Reviewed: January 4, 2005
Reviewed by: Mark Smith
Publisher
Namco
Developer
NST
Released: December 7, 2004
Genre: Racing
Players: 6
ESRB: Everyone
8
8
8
8
8.1
Supported Features:
Namco’s legendary Ridge Racer series has been an ongoing staple in the PlayStation world for nearly a decade now, and even Nintendo owners got a taste of the racing action back in 2000 when Ridge Racer 64 paved the gap between systems. In fact, it is this very game that the new Ridge Racer DS has used as its foundation for this handheld port. And what better team to bring all this intense racing action to the small screen than the original N64 developers, NST.
Ridge Racer DS marks the second racing game to ship for the DS since it’s launch, following in the tire tracks of Asphalt: Urban GT and quite possibly passing the competition on the very first lap. Ridge Racer DS offers all the fast-paced action you've come to expect from the Ridge Racer name while exploiting the innovative features of the DS such as touch screen steering and wireless multiplayer.
Ridge Racer DS features:
- 3 Game Modes
- 20 Grand Prix Races
- 32 Race Cars unlockable through Car Challenges
- Analog steering through the use of the Nintendo DS Touch Screen.
- Supports up to 6-player simultaneous play through the Nintendo DS built in wireless support
Ridge Racer has never pretended to be anything more than a pure arcade racer, and this purity comes through, even on the small DS screen. Ridge Racer DS does a great job of using the DS hardware to create a fast and fun racing experience that caters to the casual gamer and even those who want to master the intricacies of analog touch steering.
Ridge Racer DS offers three unique ways of steering your car that are deceptively labeled, Easy, Hard, and Expert. Easy mode puts the car under the control of the D-pad and fans of the PlayStation version will feel right at home. Of course, you also get all of the over-steering and wall-scraping you had back in the 90’s.
The Hard mode is exactly that, hard, and relies on using the stylus to manipulate the large graphic of the steering wheel on the bottom screen of your DS. I tried this for all of two races before I calmly bit my stylus in half and spit it across the room. This mode is just way too sensitive, even for analog, and I found myself bouncing between the sides of the track like a wayward pinball. Oddly enough, the digital D-pad is more precise than this.
The Expert mode is easily the best and obviously the preferred and intended way to play Ridge Racer DS. It relies on the use of your thumb and the DS Thumb Strap to control the car. You do know where your thumb strap is, don’t you? I had to go looking for mine. This mode utilizes the entire touch screen for smooth analog input. Younger gamers or those with small hands or thumbs might have trouble getting the full range of steering motion with this mode, but once you are able to master the subtleties of this control scheme it really become second nature and the ultimate way to control your car and play the game.
All of the traditional modes are in place including the Quick Race, Grand Prix, and Time Attack options. As you might expect, most of the tracks and cars are locked until you earn them by winning Grand Prix and Car Challenge events. You are given three races and three car challenges that you can play in any order. When you have won each of those the next tier on the tournament tree unlocks and you keep on going. As you get deeper into the game the cars get faster and the competition stiffer.
Cars have the standard variables like top speed, acceleration, handling, etc. and you will often have to sacrifice one for the other. The upcoming track may also influence your decision. A track with a lot of straight sections might be better suited for a car with a high top speed while better handling or quick acceleration is useful on twisty courses. Even after finishing the game and unlocking all the cars I still couldn’t find one car that was universally acceptable for all races.
Tracks come in three flavors, the standard Ridge Racer city and coastal track, a scenic course that cuts its way through the mountains, and a long stretch through the sun-baked desert of the Southwest. Tracks are altered as you progress through the series with three variations of each that usually become longer and more difficult. All of these variations are then reversed for the final half of the game.
AI is almost scripted. In the first 8-10 races I couldn’t lose and even my position seemed scripted. I would almost always be in 5th place on lap 2 and 3rd place on the final lap. The lead car(s) would intentionally hang back on the final lap so I could “miraculously” pass them on the home stretch and take the checkered flag.
But just when I was about to dismiss the entire game as a “rigged kiddie racer” things got tough – real tough. I found myself racing many events two, three or even five times. I’d have to experiment with various cars and find which one worked best with the current track and opponent skill level.
Collision detection is, in a word, unforgiving. You will often grind against the wall or smash into the backend of the car ahead of you, either action drastically reducing your speed. This is where a car with quick acceleration comes in handy. It’s not that the collision detection is buggy, just extremely strict, which makes it a dangerous proposition to attempt to pass on anything but a straight stretch of road. I even noticed some of the cars would organize themselves in moving roadblocks to prevent you from passing.
The DS version of Ridge Racer delivers the first “online” experience in the series with support for up to six racers at a time, all with only one game cartridge. This means that if you happen to see a guy sitting on the bus across from you with a DS you can “beam” him a single track and enough of the game to challenge him to a race.
Single-card games are rather limited and intended as more of a sampling of what the true multiplayer experience is all about. Those linking in without a card with not get music or speech and you only get one sample track, whereas true multi-card multiplayer will be fully functional with all of the sound, music and complete track library.
Ridge Racer DS kicks off with an impressive opening movie of the cars in action followed by a slick menu that features the sexy female race driver, Rena (from R:Racing Evolution) spanning both screens. The rest of the menus are attractive and informative. The race and car selection menus show you 3D views of the track and cars along with records, bar charts for stats, and other useful info.
Once in the game the designers have kept all of the secondary information on the lower screen such as lap times, records, and the top-down map of the track. This frees up the top screen for nothing but pure 3D racing action with graphics that easily rival the original PlayStation version. The cars and tracks all look great with good textures, color and details that hold up to a smooth 30fps.
You can choose to race in or behind the car. Both offer their own unique sets of challenges. Behind the car can be a bit twitchy on the handling and collision detection while racing from inside is a bit more forgiving, but also gives you a greater sense of speed and reduced reaction time. It’s also a bit hairy when you are power sliding through a turn at 90-degrees and looking at the wall rather than the track ahead.
The original N64 soundtrack is perfectly preserved offering about a dozen musical selections that range from techno and trance to a quirky little number called the “Mushroom Kingdom”. You’ll have to be quick if you want to pick your favorite during the three-second countdown prior to the race, otherwise you can accept the default song or have the game randomize the jukebox.
The cars all make the now-classic Ridge Racer engine sounds and there is no mistaking that metal-on-invisible track barrier grinding noise when you scrape the sides or the trashcan-like clank when two cars collide. While the speakers on the DS don’t offer the best separation, if you are playing with headphones you really can hear the cars pulling up along either side of you while you race, and there is a nice reverb effect in the tunnels.
There is even a smattering of speech tossed in including some encouraging words (“you can take this guy” or “attack!”) on the final lap, and some zingers (“what’s the matter – engine trouble?”) if you linger at the starting line too long. It’s a solid reproduction of the original game and quite impressive by handheld standards.
With 20 races and more than 30 cars to win I spent nearly 16 hours just unlocking everything and “finishing” the game. Of course, with the insanely fun multiplayer and the ever-present time attacks just begging for me to beat my previous records, there is no end in sight for the enjoyment you can have with Ridge Racer DS.
The single-card multiplayer is great for the casual race challenge with a friend (or stranger) and a brilliant marketing move on the part of Namco that will allow DS owners to sample the game before they run out and buy their own copy.
With the exception of the touch screen steering and unparalleled multiplayer, Ridge Racer DS doesn’t do much to advance the racing genre on the handheld system. It merely ports over a solid existing game onto a system that is more than up to the task of supporting it, and in turn creates a fun and challenging racing experience that you can fit in your pocket.
After only two months DS owners have the luxury of choosing between two very good and very different racing titles. While Asphalt: Urban GT slightly edges out Ridge Racer DS in visuals and variety of gameplay, Ridge Racer DS comes with an undeniable legacy and built-in audience from both PlayStation and N64 camps and continues to represent arcade racing in its purist form.
