Ridge Racer

"Flawless Arcade Racing"

Acclaimed as the must have for PSP, Ridge Racer is stunningly gorgeous and an amazingly fun way to waste an hour or 2. Time to break it all down...

Graphics: Absolutely gorgeous. You really wont find a better looking launch game for the PSP, guaranteed. It runs at 60 FPS (Frames per second) and it certainly shows. The way sunlight reflects off of the pavement, the way the mountains seem so real, its just beautiful to stop and look at. Of course, you wont win any races by stopping to smell the (virtual) flowers. My only complaint is that the game has some issues with ghosting, but that'll only bother you if you let it get on your nerves. 10/10

Game Play: Its Spectacular. Drifting around corners at insanely high speeds is more fun then it's ever been, and now that you need to drift to get nitrous boosts it just adds more incentive to perfect the art of a fine drift. It's fun to fools around with different car types, and if you're good enough, you can use manual transmission for extra fun. Absolutely no problems in the game play department, as long as you like arcade racing games. 10/10

Sounds: Ridge Racer sounds awesome with headphones on. Thats really all there is to say. You can choose the track you want to listen to before the race, so you only have to hear your favorites, which is a nice change from a lot of sports/racing games. Granted, the announcer can get pretty annoying and if you don't like electronic music there's not that much else to listen to except for a select few. 9/10

Replay Value: Like many racing games, you'll find yourself coming back to this one time and time again. It really doesn't get old, for me at least. There's a lot, and I mean a lot, of tracks and cars (or "machines", as the game calls them) to be unlocked, and if you tire of the Tours, there's always single race and Time Trials to keep you busy. Oh, and how could I forget: Old School gamers will love the Rally X mini game :) 10/10

Overview:
Graphics: 10/10
Game Play: 10/10
Sounds: 9/10
Replay Value: 10/10
Overall: 9.75/10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 04/07/05