RipTen Review: Ridge Racer (3DS)
Ridge Racer is no stranger to the portable gaming arena, and makes a welcome addition to the 3DS’ launch lineup. While it’s not the most anticipated game available on the system, it comes in as a strong arcade-style racer. If you’re looking for a game that really showcases the 3DS’ capabilities, then this is the game you want.
The graphics in Ridge Racer are colorful and varied. The tracks range everywhere from snowy peaks to seaside drives, and even include a few under-the-sea excursions. The car models are detailed and while there aren’t too many different models, there is enough customization to keep it interesting. Pixels are evident on the screen, but easily forgiven for the overall effect of the game. Effects like lens flares, particle effects, dirt kicked up from the road, and water splashing onto the camera all accentuate the 3D without being obnoxious. 3D in this game is stellar, and takes already great environments and really makes them shine. Seeing scenery whip past in 3D while keeping the frame rate up is impressive, and it just feels like the 3DS was made for this kind of experience. While it’s not integral to the game, the extra dimension adds quite a bit to the visual element of the game.
The gameplay in Ridge Racer is pretty typical for an arcade racer. You’ve got a boost meter that fills from pulling off ridiculous drifts around corners, and the basic objective is to get to the finish line before anyone else. While there’s nothing particularly creative about the gameplay, it’s definitely a solid implementation of the idea and it’s great to play. The difficulty starts off a bit easy, but soon ramps up and keeps you on your toes. By the end of the game you’ll need to be able to pull off perfect drifts if you want to stay in the race; and that’s how it should be.
The game features an upgraded system that keeps the cars feeling fresh even after you’ve been driving the same machine for after many a Grand Prix. These include straight upgrades to the speed of the car and different nitrous systems. One of the cool things about the nitrous upgrades is that they seem to always have a tradeoff. Some charge faster through drifts, some last longer but take longer to fill, etc. Deciding on the right nitrous system changes how you race, and that little bit of customization to match your own style is a nice touch.
There are plenty of game modes to keep you busy, from Grand Prix (the meat of the single player experience), to single races, to four player local versus. Nothing new and innovative in any of the game modes, but each of them are solid and add to the overall package. Streetpass functionality allows you to download and race against ghosts of players you may cross paths with throughout your day. I’ve already had a few random strangers’ ghosts appear on my system, and it definitely fuels my competitive side.
Overall, Ridge Racer 3D is a well-executed arcade racer for the 3DS. It doesn’t bring any new or innovative features to the table, but it hits all the staples of the genre and does a solid job with all of them. Racing seems especially good in 3D, and the environments really take full advantage of it.If you’re an arcade racing fan, This is definitely not a game you want to miss out on. Check out the trailer after the break.
Here’s The Rundown:
+The 3D is awesome
+It’s an engaging, solid racing experience
-Nothing really new or groundbreaking
Ridge Racer 3D was developed and published by Namco-Bandai and release on March 22nd, 2011 for the price of $39.99USD. The copy used in this review was purchased by the reviewer and played for countless hours until Brandon got a headache.
