It’s RRRRRIIIIIIIIIDDDGGGEEE RRRRACCCCEEEEERRRRR!!!

Old joke I know but it set the internet on fire in its time. Ridge Racer made its comeback to gaming on the PlayStation. It was one of the first 3D racers for the system and it was loads of fun. Now here we are over a decade later and yet RR7 remains mostly unchanged.

Unlike a lot of other racers on the market RR has never used licensed autos. Instead the game is filled with fantasy cars for you to unlock and purchase. Upon signing into RR7 you’ll have the game’s main mode where you’ll participate in different sponsored events; everything from official sponsored races to underground races later on. You’ll race to unlock new rides and new mods.

Speaking of rides there are 3 distinct types of classes: Standard, Mild and Dynamic. To understand these and what they mean, you’ll have to know what kind of racer RR really is. RR is really a simple arcade-drifting racing game, so if you’re looking for realism, look elsewhere. Standard cars mean once in a drift it’s easy to retain control, but it isn’t as easy to get the car to drift. Mild is a mixture of both standard and dynamic styles, meaning it’s easier to drift than standard and easier to regain control than dynamic. Dynamic is pure drift-bred cars, the slightest movement and you’ll start sliding around corners and it can be a challenge to bring the car back under control. What’s interesting is that RR7 includes nitro, but the nitrous is tied into drifting. You see, barring certain modifiers, you fill the nitro tanks by drifting so the more/longer you drift, the quicker the tank fills up an allows you to hit the nitro. There are different modifiers, but they mainly tie drifting with nitro filling.

Namco attempted to keep RR7 up with the times by allowing basic performance and visual mods. You can purchase performance mods like better engines as well as tires/suspension packages. It’s really basic but given the depth of the game it’s a nice touch. You can add body parts to your car as well as change the colors and the color scheme to more suit your own style. You unlock new parts/cars by entering manufacturer events and you also gain loyalty points the more you use the brands which in turn will open up more parts as well as discounts.

The game, like I mentioned above, is very arcade and relies heavily on drifting. It’s key that you learn this because it is not sim-based where you approach a turn, apply a braking line, go around the turn and accelerate out. Doing so in RR7 will get you a spot in last place. Instead you barrel into the corner and start drifting! Drifting can be done simply by releasing the gas and locking the steering in the desired direction. I have yet to use breaks in this game and that’s just fine.

You know, for a launch game, I’m really surprised that RR7 is still one of the best looking racers to date! Everything is sharp and crisp, the frame rates are silky smooth. It may not have the advanced lighting effects like more recent racers, but it still manages to look good in its own right. The SFX are a bit on the ho-hum side, the cars don’t sound great. As a matter of fact they sound very bland and boring, the music is filled with pop which does fit the games nature, but otherwise nothing spectacular going on in this area.

RR7 allows you to customize your ride an take it to online races and there are time trial modes as well, but most your time will be spent in the game’s career mode.

The Rundown
If you’re looking for a simple racing game you can pop in for a few minutes of play or something for the younger gamers to get into that offers a lot of things to do then look no further than RR7. As simple as it is there are quite a lot of events in there that will keep you busy for some time and the gameplay is really easy to get into.

Presentation 7.5
+ Easy to use menu layout
- Things can look a bit cluttered

Graphics 8.0
+ Still one of the best looking racers to date, consistent frame rate
- Not a lot of special effects

SFX 6.5
+ The music… if you enjoy that sort of thing
- Bland & boring engine sounds

Gameplay 7.0
+ Easy to get into, tons of events, performance/visual mods
- Gameplay feels very dated

RV/FF 8.0
+ Tons of events, doesn’t require long sessions to advance
- It can grow real old due to its simplicity