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submitted by Modojo Staff
posted March 28, 2005Namco's Ridge Racer screams onto the PSP and earns a position as the best game of the entire series.
Read the Modojo Review
submitted by GamerGeorgeposted 1 week agoThe Ridge Racer series has been a PlayStation launch staple, so it's no surprise that Namco has prepared a Ridge Racer title for the PSP's launch. Ridge Racer for the PSP is basically a compilation of the very best of Ridge Racer, and my what a game does that make.
Ridge Racer (titled Ridge Racers in Japan) is easily the best-looking handheld racing game of all-time. There simply is no disputing of that. The quality of the graphics in this game, especially when you consider that it's a launch title, it simply astonishing. The frame-rate remains at a consistently high level, the draw distance is almost flawless, pop-up is rarely to be seen, and the courses and cars are just drop-dead gorgeous. The game also begins with an excellent-looking CG intro, which features the return of fan-favorite Reiko Nagase.
Ridge Racer for the PSP also features control that is very tight -- meaning it's a blast to play. You'll rarely find yourself struggling to maneuver around a course in this game.
You can use either the analog nub or d-pad to move your car around in the game, but I strongly prefer the analog nub. Maybe it's just me, but I think the analog nub is nearly perfect, providing a very positive feeling when you use it in this game.
A new aspect to the game is something that has never been seen before in a Ridge Racer title: the ability to give your car a nitrous boost. By pulling off enough drifts to fill up your gauge, you can pull off a boost similar to the boost in the game Burnout 3: Takedown.
One flaw I have with the gameplay in the game, though, is the fact that it's fairly easy to pull off drifts. Otherwise, the game is nearly flawless in the gameplay department.
Another department where the game excels is in the music department. Ridge Racer features excellent tracks that are perfect to the flow of the game. The music, in my opinion, actually helps me while I'm in a race because it can get me in a groove where I suddenly am owning the other racers. In fact, I think the music is so good in this game that I am considering getting the soundtrack for it.
Ridge Racer features a boatload of races, courses, and cars to unlock, so you'll be spending plenty of time trying to complete and unlock everything that this game has to offer.
Overall, Ridge Racer for the PSP is a very, very good game -- the best on the PSP, in fact. The game has very few flaws, and the flaws it does have really aren't that big of a deal. If you are looking for a solid racing game to go along with your brand new PSP, this is it.
