R4: Ridge Racer Type 4

"Still one of the best - if not THE best - parts in the Ridge Racer series"

When the PlayStation hit Japanese stores at the end of 1994, it was mainly one game that secured the console instant success at launch already, and of course, this game was Namco´s "Ridge Racer", a port of the highly popular arcade original that ignited a new home console era and blew people away with its revolutionary graphics. While the game became outdated quickly, Namco did not miss the chance to create an entire franchise based on Ridge Racer, and 5 years after the series´ birth on home consoles, Namco delivered the towering high point of the series: "Ridge Racer Type 4", which was not based on any existing arcade version; it was much rather an original game for PlayStation.

Practically, "Ridge Racer Type 4" marks a great evolution of the Ridge Racer series, picking up the best aspects of earlier RR games and perfecting them. Of course, like its predecessors, Type 4 is more of an arcade racing game rather than a realistic experience like "Gran Turismo", and that´s what always made the series so enjoyable in the first place. This also means that the car physics are pretty overdone at times, too, but this is understandable again due to the series´ premise and the fact that all these cars are fictional creations (and beautiful ones, too)...and the best thing is: there are 321 vehicles available, giving you a fun time trying to collect them all and to put them into your garage. Another improvement over earlier Ridge Racer games are the controls, since it´s the first PSX Ridge Racer to provide DualShock controls, and it´s a blessing for this one. Never before have the controls in a Ridge Racer game been so direct and spot-on, and I´ve heard that it´s supposed to be even more playable with Namco´s JogCon controller, but I never used it myself. The Grand Prix mode, the game´s heart, will offer you enough options and challenges to keep you hooked for weeks to come. It´s some sort of a career mode, where you have to choose a car manufacturer and the team you wish to be part of, and this decision will influence the car´s performance greatly in terms of what advantages and disadvantages you´ll have and so on. In order to get through the Grand Prix mode, you have to reach at least a certain spot during each race in order to proceed, and depending on your performance, you´ll get new and better cars as a reward in the process. Last but not least, the multiplayer part of Type 4 is another positive aspect of the gameplay in general, offering some fast two player split-screen action, even though the camera perspectives for that mode are not perfect, so to speak.

The graphics are probably the part of the game where the developers of Namco really outdid themselves, rivaling the back-then no. 1 Gran Turismo and even surpassing it in some ways, providing some of the best visuals in any PlayStation game. You already get a glimpse at the visual splendor of this game in the absolutely fantastic CG intro, featuring the beautiful Reiko Nagase, the official mascot and racing queen of the franchise, and she never looked as stunning before as in that FMV sequence. After our eyes have been pleased by this nice introduction, Namco continues to deliver in terms of visuals. The car models look better than ever as Namco finally used gouraud shading on the polygons, giving them a more realistic look than in earlier Ridge Racer games, and the amount of detail the car textures feature is amazing. Despite the really fast pace of the races as well as the complex car models, Namco also managed to avoid any slowdowns whatsoever, with the frame-rate remaining smooth and constant all the time. The instant replay function also provides you with the possibility to get another look at the cars in all their beauty and from different angles - the icing on the cake of this extraordinary package. Without a doubt, "Ridge Racer Type 4" is the best looking racing game on Sony´s PlayStation.

The music in "Ridge Racer Type 4" mostly stands true to the series´ tradition by using techno music for the background music, and in my opinion, that´s a wise choice, since the music has always been a trademark of the RR series and one of its best aspects, and that´s no different in Type 4. The soundtrack always fits the bill, creating a tense atmosphere that doesn´t overwhelm the main driving action, but manages to accompany you during the races, so to speak, giving you the drive you need in order to succeed, thanks to some great, catchy tunes - and let´s not forget that Namco made use of the capabilities of the PlayStation by giving the music a CD worthy sound quality. Thankfully, the sound effects, mainly those of the roaring car engines, are outstanding once again, giving you a strangely realistic feeling while playing even if the game itself is intended to be more of an arcade-like experience, but it works perfectly. As you see, the music is yet another aspect in which RR4 more than succeeds.

In my opinion, "Ridge Racer Type 4" is the most enjoyable and complete racing experience to be found on the PlayStation. It´s easy to pick up and a lot of fun to get into, and the good old Ridge Racer gameplay has never been as perfect as in this installment. To me, it´s easily better than its PlayStation 2 successor "Ridge Racer V", and it´s at least on par with "Ridge Racers", so it more than deserves a 10 rating.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/07/06