December 20, 2004

New Game: Ridge Racers (JP)

Title: Ridge Racers
Platform: Sony PSP (JP)
Publisher: Namco

Where: Shibuya Tsutaya
When: December 12
How Much: 4,320 yen (4,536 yen w/tax)

Sorry for the delay in writing up all the PSP games I picked up over the past eight days! I've finally got some time to spare now that I'm back in America for the holidays, so I'm ready to get caught up.

So, Ridge Racers. I'm not sure if I've ever written about it before, but I've been a huge Ridge fan since the original PlayStation version came out back in 1994. I had to write a chapter on it in this PlayStation strategy book I worked on back then, so I played it to death for like two weeks straight, unlocking every secret and basically mastering the game inside and out. I really, really loved the game and its sequel (Ridge Racer Revolution), but I gradually began to lose interest in the series as it slowly drifted away from its arcade roots over the years.

After last year's god-awful R: Racing Evolution, I'd pretty much given up on the series for good. But then, back in April, a friend of mine on the Ridge team who knows my tastes told me they were working on something "I know you'll like," which got me curious. And now that it's here, I can see why he was so sure I'd be into it: Ridge Racers PSP is 100% pure, old-school Ridge Racer -- exactly the way I like it!

I've only played the game about six or seven hours so far (I've completed the entire Basic Tour and now I'm working through the Pro Tour), but already I can say it's the best handheld racer I've ever played, and definitely one of the best in the Ridge series so far. The controls are perfect, the visuals are incredible, the music is classic Ridge Racer and the sensation of speed is just awesome. It's a great showpiece for what the PSP is capable of, too -- far moreso than the original Ridge was to PS1 or Ridge V was to PS2. And let me tell you, tearing through Seaside Route 765 at 350km/h with the Rotterdam Nation remix blaring in the background ranks up there among the best gaming experiences I've had all year. :) I can't wait to get back to it!

I'll be back with more on the recent PSP games soon...

Posted by john tv at December 20, 2004 11:00 PM