Redefining Portable Racing: Ridge Racer

Ridge Racer and PlayStation-branded hardware launches have become a traditional combination. 10 years ago when Sony entered a very different gaming business, Ridge Racer was there for the PlayStation, showing off the capabilities of the console. 5 years ago, when Sony unleashed the PS2, Ridge Racer V arrived at the same time, though without the fanfare (or, in all honesty, the quality) of the original release. So who has Sony turned to, in order to pump out an awesome arcade racing experience on their newest baby, the PlayStation Portable? Namco and Ridge Racer, of course. Using the same name as the seminal original, RR finds itself in the same position as its forebear; a high-profile racing title for a brand new piece of hardware, and one that demonstrates the revolutionary power underneath the hood. Racing games on portable systems have been hit or miss for the most part, due to the graphical limitations, but not so with the PSP version of Ridge Racer. In fact, the high quality of RR redefines what you should expect from a racing game on a handheld game sytem. Will history repeat itself, with Ridge Racer leading a charge for the PlayStation brand to dominate gaming? Maybe, maybe not, but either way Ridge Racer is a brilliant racing game that's definitely the best RR game since R4 some 6 years ago.

You could in all certainty consider Ridge Racer PSP as a 'greatest hits' compilation UMD. There's no actual new tracks, but instead 12 different (and great) tracks remixed and remastered from six different RR-style games; Ridge Racer, Ridge Racer Evolution, Rave Racer (which never left the arcades), Rage Racer, Ridge Racer Type 4, and Ridge Racer V. Each has a reverse variant, and the ability to mirror tracks once you clear the game up to a certain point. Like any Ridge Racer title, there's a wealth of options, such as a basic race, time attacks, multiplayer, and a World Tour that makes up the main single player campaign. Multiplayer is completely wireless, though it's only Ad Hoc wireless (meaning you can connect directly with up to 4 other PSP's in a local radius), and not Infrastructure for 'true' online play via a wireless router, even though the back of the case claims it does support both options. World Tour will likely take up the bulk of your time, and it will actually take up a good bit of time to actually completely clear. With three race classes and over 50 different cars to unlock spread out over 7 car classes, there's a lot to do and unlock. As you finish events you unlock new cars and tracks, to round out your collection of items for the other modes of play. To finish off everything, you're looking at 10-15 hours of play, which is pretty good for a Ridge Racer game, much less a portable racer. Namco has learned from the abbreviated career mode from RRV it seems.

Ridge Racer PSP doesn't deviate from the gameplay style it made famous, but instead fine-tunes it for maximum entertainment. It functions in the same fashion as it always has, with your car at the back, with 11 opponents that you have to catch one at a time. The game has always been based on drifting and powersliding around corners, but in this installment, it's seemingly even more drift-crazy. The only actual addition is nitrous, which probably has to be in the game since every other racing game on any game system seems to be making N2O the latest thing to equip on your ride. You can have up to three nitrous available at a time, and after you use one up it recharges with more powersliding and drifting – the better you are at this, the faster it fills up. This goes for CPU/opponent cars as well, which evens the odds. Even without the nitrous, one thing is for sure; Ridge Racer is fast. Very fast – almost certainly the fastest 'traditional' (leaving room for Wipeout Pure) racing game that's ever seen release on a portable. It may not seem it at first, but as you get into the faster cars, the environments just blaze by as you coast around corners and rip it up through straightaways.

A concern I had coming into RR was how well it would work with Sony's unusual analog 'nub' they implemented for the PSP. Some importers had said the nub takes some time to get used to, and thus games that rely heavily on control (i.e racers) are pretty tough at first. Yet the first time I booted up and played Ridge Racer on my PSP, it was precise and intuitive and I was pulling off powerslides and winning races like it was second nature. It's just as accurate as an analog stick and very comfortable despite the initial impression of it. Ridge Racer has always been a game well-versed in excellent control and this version is no different, and thus is a great game to cut your teeth on to learn how this funky analog stick works. Unfortunately, the biggest flaw with the game is the ease of play. Ridge Racers have usually been fairly challenging arcade-style racers, with demanding AI that only lets you win if you can minimize mistakes. Not so with the PSP edition, which lets you, to an extent, make a handful of mistakes on the 'pro' races (the 'basic' race class is extremely fun but mindlessly easy) and still win, or at least qualify to advance in races where 1st is not required.

With the PSP's incredible graphics power at its disposal, Namco has churned out an amazing looking game with RR. Besides the rock-solid 60 FPS framerate that never lets up and gives out a sensation of speed many racing games on regular old game consoles can't give you (with the exception of Burnout, but Burnout is in its own league, all by itself), the game is a gorgeous piece of design, and does what it needed to do; demonstrate the power of the PSP. Though not as good as your late-gen PS2 games, RR looks like it would be a great first-gen PS2 game, though more of a cross between DC and PS2 graphics quality. Car designs are great and varied, many paying homage to classic Namco hits (the RR games have always made sure to make the kids recognize the old-school), but in chase view you can see the muddy textures and hard-to-read writing on them, which is something the PS2 really hasn't had a lot of trouble with. On the other hand environments are stunning and seemingly free of things that have hassled PS2 racing games; jaggies and shimmering. The combination is something you'd never expect from a portable, and chances are, as soon as you pop this game into your PSP and view the graphics on that beautiful LCD screen, you'll be blown away.

Fans of Ridge Racer will recognize the classic RR audio – great techno-jazzy tunes and a lame announcer. Tons of classic RR tunes are remixed for this game, and all sound pretty dang good on the PSP's sound processor and speakers with or without headphones. A few sound somewhat tinny and mediocre but the majority boom with bass and almost sound like they shouldn't be coming out of that tiny little piece of hardware. In all honesty though, someone needs to combine the memory stick music options to make customized soundtracks; it can and should be done. The cheesy announcer has returned with a new voice, but all the usual cheeseball comments you're used to hearing in a Ridge Racer game. He does have his uses though, letting you know when you've got nitrous to burn, when an opponent is using nitrous, or when someone is on your tail. There's a few 'bonus' voices that series fans may recognize as well, but you'll have to discover them on your own. Various sound effects like screeching tires when you powerslide, screaming fans, and various things within each track.

The Last Paragraph

Like the original Ridge Racer 10 years ago, Ridge Racer for PSP is perhaps not a 'killer app' but instead a showcase for the possibilities for a fledging console making its baby steps into the world dominated by Nintendo. For racing fans though, RR is a portable powerhouse, providing things you never could have expected from a handheld game before the release of Sony's latest PlayStation. It's a little on the easy side, but at the same time, the game is extremely entertaining and can provide a great many hours of quality gameplay despite that. It controls damn well with the analog nub, and the compilation of great tracks in Ridge Racer history will thrill fans of the franchise. The PSP has a ton of games available at launch, but Ridge Racer stands out as one of the best bets for entertainment for your $40.