Ridge Racer 64

"Nintendo Software did a great job on one of the 64's best racers."

The N64 has tons of racing titles, and it can sometimes be hard to find a good one. If you're a fan of arcade style racing, however, you're in luck. The classic Ridge Racer series has come to the N64!

Graphics: 9/10

This game sports an impressive frame rate during its fast-paced races. While the cars in-game aren't made up of as many polygons as they are in the car selection segment, they look great in both, and the cars and backgrounds all have cool designs. The frame rate drops a bit in the two-player mode, and even further in three- and four-player modes, but it's not an unacceptable drop.

Control: 8/10

Control in this game holds up relatively well, but the way the game handles collisions can be annoying (usually, if you hit a car from the side, you'll bump that car forward), and can sometimes make you want to break the game, but otherwise, it's solid.

Sound: 9/10

The music in RR64 consists mostly of upbeat techno music, and it sets the game's fast-paced mood very well. The sounds of engines revving and cars crashing into each other are ever present in the game, and an announcer comments at some points in the race, though the announcer can get a bit annoying at times. Unfortunately, the sound effects were dropped in three- and four-player modes in favor of the game's music, but overall, good sound can be found in this game.

Gameplay: 9/10

This game sports classic arcade racer gameplay, and doesn't disappoint. The game has three tracks with three variations each, making for nine tracks (or 18 if you count the mirror tracks), and has 25 distinct cars for the player to unlock. The game has plenty of game play modes: the single player Grand Prix, an extremely fun Car Attack mode to unlock cars after you beat a set of races in a one-on-one race, Time Attack mode to challenge your best times, and a Multiplayer mode that supports up to four players. The game also gives you the choice of which of three drift style you want to use, two of which are from past Ridge Racer titles, and one created specifically for RR64. With tons of cars and tracks to unlock, this game will keep you entertained for plenty of time.

Overall Score: 9/10
Average Price: $19.99
ESRB Rating: Everyone

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/24/01, Updated 10/24/01