"Excellent but challenging game"

Ridge Racer finally made its way on the Nintendo 64 in early 2000 in the form of (what else?) Ridge Racer 64. I really liked the older versions on Playstation, namely the great Ridge Racer Type 4. This game isn't quite up to that game's standards. Why do they have to dumb things down for the 64? But this is still an excellent game if you want a racer for your 64.

Graphics:

The graphics look good and all the environments are nicely done, except I think they used the same ones over and over. Oh, well. I use the expansion pak and haven't tried this game without it, but I'm not even sure if it will make a difference. Not a bad job here.

Control:

The control is good for the most part except it is very hard to make a tight turn. Once you advance a little in Grand Prix mode and get into intermediate levels, this becomes really obvious. The only way I have found to make tight turns without losing several positions is to do the 360 move which seems to be a little random. The 64 is an old system by now so your controller's analog stick is probably worn out. No worries though because you can use the directional pad on this game, thankfully.

Sound/Music:

Okay the sound is pretty lame. The music is very generic video game music, except there is a way to unlock the Galaga theme I have heard. Good luck with that one. There's really nothing special here and Namco could have put more effort into the sound.

Now let's get to the main gripe I have with this game. You will probably curse and throw controllers. It's one of those type of racers. The AI is extremely cheap in this one. They can fly around curves without braking or slowing down while you will be struggling mightily just getting by a curve. In Grand Prix mode, the more you advance the higher you have to finish to unlock new tracks. Well, this is nearly impossible because the AI will not allow you to pass. Couple that together with their lack of braking or slowing down and you have one tough game.

Namco didn't use real cars in this game, instead you get a Pac Man car, etc. It didn't really bother me, though. This game can now be found dirt cheap so I would say go ahead and buy it. It's a good way to kill some time but don't let it get your blood pressure up too much. If nothing else, just play it and dream about the beautiful Ridge Racer girl!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/14/10

Game Release: Ridge Racer 64 (US, 02/14/00)