Back story
ACA Arcade Archives is a series of ports of old arcade classics is the library has grown to be quite comprehensive and mostly spanning 2D titles. Perhaps most famous for their substantial number of Neo-Geo ports.
However, recently the developers of these ports, Hamster Corporation, have been releasing more "modern" arcade classics. Taking the step into the early years of 3D arcade titles.
The first two titles that have been added are two Namco arcade hits, more precisely System 22 powered games. Most famous is perhaps Ridge Racer from 1993 which sparked a series that continued both in the arcades and, more famously, on the first PlayStation.
Air Combat 22, from 1995 is the fundament on which the famous Ace Combat series, also on the original PlayStation, was based upon. A franchise that has continued up until recent years.
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| Namco System 22 board, pic is from Wikipedia |
In common, these ports have online leaderboards spread across a four main modes curtesy of their Arcade Archives release; Original Mode: just the regular arcade game, Hi Score Mode: set the you best highscore within the difficulties of the game, Caravan Mode: play all missions/racetracks/difficulties consecutively and Time Attack Mode: a timer on five minutes is set to do your best within it.
They offer some display options too; some basic scanline and crude CRT effects which I wish were a little more advanced. Otherwise, running them without effects looks fine although considering their early 3D origins they look a little raw, for lack of a better word. Completely without aliasing and thus resulting in a rough image with jaggy edges. I prefer scanlines added to compensate and come closer to how the old CRTs displayed them back in the day.
A small note, if you're unfamiliar with typical arcade titles of the 90's; buy them if you intend on spending time at developing skills and beating highscores. Otherwise, the impression will be that these titles are super short as a single playthrough. They don't have proper campaigns as such. These are arcade titles where the intention is to repeatedly play the same racetracks and levels. My rating is considered thereafter.
Let's take a closer look at these Namco arcade hits!
Review
Played on: Xbox Series X
Released: 2025
Original release: 1993/1994 (Arcade)
I can't think of a bigger technical leap in gaming than when Ridge Racer and Daytona USA turned up in arcades through 1993 and 1994. More so when they were ported over to rivalling consoles a year later. The massive 3D revolution had begun and made its way to your living room TV before we were halfway through the 90's. It's a time that will be remembered as the biggest changes in the industry to date.
"Arcade perfect port", a term thrown around lightly in the early years of 3D consoles. Although we received a fantastic port of Ridge Racer for the PS1, we know that all these home versions were behind the arcade counterparts in terms of raw performance.
Most noticeably was the reduction in framerate, down from 60fps to 30fps, to meet the lower specifications of the consoles. Although ports of Tekken and Virtua Fighter were 60fps on their respective consoles, Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn, Ridge Racer and Daytona USA proved it was too much of a sacrifice to run them at the same framerate. Thus, they received a 30fps down port and polygon cutbacks. Infamously, Daytona USA suffered the most with severe visual cutbacks and an unstable framerate.
Ridge Racer, on the other hand, became the flagship example of many victories the followed, fundamental to PS1 winning the console battle. Strangely enough, a role reversed as Daytona USA beat Ridge Racer sales in the arcades. I've reviewed many titles from the franchise too, check them out here.
Fast forward to this year and we finally get the first home port of Ridge Racer! At least outside of emulation. Sadly, I never had more than a few chances at playing it back in the arcades of the 90's and it's been tens of years since I've seen one out in the wild. As such, my memory in my head is that it looks exactly like the PS1 release.
Yet, upon booting up this ACA Arcade Archives port, memory has served me wrong; there are quite a few differences!
Firstly, arcade Ridge Racer only has one camera angle; bumper cam. The external camera was added on the PS1 version; perhaps explaining its experimental nature with it changing viewing distance under bridges and in certain turns.
Secondly, this arcade version has a beefier polygon count; with buildings and roadside detail having more detailed 3D models. Even the road warning signs you can knock down in the first tunnel appear to have more physics in their behaviour. The bumper cam works differently too; there's a cool, but perhaps disorientating, slight tilting of the screen in turns. Like you're leaning into corners, this is absent on PS1 and adds a dramatic effect in the arcade version.
Their designs choices are a little different; the arcade has a more detailed and elaborate animated race start with the iconic 2D racing girl waving a sign before racing, but it lacks some of the overall design polish the PS1 version has in menus and screen transitions.
However, what differentiates the most is that framerate, accompanying the increased level of detail on the environments, the result are sharp visuals combined with responsive control. It elevates the handling over the PS1 port as a result. I can't stress how smooth it just looks in comparison to the home port!
Contained in the package are the four standard ACA Arcade Archives game modes, with the choice of booting the English or Japanese version of the game, as well as the regular and deluxe cabinet. The latter offers support for a 6-gear shifter; perfect if you use a steering wheel and pedals. It even offers force feedback and felt amazing on my Logitech G923!
There are four difficulties to drive in alle modes; Novice, which is 2 laps on the regular racetrack set at 160km/h, Intermediate, which is 3 laps on the regular racetrack set at 200km/h, Advanced which is 3 laps on the extended racetrack set at 200km/h and finally there's T.T. which is a one on one race on extended racetrack set at 220km/h.
This version lacks the added cars to unlock and reversable racetracks of the PS1 version. So, it's an overall shorter experience to play through as such, but man is it a fun racer! There's undeniable something addictive trying to perform the perfect drift through corners and nailing the layout of the one and a half racetrack available!
That's right, there's one main racetrack and an extended version of it, a little laughable these days. Even in comparison with Daytona USA's three unique racetracks.
Overall, a fine port but adding Ridge Racer 2 features would've been even better. Collecting them both as one release as RR2 basically is the same game with some added features. Most noticeable was an added rearview mirror, which Ridge Racer Revolution inherited, a remixed soundtrack and up to eight players competing. The latter would've been incredible to see written as net code for online multiplayer, but that's a more comprehensive task than simple leaderboards.
I feel that the replay value here is fine, even though it's an arcade title. You'll be back to do races over just from the sake of it if you're a Ridge Rac fan. It's a great alternative to hunting down PS1 which, to be, fair has more unlockable stuff like cars but locked at 30fps. You can also consider the PS1 "remaster" title Ridge Racer Hi-Spec demo, it had come bundled with Ridge Racer Type 4, it also features 60fps with some visual cutbacks and only on car opponent.
Probably one of the most important racers made, playing an equally groundbreaking role in the race towards 3D graphics as Daytona USA. While the latter became a bigger and more famous title in the arcades, Ridge Racer is just as addictive, fun and timeless to play. It would make the beginning of a popular franchise that stretched far into the home console landscape for years after.
Review
Played on: Xbox Series X
Released: 2025
Original release: 1995 (Arcade)
I've extensively covered the Ace Combat franchise, check out the early titles here, but perhaps unknown to younger audience is that it all began with two arcade titles prior to the console debut in 1995 on PS1. The first was Air Combat in 1993, which ran on the Namco System 21 hardware, and in 1995 it got a sequel; Air Combat 22, which ran on the Namco System 22 hardware; the same arcade board Ridge Racer ran on.
So, it's the sequel the Arcade Archives has focused on. It's often regarded as a more incremental upgrade over the original; improving the visuals with texture mapped polygons, more effects and more advanced 3D aircraft models which the System 22 hardware was capable of. Think of it visually as the jump Sega did with Virtua Racing to Daytona USA.
Differentiating from the home console versions, Air Combat is basically a handful of small missions, with a set of enemies to shoot down, all tied together after each other, one air refuelling mini game and an ending with a "boss" fight against an aircraft carrier. If you play it flawlessly then we're talking a 10-minute affair here. Not the longer mission and story structure we're used to from franchise as it debuted on the PS1 the same year.
Structurally, it's closer to Sega's 80's arcade classic After Burner; with a time limit, set number of aircraft to take down and a certain number of rockets at your disposal. However, the gameplay is more advanced as this is a 3D title with proper close air combat and full freedom of flight. All familiar ground for Ace Combat fans, where you needed to dogfight yourself into a lock-on or get close and use your guns to blast away the enemy aircraft.
Just like Ridge Racer, we're treated to a smooth 60fps, which makes it stand out from the home versions on PS1. While it's not as crucial as a racer, there's focus on close air combat, so the responsive and sharp 60fps picture is welcome. I like the big explosions and smoke effects, as well as the quite detailed ground below. There's a key difference in detail and 3D ground effects compared to the home console version. I feel Ace Combat 2 on the PS1 was perhaps a little closer in visuals to this, so in 1995 it must have looked great!
Overall, a fine port like Ridge Racer, but I would've liked to have seen the first Air Combat in the package. Technically, Air Combat 22 is a prettier version of a very similar experience to the original, but seeing the more simplistic and historically interesting System 11 game alongside this would've been cool! I guess they've focused on replicating the System 22 hardware.
Not as impactful as Ridge Racer, and perhaps not a necessity to play as much either. Although it influences the home console series of Ace Combat, which rose to fame in arguably a greater way, it doesn't impact the genre as much as titles like After Burner that proceeded it.
I recognise the jump to 3D was important for this genre too, Sega never really had a massively famous counterpart, with G-Loc and Wing War not making impacts on a larger scale. In general, the flight genre has more landmark titles on the PC platform when it comes to early 3D development, where it mainly was a genre with focus on simulation.
That said, it's a neat way of understanding where the franchise originated, considering its long legacy up to modern times. It offers a similar simplistic approach to air combat as the PS1 debut but outperforms it with its smooth and responsive 60fps. Check it out if you're a massive Ace Combat fan and want to relive its legacy.
Summary
For any fan of these Namco's arcade classics, or the PS1 counterparts, they're a neat opportunity to play the "high end" experience of the powerful hardware from the 90's. Outperforming the home consoles in framerates and visuals.
The one that'll likely leave you with a deeper sense of accomplishment and room for growing your skills, of these two, is Ridge Racer. I can't stress how good it feels once you get the hang of drifting and sensation of doing perfect laps and avoiding crashing into the other cars. A truly iconic title from its era.
It'll be interesting seeing what titles are picked for this new line-up of Arcade Archives! I'm crossing my fingers for Rave Racer; the dark and moody sequel to Ridge Racer, which lent its name from a Tekken prototype and influenced the visual aesthetic of Rage Racer.
Recently, Aqua Jet from Namco has also been released as another System 22 title, but I'll get back to that one at a later point!