atmosphere and a mood to it. As you begin the game you are introduced by this almost RPG intro scrolling text with a dark mood to it's context, explaining the back story with a sepia coloured race video rolling in the background. It's probably the only racing game that has given me a feeling of eerie loneliness and dark emotion. This feeling is further enhanced by the detailed, complex and long race tracks, all set in cloudy, dark and moody lighting.
From the stone cobbled streets of a old European styled town on your first right hand turn after the huge and intimidating Triumph Arc look-alike at the start line straight. Right to the steep and winding curves of a coastal mountain route. Each and every track have some of the best designed and distinct looking tracks I've ever played in any racing game, before and since.
You can really tell that the developers put a hell of a lot of work into the three main tracks. With a lakeside, a woodland, a lighthouse and so forth all being memorable places I raced numerous times past, not forgetting the bendy and intimidating yellow tinted tunnels. The fourth and latter track is simply an oval, however thanks to the dark look of the game, the changing daylight and the sheer speed of cars the oval becomes an intimidating and almost scary experience to race.
"What I love about Rage Racer is that it's one of the very few racing games that has an actual atmosphere and a mood to it."
You can really tell that the developers put a hell of a lot of work into the three main tracks. With a lakeside, a woodland, a lighthouse and so forth all being memorable places I raced numerous times past, not forgetting the bendy and intimidating yellow tinted tunnels. The fourth and latter track is simply an oval, however thanks to the dark look of the game, the changing daylight and the sheer speed of cars the oval becomes an intimidating and almost scary experience to race.
I love how the three main tracks all share the same start area in typical RR fashion,yet branch out at the first tunnel after the huge waterfall into separate and very unique tracks. Each requiring various skills and cars that suit the track layout. Even better is the changing daylight, first seen in RRR, where a daytime race can end at night and vice versa. Orange tinted sunsets and starry night skies all give a new look to the same locations.
Rage Racer introduced for the first time in the series car upgrades. Every upgrade changed the visual model of the car into something slightly meaner, beafier and more aggressive looking. For every upgrade you'd get excited about how the car would look and behave. It even let you alter the grip of the tires for each car, resulting in deeper layer of tactical approaches to winning. This upgrade system and grip modification was sadly was removed in the sequel. A huge disappointment and a major loss in my opinion.
Car choices are essential for each race track; one track would require a car with fast acceleration as it had steep hills. While another track with tight corners would require a more manoeuvrable car with superior grip and turning abilities. These choices were reflected in every race as the best opponent for each of them would be driving the car best suited for the track. Giving the player a slight hint at what car to buy if you were having trouble winning!
Car choices are essential for each race track; one track would require a car with fast acceleration as it had steep hills. While another track with tight corners would require a more manoeuvrable car with superior grip and turning abilities. These choices were reflected in every race as the best opponent for each of them would be driving the car best suited for the track. Giving the player a slight hint at what car to buy if you were having trouble winning!
Each cup in the main championship mode toys around aggressive titles, further heightening the gritty and dangerous feel of the racing; from Fury GP to Agitation GP and so on. It was a game that put you on the edge of your seat for each race; one too many errors could spoil the whole race. Even the female announcer tries to get your temper up by spotting out special rival opponents, who be become an extra challenge during the race, shouting out quotes like "Teach this sucker a lesson!" or "There he is! Take him!". Neat, little details that further illustrate the depth of game.
Although there are a fairly small amount of cars and a tiny selection of tracks, thus making the cups slightly repetitive, I still really put this game as a true classic for the PS1. It's one of the very few racing games that builds up and gives me a feeling of atmosphere and time to time I still replay it to relive that racing tension of danger that Rage Racer so cleverly builds.
Although there are a fairly small amount of cars and a tiny selection of tracks, thus making the cups slightly repetitive, I still really put this game as a true classic for the PS1. It's one of the very few racing games that builds up and gives me a feeling of atmosphere and time to time I still replay it to relive that racing tension of danger that Rage Racer so cleverly builds.
The fourth type
From Rage Racer in 1997 it took two full years for RR4 to emerge in 1999. In-between these two titles a significant release had hit the PS1; Gran Turismo. The effect of this ground breaking racer was monumental. It sent every developer back to the drawing board with an idea of focusing on realistic racers with real life cars. No longer was it acceptable to release a game with a few tracks and a couple of cars in it, the market wanted cars in the hundreds and the huge graphical upgrade GT had introduced, especially the shiny and detailed car models. Racers had to look and play real.
For the third time we see a clear shift towards something new in the racing genre, all in the same console generation alone. First we had the importance of porting cutting edge arcade 3D titles, then we saw the slow change into more home version main modes. No longer relying on the quick and dirty single arcade race style. Then lastly we see much larger scaled and detailed racers tailored for hours and hours of lifespan, built entirely for the home market. Removed from the boundaries of arcade rules and limitations. The RR series followed this trend with R4 and shifted it's development focus, yet at the same time almost went backwards in form of a more pure and back to basics arcade handling model.
For the third time we see a clear shift towards something new in the racing genre, all in the same console generation alone. First we had the importance of porting cutting edge arcade 3D titles, then we saw the slow change into more home version main modes. No longer relying on the quick and dirty single arcade race style. Then lastly we see much larger scaled and detailed racers tailored for hours and hours of lifespan, built entirely for the home market. Removed from the boundaries of arcade rules and limitations. The RR series followed this trend with R4 and shifted it's development focus, yet at the same time almost went backwards in form of a more pure and back to basics arcade handling model.
The RR series changed it's style, focus and approach once again, becoming greatly inspired by Gran Turismo. R4 offered hundreds of cars, eight tracks, more complex replays with shiny bodywork on the cars (though not ingame!) and arguably the best graphics the PS1 ever delivered. The lighting and shadows in R4 were simply stunning and unrivalled even compared to the two GT games on the system. While R4 retained the more realistic looking approach that Rage started, it re-introduced more colours again. Only this time with a less vibrant, but more subtle and realistic palette, further heightened by excellent shadow effects.
Each and every track has a distinct and different skyline colour, setting them apart. Two and two tracks share their starting area, except two unique stand alone tracks. Although the realtime daylight changes from Rage were gone, the excellent lighting and shadows made up for it by miles. I'll say it again;RR4 has to be one of the best looking PS1 games ever made.
What I've always been impressed by in the RR series on PS1, considering the technical limitations of the system, are the fantastic draw distances. In most PS1 racers the race track is drawn right in front of you, but not so in the RR games. Especially in Rage and R4 you see the road winding for miles into the distance. Sometimes you even see parts of the track that are much further on, in a section crossing over on a bridge or underneath in a tunnel. Details like these give the series a en excellent quality in track design, almost unrivalled since.
"The RR series changed it's style, focus and approach once again, becoming greatly inspired by Gran Turismo."
Each and every track has a distinct and different skyline colour, setting them apart. Two and two tracks share their starting area, except two unique stand alone tracks. Although the realtime daylight changes from Rage were gone, the excellent lighting and shadows made up for it by miles. I'll say it again;RR4 has to be one of the best looking PS1 games ever made.
What I've always been impressed by in the RR series on PS1, considering the technical limitations of the system, are the fantastic draw distances. In most PS1 racers the race track is drawn right in front of you, but not so in the RR games. Especially in Rage and R4 you see the road winding for miles into the distance. Sometimes you even see parts of the track that are much further on, in a section crossing over on a bridge or underneath in a tunnel. Details like these give the series a en excellent quality in track design, almost unrivalled since.
R4 featured a storyline in it's championship mode, and invented it's own little Racing Roots '99 league. You choose a team to race for and winning races gives the team more money to get better cars. As mentioned earlier, the tuning was sadly removed, in favour for this team setup and pre-determined cars at your disposal. There is no car shop in R4, and sadly missed. Racing through one season of the league is a very cool experience; you gradually start to feel that you could win the championship towards the end. The magical last race comes to mind, set on New Years Eve, exploding with fireworks into the year 2000 combined with uplifting music.
A fantastic experience, but spoiled by having to repeat this season over and over to obtain all the cars, though for most players a playthrough of each of the four racing teams is sufficient. They should have focused on a longer season by season perspective with upgrades and cars to buy. Alas we are left with a simpler, but probably more newcomer friendly approach.
A fantastic experience, but spoiled by having to repeat this season over and over to obtain all the cars, though for most players a playthrough of each of the four racing teams is sufficient. They should have focused on a longer season by season perspective with upgrades and cars to buy. Alas we are left with a simpler, but probably more newcomer friendly approach.
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| R4s mascot race host girl, the lovely Reiko Nagase. |
Although R4 looked more realistic, not only graphically, but in the movement of the vehicles there wasn't a doubt that this was classic Ridge Racer in the handling and not Gran Turismo's simulator approach. Two car manufactures were grip cars; let off the gas to get more grip and turn harder. The other two manufactures were drift cars; let off the gas to drift and slide though the corner. The problem lay in the more back to basics simplicity of the handling versus Rage Racer's more unforgiving approach, while at the same time not having any race tracks that truly reflected the challenge of the first two RR games. An easy and friendly entry to the series for new players, but too easy for veterans.
I love the design and aesthetics of R4. Right from the fantastic CGI work of the intro to the slick menus. The design and artwork is clean, minimalist and stylish. The music was overhauled and sounded less cheesy and more mature. The RR games have since kept this modern design and it has suited the series well.
Ridge Racer and beyond
Well there you have it, my two favourite games in the Ridge Racer series; the aggressive and dark Rage Racer and the stylish and clean Ridge Racer Type 4. Both are great in their own unique way, content wise, as well as aesthetically. It's strange to think they're two games sequentially in a series!
Are there any of the later RR games I need mention though? Well the last in the 32/64-bit era of the fifth gen is worth a mention here and a link to my original review: Ridge Racer 64. A strange but very good side step focusing on the very first RR and RRR while at the same time tkaing notes from R4. It's at it's surface a little odd, but a rewarding, challenging and large package to dive into for RR fans!
After the PS1 days I must admit not following the series too closely, my interest shifted to simulators and Gran Turismo sequels. However, Ridge Racer V still demands much more of my attention on the PlayStation 2, I need to replay it properly. It's a massively overlooked launch title that really is up there with Rage and R4 in quality. With some of the best depth in drifting mechanics of the series, excellent Ridge City track vibes and sleak presentation.
From a Ridge Racer perspective, the PlayStation Portable launch felt like a rendezvous with the PS1 launch, by having Ridge Racer and a WipEout as launch titles. I enjoyed RR on the PSP a lot, focusing on all the PS1 era RR, although it only featured a selection of tracks. The better game being the less known RR2 on the PSP. It has every single track from RR1, RRR, Rave, Rage and RR4 in upgraded graphics. An incredible package content wise but these PSP RRs both mark the shift to the simple predetermined drift path through corners and the pointless boost focus.
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| On my to-do list, the RR game I missed it in the transition from PS1 to PS2. |
Gone is the precision of learning each corner and attacking the apex correctly to drift out in way that lets you speed away on the straight after. An hour into modern RR games post-RV and you've mastered it mechanically and thus each track feels alike in it's challenge. It's sad to see this change into a far more simple depth, making newcomers feel welcome but the shot lasting appeal of repetitive and shallow gameplay.
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| Both my PSP Ridge Racer games, RR2 has all the tracks from the PS1 era. |
The series expanded further with it's simple and lacklustre drift and boost mechanics into RR6, RR7 and RR on the PS Vita, even releasing titles on mobiles too. Then ending in the terrible spin-off Ridge Racer Unbounded and even more mobile games. A sad, sad ending to a fantastic series.
I feel the series needs to get back the original depth of arcade drifting, accompanied by astorydriven singleplayer and the "quality over quantity" track designs. Set perhaps around the fictional Ridge City, it should be about learning the mechanics and tracks and not just speeding past random environments with boosts.
At this point in time I'd be happy with ports of all the PS1/PS2 and arcade RRs, just give us something of quality again Namco.
At this point in time I'd be happy with ports of all the PS1/PS2 and arcade RRs, just give us something of quality again Namco.