Ridge Racer V - Disc-Reviews

Intro

First I'll say why its the third best launch game. Among the launch games were two other strong contenders, SSX Snowboarding and Timesplitters, and in my view these were better than RRV. I can't really split them into the best as they are both different in gameplay and genre. So I think thee games are better than RRV but that goes out the window if your a racer fan only. In that case this is the best racer available on the PS2, today (3 March 2001).

What Is Ridge?

Ridge is Namco’s series of racers, in 1994/5 Ridge Racer was released on the PlayStation, to be followed by the newest and to some a better version Ridge Racer Revolution with better graphics and music, plus a link up option. At 1997-8 Rage Racer was released, moody looks and awesome gameplay gave it the edge until Gran Turismo the following year. That was then followed by Ridge Racer Type 4 R4, with stunning graphics and was released after GT but a few months before GT2, the graphics looked amazing, lighting effect were the best ever seen, and hardly any pop up objects too. That series has been around a long time and not only confined to that PlayStation, before the release of the PS Namco had loads of machines which had the Ridge name on.

The hud

The Game

Out of the box and into the PS2 to game first bring up a nice cool fresh video sequence, showing off the graphics as it isn't a real video, all images are actual game graphics.
After the brief intro sequence you are presented with a main menu.

Gameplay

With a various list of selections. Go straight into a new game and get a large choice of cars, and a single Gran Prix. The GPs are simple; you have to pass through 4 rounds. Each round will have a minimum rank for which you have to get into or above. Once you complete the first GP, you get a extra car, and another engine. Your speed increases depending on the car, and the aerodynamics change too. One thing, which surprised me, was the fact they use a system called Drafting. Drafting is where you get a boost when your up the tail pipe of the car in front and the air resistance is reduced so you catch up or increase in speed. This is especially helpful when fighting for 1st place.

The cars each handle with different characteristics, I'd opt for a car, which handle well, than pure speed. Especially for 1st time players. This will give you more boost when going round the multi cornered tracks.

Fast corners

One thing which has been with Ridge from Ridge Racer Type 4 is the track design, okay most track in this game are similar to the first Ridge, but the way that corners duck and dive over and under bypasses and tunnels is fantastic. Each course, especially Greenway give you hair on the back of you neck as you pass walls while remaining in position for the next track, the corners gently sweep into each other. There are plenty of places for overtaking too, and places where you see the rest of the course, you'll be stopping to see what’s over each concrete wall, as almost every place will show real life goings ons, like cars in car parks of moving traffic or planes and trains. It all adds to the real life like city called Ridge City.

The cars handling is especially brilliant, you can fly around a course with your always-special power sliding techniques. I’ve found that you can get around a track without touching the brake button, by controlling the throttle and steering you can power slide with less and less speed decrease. When in races the control is very good, but be careful not to get close to a wall or competitor, it may just ruin your race. With each car you get a different RPM/speed meter, and they vary quite a lot.

Graphics

Well this is a PlayStation 2 game so the graphics are brilliant. Each course looks stunning, the sunlight shines with appeal and warmth, and the smoke never slows down the action. Cars look especially smooth, with nice reflecting and shiny surfaces, as they pass through the shadows and change darkness throughout races. The courses look great also, the road surface looks smooth, walls and buildings also look good, add planes trains and traffic flowing by you as you race on, it all looks like a real city. But when you get this level of graphics, there are a few drawbacks, there’s the tiniest of redraw in the distance, but its only obvious on the ultra long sections, and that brings me to the distance you see, not only is the distance almost a 1000 metres you need a large TV to see each corner clearly. The sharp graphics may be hard for poor TVs to reproduce well, as with my cheap TV, the contrast between varying coloured lines, the sort of ‘waterfall effect’ occurs, like when someone on TV has a coat with thing lines and the TV can reproduce the ultra thing lines well. This also affects the courses too, the sharp graphics affect the look, and the walls and building seem to have a sharp edge to them. At night the graphics are a little hard to see, and the corners are very dark and dull to see clearly.

Unfortunately this lacks playability in 2 player mode, a nasty black, grey or coloured fog appears right in front, making it even harder to see corners. And the views are limited to in car.

Sound

The music plays a large part in the feel of the game, and the loading and most other menus have a string of music to play, it is a little electric, and music in the races isn’t brilliant. The best music sequences are either at the begging end, or when you finish a GP. These music scenes are quite ecstatic, and please me. Digi effects and strong mellow vocals help the race music. If only it was little more rocky.

The sound effects are a little mundane, engine effects are okay, and better when you get the extra cars, but for the basic manufacturer cars they are a little dull. The cars wheel screeches are okay, and when you whack other cars, you can feel it to.
One big let down was the commentary, one of the best parts in the other Ridge’s, here through it lacks spark. And the guy who does it is terrible, he has a fake USA accent, and repeats himself, and can’t speak proper English either. One good feature is that you can turn down the commentary in the races and keep it up in race screens, that also goes for music, so you have two individual sound levels for each part.

Presentations

Each and every menu in the game is properly organized and works very well, also look good too. The main menu is lit with good points from the PC generated model to the new car videos; these videos are brilliant, the slowly reveal the new car or engine you get after a GP. The music backs up the menus and the narrator helps out a little by saying what’s happening at times. The loading times are fine, and are backed up by a short music scene. One of the best things is just before a race, where the game shows you a map of the race track, and follows around the track with a smooth camera angle, this also shows the scale of the city too. You have options to change your team colours and names, and you get trophies, which look great. A strong point of the game.

How To Play

The first time you start playing the game you are given six cars to choose from, if your a beginner I'd go for handleing over speed. As you can catch up to other cars while you go round the corners. You have to complete a 4 race Gran Prix (GP), at each race you must finish a minimum rank to be entered into the next race. Once you have completed the 'Standard GP' you are allowed to take the car you used in the Standard GP into an Extra GP, where 4 extra GPs lie. You need to enter first Bravery GP which will also have minimum ranks to get past, again through 4 races. Once you complete this GP you receive a new upgrade of the car, and a new engine upgrade too. This is the same with the Gale and thrid GP (I can't remember the name of it), but on different tracks, sometimes on a reverse course. Once you pass the three GPs, you go on to the last GP, (I can't remember this GP name either) where you must finish 1st in a 10 (I think) lap race. Few! Now once you complete the last GP, you get a credits screen, but its far from over.
After all those GPs, you get a Duel Mode where you race against an expert (and I mean expert) driver. I got to through the Angel car (which Ridge fans will reconize from the second Ridge), and then got past the Devil car (named something else, which I can't remember, sorry). I'm not really sure whats next, but I now that once you get by 1000Km you recieve a Pac Man car! I'm sure there's more but for now thats as far as I have got. Actually once I got these new cars the sound was stunning, the engine roared out of my hi fi! And it was ultra fast, at one time I was doing 450Km/h! In 6 out of 7 gears!!

Conclusion

If you want something that will entertain you for longer than a month, and will take you on a long and challenging race, this is it. The gameplay is the best so far, and graphics and sound are perfect. The learning curve will smoothly enter you to the pro power sliding technique with in an hour.