Ridge Racer DS

[chuddy_2001uk]

I must admit, there has been a big buzz surrounding this game ever since it was announced as a ‘launch’ title on the DS. Ridge Racer is one of the most successful racing series’ on any console and has always proved to be a big hit. Its first outing on the Playstation stunned gamers who had not seen anything like it before, and since then we have been treated to many other versions of it. So naturally Ridge Racer DS was going to raise eyebrows when Namco announced it and I for one have been eagerly expecting its release. Unlike the only other DS racer (Asphalt Urban GT – which I’m sure I will be comparing to RR throughout this review), Ridge Racer takes the emphasis off car tuning and driving realism and brings an arcade style of gameplay to the track. But what makes RR worth your hard earned cash? Let’s take a look…


Graphics

For any of you who have played the N64 Ridge Racer game then you will know what to expect. As soon as you begin to flip through the menu screens you will see the 3D capabilities of the DS put into use – it may only be for the rotating 3D car and track models but it is really nice to see the 3D used straight away. The models here look sharp and have good textures and I felt myself feeling very happy to just sit and admire them on the DS for a while – however this also happened to me on Asphalt Urban GT so it’s not saying too much. As soon as the camera pans down into the car at the beginning of the race you know that this is so typically Ridge Racer. Infact, if you have the N64 version you literally WILL know this is Ridge Racer – the graphics (and gameplay… and courses…) are so very similar to the 64 version and although that isn’t really a bad thing, we have seen that the DS is possibly up to a bit more. As the race gets underway you notice that the game holds up a pretty decent frame rate, even with all the computer controlled cars racing along side you. The tracks appear to look nice and the cars are well modelled and textured, however the more you play, the more faults you will find with the graphics. For example when turning a corner badly and scraping along the outer wall you will, 9 times out of 10, find that the wall disappears and you can see straight through it. This is also the case when driving into or along side an opponent’s car, sometimes causing the whole car to momentarily disappear although I must admit this only happened once during my many hours of gameplay with the game.


While we are on the topic of collision it is worth mentioning just how poor I found the collision detection to be. Sometimes I was able to drive almost halfway through the rear of the opponent’s car before I was shunted backwards because of a ‘collision’ – if this was a problem on the N64 then it could have been forgiven, but surely Namco would have ironed it out before releasing this ‘new’ version of Ridge Racer? Flying round the tracks also leads to popup of scenery and, more often than not, magically appearing trees! It wouldn’t be so noticeable if we had something to distract us but the backdrops are just so bland and usually consist of just a few badly drawn clouds or buildings. They certainly lack any real edge and I was quite disappointed with the scenery and backgrounds in RRDS, especially when you look at what Asphalt was able to produce. The courses are very similar to previous Ridge Racer courses and to be honest, I found that they lacked any real imagination or variety and ended up feeling dated, which is a shame.


Sound


The game features the standard electronic style of background music which does fit the races very well, but ultimately they are nothing special and won’t have you nodding your head along as your race. A few voice samples have also been included which are heard throughout the races themselves, for example “3, 2, 1, GO” or “Final Lap, Make it your best!” These are good and sound very nice quality over the DS’ stereo speakers but you may find yourself wanting to hit the announcer when he comments on your racing style for the 50th time – it does get repetitive! The engine sound effects are average. They do their job without really sounding realistic but at least they don’t make you turn the sound off like so many GBA racing games did. You get to hear quite an annoying screeching tyre sound regularly though, and this can really make your ears ache. Another bad fault I found with regards to collision was that the collision sound sometimes happened after the collision had taken place, and this delayed sound makes the presentation feel shoddy and a bit rushed.



Gameplay

Despite the non-inspirational graphics and below-par sound, Ridge Racer has always been known for its arcade-like and addictive style of racing. RRDS provides you with 4 modes of play, one of which is 6 player wireless multiplay. Grand prix is the standard tournament style mode where the player races against a handful of computer controlled cars. Car Attack sees the player having to race against only one other car in what is a much more aggressive (and personal) race. The racers start with only one opponent to choose to race against, but beating them will unlock more. Lastly, the standard Time attack race which lets players choose a car and course and try and beat their fastest times. All of the game modes follow the basic style of gameplay and there is little to really make the modes distinctive from one another – certainly RR does not offer as much variety as Asphalt could provide. In RR the gameplay is much more like an actual race, where you and your competitors all start at the same point at the same time and personally I prefer this style of racing game.

One thing that is brand new to the RR series is the DS’ control methods. The standard D-Pad control (D-Pad to steer) is known as the ‘easy’ control method in the game and is the mode that has been seen in all previous racing games and is the one that most of you will end up using for steering. The two brand new DS control methods are formed by using the Thumb Strap and Stylus on the touch screen. You will notice that the touch screen on the DS displays the steering wheel of your car and when using any of the two new control methods, this can be moved by touching the screen. This is a good idea by Namco, and it certainly is a nice feature to have included, but sadly I found it to feel clunky and rushed. Firstly, it is difficult to watch where your stylus/thumb is on the touch screen and keep an eye on the racing action and this led me to many races being lost due to crashes and such like. Secondly, it is worth saying that the touch screen steering is not easy. It is very responsive and will take a very long time to get used to, and at times it just feels as if your car is driving itself while you madly sweep at the touch screen. This is a shame, but at least Namco had the guts to implement the system for anyone who wants to try it – this is one up over Asphalt at least! A last grumble about the control system is that the X and B buttons are used for Accelerate and Break. Why they used these two buttons is anyone’s guess – it makes sliding your finger off one button to the other a challenge in itself.



So once you have mastered the control method, you want to get racing. The gameplay in RR is one of its major past selling points – the drift style corner taking had become almost a trade mark for the series and so naturally this version relies on it too. You have to turn early into corners in order that your vehicle slides around perfectly and accelerates out round the track. However this game manages to make this feel unrealistic and just not right. You can either over steer a corner, resulting in you spinning out of control, or you can’t turn enough and this leaves you colliding into the nearest wall. It’s a strange style and at first the drift style, sliding round corners seems like a real difficulty but eventually you begin to pick it up, but still the above troubles remain. The collisions again have to be mentioned as these are very poor. Hitting anything, no matter what speed, results in your car bouncing backwards for a few yards and slowing down slightly – realism may not be the games first focus, but this bad collision bouncing is really noticeable and detracts from the gameplay by making it a whole lot harder. Asphalt did a much better job of dealing with crashes and collisions – and it also made the sense of speed all the much greater. In RR it can feel like your cruising down the freeway when your speed-o-meter says your way over 100mph. It would have been nicer to have greater sense of speed like some of the later titles in the RR series, and it is not like the DS couldn’t have handled it.

Multiplayer mode is included and unlike Asphalt, RR only requires one of the 6 players to have the game cart. This is really good, as your chances of finding a mate with just a DS is greater than finding a mate with the DS and this game. However the choice of courses and cars is limited when using the single cart multiplayer mode – for the full experience you will all need a game cart. The multiplayer mode runs fast and is very enjoyable, but I personally had more a good time racing my friends on Asphalt. It’s not bad, but it is not going to keep you and your mates going for a long time.




Lifespan

Once you get the hand of Ridge Racer DS then you will soon be mastering the Grand Prix and Car Attack modes and unlocking all the hidden extras the game has to offer… well, the few! There are 20 tracks to race through, although many look very similar and once you get used to these then you will start to get bored quickly. The lack of a story in the grand prix mode and lack of more features means that even the Grand Prix mode wont keep you coming back to play again and again. If you have done it once, then you have little to see again. The computer difficult level is pretty good though and does provide a challenge even for the more experience racer. Multiplayer mode, especially with the single cart mode, will help pad the games lifespan out for longer but ultimately this game will not keep you playing for long unless you really are a RR fanatic. Even then, I would highly doubt it. More varied gameplay modes would have helped an awful lot in increasing this games lifespan.



Summary


There was RR64 and now there is RR DS. It is very difficult to tell the two versions apart although this is not necessarily a bad thing at first. However once you begin to notice the graphical glitches, poor collision detection and dated style of gameplay you will start to wonder why Namco didn’t put some more effort into updating this version of Ridge Racer more. Sure they included Stylus steering but this has a rushed feel to it too and you will more than likely end up not using it. Multiplayer is fun and I’m pleased to see another single cart multiplayer game but it’s certainly no Mario Kart and you and your mates will soon find it gets too repetitive. I feel disappointed – N64 ports coming to the DS aren’t a bad thing, (see Mario) but when they feel this dated and sluggish then it’s hard to recommend them. A real shame.




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Graphics - 6/10

Initially look nice and are at times up to N64 style. But there are far to many glitches and unpolished areas.

Sound - 6/10

Typically Ridge Racer style music and has good quality voice samples. However engine and tyre noises leave a lot to be desired.

Gameplay - 6.5/10

It's a decent racing game - but feels slow and unrealistic. Stylus control could be better and there is a distinct lack of game modes.

Lifespan - 7/10

Single player wont hold your interest for long. Only the multiplayer mode helps the lifespan achieve a resonable score.



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A rushed, outdated version of a classic. A mixture of glitches and poor gameplay mean that Ridge Racer DS is impossible to recommend over Asphalt Urban GT. For fans of the series only.