PixlBit

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again-- a new video game console is only as strong as its launch titles. Such was the case of the PlayStation when it was released stateside on September 9, 1995. As Sony’s first video game system to go toe-to-toe with Nintendo and Sega, the PlayStation came out swinging with Ridge Racer. Developed by Namco and ported from their arcade machine, the game was early proof that the PlayStation was capable of providing a convincing arcade-like experience at home in a way that simply couldn’t be done on the Super NES, Sega Genesis, or any other 16-bit console. Ridge Racer sent a clear message-- the 32-bit generation was going to be awesome and the PlayStation would lead the way.

For me, it started in the spring/summer of 1995 when I went over a friend's house. He loaded Ridge Racer into his newly-acquired PlayStation and it immediately resonated with me once I saw that polygonal goodness for the first time. But I know what some of you might be thinking-- “why all the fuss over a game that has long since been surpassed by prettier, more robust racing games out there”? -- In short, because the game is still fun to play today.

There are only 4 courses in the game, but they’re enjoyable while they last. The beginner course is a short 2-lap race around the beach with a little bit of mountain scenery. The intermediate course is the same as the previous one, but with 3 laps instead of just two. The expert course is 3 laps with an extra section added on to it with some tight lanes and tricky s-curves to throw you a surprise if you're not familiar with the layout. Finally, there’s a time trial course which is simply a 1-on-1 race with the CPU. With each successive course, your car’s top speed increases as well.

Racing along with you are eleven other cars. Of particular note is the yellow rival car (or red if you chose the yellow car). This is the one you’ll have to look out for while you’re vying for 1st place with everyone else. The rival car is a fairly worthy opponent and can easily overtake you if you miscalculate a critical corner or two. Beginners getting used to the physics of drifting in this game will likely have a hard time staying ahead of the rival in first. But as your skills improve, the rival car will eventually be little more than an annoyance you keep at bay.

Ridge Racer provided a more immersive racing experience with its small, but effective, nuances. The sound of your engine echoed slightly when entering a tunnel. The scenery seamlessly changed from daytime, to dusk, to night, and then back again. Smoothly maneuvering through tough hairpin turns and s-curves garnered a compliment from the announcer watching the competition. Now and then a helicopter swooped in to capture footage of the race as you sped by. After crossing the finish line, you’d see a replay of highlights from the first lap with smooth sweeping camera angles and aerial shots. Best of all, the game ran velvety smooth. It had all the wow-factor it needed to make a lasting impression long after we stopped playing for the day.

While there is much to like about this game, the honest truth is that it still has its fair share of flaws. First and foremost are the “bumper car” physics. It’s all too easy to clip another car from the back or side, which will catapult your opponents ahead by a few feet and force you to lose precious speed and momentum. It totally ruins your strategy when attempting to position your car on tricky turns when there are several cars anywhere near you. It’s a problem that also plagued some of the sequels until later in the series.

Then there’s the lackluster AI. All the CPU cars follow the same predetermined path. They make no real effort to block your approach or seriously outpace you; the only exception being the rival car mentioned earlier. This takes away from some of the challenge and makes it ridiculously easy to reach first place (or close to it) well before the race is over. To be fair, the racing courses themselves become noticeably more challenging when playing the reversed “extra” races. Certain hairpin turns seem to sneak up you since you’re approaching them from the opposite angle of the regular courses.

And while there are 12 cars total you can drive (plus 1 hidden bonus car), only the first four really differ in terms of performance. The other eight just have stats that mimic one of the original four -- made all the more disappointing because the additional cars had interesting designs and decals. It would have been nice to have a richer variety of performance statistics. Fortunately, none of these faults hinder your overall enjoyment of the game.

Maneuvering your car is pretty straightforward, but it does feel a tad bit imprecise when negotiating steep turns due to the drifting physics. If you’ve gotten used to playing more realistic racing games like the Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport, then you'll need to “reprogram” your brain a bit. Many newcomers will likely find it tricky to smoothly ease off the accelerator, drift through the turn, and resume accelerating again. It’ll take some trial and error before you get it right. You'll also notice that you won't be braking very much around the corners. In fact you really don't need to brake at all. Instead, you'll be drifting through most of the hairpin turns at well over 100 MPH. Is it unrealistic? Sure. It is fun to do anyway? Yes...yes it is.

Granted, playing this on a modern HDTV will make its visual presentation less than praiseworthy-- which for some was still a stretch even on standard definition TVs. Nonetheless, for an early PlayStation game, Ridge Racer featured some impressive graphics with vibrant scenery. You'll first start off the race with a roaring crowd and detailed buildings in the surrounding area. The beach has leaning palm trees, a nice view of the water, and a nearby hotel resort that complements the scenery. You’ll even notice an airplane taking flight now and then throughout the race. There’s also a small overhead highway that rides just above your car as you are nearing the final corner before the finish line. This was all quite impressive for its time. I personally love the smaller details like the billboards advertising some of Namco’s other arcade games.

One final high point for this game was its soundtrack. The music was groundbreaking and unlike anything I had heard on a home console system prior to Ridge Racer. Composed by Shinji Hosoe, all 6 songs well captured the shifting landscape of video game music. Some highlights for me were self-titled “Ridge Racer” track with its Seinfeld-esque bass guitar and airy synths, “Rare Hero” and its buzzy bassline, and “Rhythm Shift” featuring a basic techno beat with simplistic vocals. I’d be remiss not the mention zany gabber track that plays during the replay footage. Granted, these genres of music won’t appeal to everyone, but it can’t be denied that it was perfect for the fast-paced feeling the game conveys.

There is very little that was missed in the overall presentation of this game. It’s fun and not too difficult to master once enough time is spent with it. However, Ridge Racer was more than just a successful arcade port from the talented team at Namco. It was the poster-child for what the 32-bit console gaming experience should be. If you’re a PlayStation fan, you owe it to yourself to get your hands on this historical landmark of a game. And once you've mastered its mechanics, you'll come away feeling like “one genius of a driver.”