NTSC U/C copy played on a PlayStation 2 Slim.
I can't compare the PlayStation port of Ridge Racer to its arcade original but as a standalone console game, I think it's fair to say it's a mixed bag at best.
On one hand you have a fairly solid, if very early, form of the drift racer that the series would go on to excel at. While you can get away with holding the accelerate button for the vast majority of each of the two variations of the one track, only occasionally will you have to tap the break button to initiate a wavy drift before it locks you back into a standard driving mode again. It takes a while to get used to and master that "snapping" motion it forces upon you but once you've gotten a handle on it the maneuver can be satisfying.
But really that's all there is to talk about - the cars have different handlings sure but nothing to write home about and the track"s" on display here arr literally just the same one with a slightly more challenging route unlocked for the higher speed racers.
The music's pretty decent, depending heavily on how you view early 90s electronica - some are fun like the classic "Ridge Racer" (here in its more primal form) and "Feeling Over", but then there's the nightmarish "Rotterdam Nation" which feels like you're descending into some hellish landscape.
There are some extras and unlockables you can find, namely the mirrored tracks by driving backwards at the start of each race, and the bonus cars that can be accessed by beating the arcade mini game that plays during the "Now Loading" screen, but they don't radically change the game in any meaningful way.
I'd heavily recommend tracking down a copy of Ridge Racer Type 4 with the Bonus Turbo Disc included as this contains a 60fps version of the game, if a much more stripped back one.
Overall Ridge Racer isn't bad - it's solid and serviceable and worth the 2-3 hours it takes to master it, but I certainly wouldn't have been happy paying the RRP for it.
I can't compare the PlayStation port of Ridge Racer to its arcade original but as a standalone console game, I think it's fair to say it's a mixed bag at best.
On one hand you have a fairly solid, if very early, form of the drift racer that the series would go on to excel at. While you can get away with holding the accelerate button for the vast majority of each of the two variations of the one track, only occasionally will you have to tap the break button to initiate a wavy drift before it locks you back into a standard driving mode again. It takes a while to get used to and master that "snapping" motion it forces upon you but once you've gotten a handle on it the maneuver can be satisfying.
But really that's all there is to talk about - the cars have different handlings sure but nothing to write home about and the track"s" on display here arr literally just the same one with a slightly more challenging route unlocked for the higher speed racers.
The music's pretty decent, depending heavily on how you view early 90s electronica - some are fun like the classic "Ridge Racer" (here in its more primal form) and "Feeling Over", but then there's the nightmarish "Rotterdam Nation" which feels like you're descending into some hellish landscape.
There are some extras and unlockables you can find, namely the mirrored tracks by driving backwards at the start of each race, and the bonus cars that can be accessed by beating the arcade mini game that plays during the "Now Loading" screen, but they don't radically change the game in any meaningful way.
I'd heavily recommend tracking down a copy of Ridge Racer Type 4 with the Bonus Turbo Disc included as this contains a 60fps version of the game, if a much more stripped back one.
Overall Ridge Racer isn't bad - it's solid and serviceable and worth the 2-3 hours it takes to master it, but I certainly wouldn't have been happy paying the RRP for it.