Ridge Racer (PSP)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 4.0 stars Excellent
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 8.3 (4.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Jeff Gerstmann
• Reviewed on: 03/18/2005
• Originally published on GameSpot: Ridge Racer (PSP) Review

Namco and Sony are now officially three for three when it comes to launching a new piece of Sony game hardware with a new game from Namco's Ridge Racer series. And like those previous Ridge Racer efforts, the first PSP installment in the series does a fine job of showing off the system's technical prowess while simultaneously providing more of the same smooth Ridge Racer gameplay that still holds up after all these years.

Ridge Racer sticks close to the series classic formula, so fans of the series will feel right at home.

While the gameplay in Ridge Racer is certainly no slouch, the real treat to Ridge Racer on the PSP is how it looks. Or, to get more specific, how it moves. This is the smoothest-running PSP game on the block at launch. The frame rate never stops to skip a beat, and all this ties in to give the game a great sense of speed. You really feel like you're burning down the track when you unlock the faster cars. On top of that, the environments all look fantastic. The roads are sharp, and you'll get different lighting reflections on the road surface from sunsets and stuff like that. All in all, it's an impressive graphical showpiece. About the only thing missing is antialiasing.

Racing in Ridge Racer is fun. In fact, it's always been fun, so there haven't been many changes made here, which is good for fans of the series. However, the gameplay isn't going to convert anyone after a decade of minor changes. Collisions merely slow you down, and powerslides are still your primary means of moving around corners. The one key difference is that powersliding now fills up an onscreen nitro meter. When you fill one of your nitro stocks (you can store up to three boosts), you can unleash it at will for a modest speed boost. The opposing vehicles also will crack open a nitro stock from time to time, usually waiting until you're about to pass before coming at you. Beyond that, the driver artificial intelligence isn't terribly impressive. The 11 other cars in the race sort of follow their own lines and don't do much to block your pass attempts. This makes most of the game pretty easy, once you've mastered the art of the powerslide, but as you proceed through the world tour mode, the difficulty (and the speed) does ramp up.

Control in the game is tight. You can play with either the analog disc or the D pad, and due to the sort of digital nature of Ridge Racer, you can get by just fine with the D pad. Beyond that, you've got your gas, brake, and nitro buttons. You can also hit another button to toggle between a first-person or third-person racing perspective.

Recent user reviews

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• 4.5 stars

  "cool graphics"

  by Chirag Khatiwala on September 22, 2006

• 4.5 stars

  "its great its alot better then i thought"

  by quickkid150 on January 2, 2006

• 3.5 stars

  1 out of 1 people found this helpful

  "Great graphics, but not realistic"

  by vlimshowchen on October 31, 2005

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