Arcade Archives: Ridge Racer
Jun. 6th, 2025 09:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tepidsnakeThis week's Arcade Archives release is... Ridge Racer (Namco, 1993)
Arcade Archives (previous-gen consoles)
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Arcade Archives 2 (current-gen consoles)
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Surprisingly, the PS4 and Switch ACA versions retain most of the features and menu UI of the ACA2 release on current-gen consoles, but if you buy the previous-gen version first, you'll get a discounted price for the current-gen version, just like ACA2NEOGEO The King of Fighters '98. Four versions are included- Japanese and English versions of the SD model (which used a simple up-down gear shift for changing gears in MT) and the DX model (which had a six-gear shifter and a clutch you need to use to switch gears- in this version, the gears are shown on-screen and you use the right analogue stick to switch gears). Preference Settings include adjusting the difficulty of each course (as far as I can tell, this was a standard option in the game's Test Menu so I'm not sure why they didn't put them in the normal Settings menu, oh well). You can also adjust the analogue control sensitivity although it's a bit hidden- go to Settings > Buttons > Custom Button Settings > Sensitivity Settings and adjust the Maximum Angle of Handle until it feels comfy for you (personally, around 360 works well for me).
Alright everyone, one minute to go, are you ready? The engine's sound like they're ready to go, are you all set? Here in scenic Ridge City, Seaside Route 765 is our racecourse for today, with 13 cars revving up and eyeing up that chequered flag, and you're one of 'em! Our enthusaistic announcer, Micheal Guinn, will be cheering you on the whole way, so get ready! There's four different difficult settings here- Novice and Intermediate cap your speed a little and have a shorter course, while Expert and Time Trials / T.T. expand the course with an under-construction area and use faster cars (with T.T. going up to 220kmph!)- and if you want to win, you'll have master the art of drifting. While turning a corner, let off the gas, tap the brake and quickly go back on the gas and your car will start sliding to make sharper turns without having to brake or slow down too much. Correct yourself before the road straightens and you'll be one genius of a driver! Can you prove yourself as a real ridge racer and beat the lap times for all four difficulties?
Well, here it is, the most important video game release of the year. Only joking a little, really! This is the first Arcade Archives release of a fully-3D arcade game. That's a big deal! 3D arcade hardware from this era is not the easiest thing to emulate, and while there have been rereleases of them across the years, Namco in particular haven't done it that often- while there's outliers like the arcade Tekkens and Starblade on the PS2 version of Tekken 5, they usually go for rereleasing the Playstation ports which are of course excellent but often not quite the same as the arcade version. Ridge Racer on PS1 in particular was an amazing port with a whole load of extras but it was locked at 30FPS and didn't look quite as clean. That PS1 port also has never been rereleased, despite a certain infamous reveal, so the original Ridge Racer has been MIA for a long time.
This arcade version may be missing those extras (mostly the different cars you can select and reverse / mirror courses) but it's got that solid 60FPS and the sharpest texture-mapped polygons Namco's System 22 hardware can muster, and it looks and plays like a dream. Once you mess around with the analogue sensitivity settings in this- by default using the d-pad feels very close to the PS1 version but I think I prefer the analogue controls- you'll be sweving and drifting with the best of them, and even 30+ years later, it's a really satisfying game, one you want to keep trying until you can master those corners and bring those lap times down. It may only be one course with one variation, but there's enough to the drifting that you'll want to get a good handle on it and keep trying. The presentation is great too, with a selection of thumping tunes provided by Shinji Hosoe, Ayako Saso and Nobuyoshi Sano, the bluest of arcade skies and while not as chatty as later games, the announcer has just the right energy to go along with the whole package. Ridge Racer is great, is what I'm trying to get at. You should play it.
Oh, and if you want to see more Ridge Racer promo stuff, I highly recommend ohfivepro's Bluesky page, they've been uncovering some treasures! Look at the size of that Full Scale cab!
