Ridge Racer 3D

-Namco (2006)

-Played on a Samsung A930

Summary:

The original drift racer sputters and chugs before eventually resembling a Ridge Racer game.

My Thoughts:

Before the whole drifting scene became popular in the US there was Ridge Racer, a racing game that required you to become an expert drifter while driving at insane speeds. The series has now come to mobile phones in the form of Ridge Racer 3D, which is almost as you remember the original arcade or PS One versions.

If you have somehow managed to avoid ever playing a Ridge Racer game (shame on you) I tell you how they work. Ridge Racer games have a time limit with checkpoints and it is your goal to reach first place before time is up. You race one of many unreal yet real cars and drift into tight corners in a controllable out of control spin. The game gives you a selection of four cars and tracks with all the others (four more of each) waiting to be unlocked. All the tracks are variations on the same one whether taking an alternate path or going in reverse, but back when Ridge Racer first came out we didn't care. It was the great sense of speed and quick drifting that drew you in then.

The mobile version isn't quite up to par in its sense of speed as its bigger better brethren. I thought the game was stuttering or malfunctioning when I first played it because when the race began my car did nothing but chug and stutter. Then I realized that this was the mobile version’s way of your initial acceleration. The speed feels much slower than a typical Ridge Racer game. It's only when you reach the last few races where the speed manages to keep you glued to the small screen hoping you won't screw up your next drift. Accelerating is easy since you don’t have to do it. All you need to worry about is timing your drifts correctly, which is surprisingly easier than you think it would be on a phone. The entire game is on the easy side with the exception of the final stage which requires perfect speed and timing throughout the race.

With all the tracks and cars available there are some things that did not make it into the game. Most notably of these is the music. Ridge Racer games are known for their high energy techno soundtracks, but only one track made into the mobile version. I believe it is the Ridge Racer theme and it plays over and over during every race, every replay. The game also lacks any sound effects. There is also considerable pop-up, which isn't unexpected since there was some in the original and this is a weaker version of that finer game.

The graphics are pretty good for a phone, considering they're all in full polygonal 3D and while they are missing many of the details, they easily stack up against the originals. Any fan of the series could give it a go as it’s decently entertaining for a little while. Eventually you will greatly miss what the game is lacking and you’ll want to load up the PS One version just so you can play Ridge Racer properly.

Score: 6.0        

-Shawn

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