Ridge Racer

Ridge Racer is a spiritual successor to Sim Drive (1992), a racing simulation game met with a limited release in Japanese arcades using an actual body of a Mazda Eunos Roadster . Originally meant as an F1 racing game, similar to Namco's own Pole Position and Final Lap series, it was instead replaced with racing on mountain roads, a popular trend for Japanese car enthusiasts at the time. The PlayStation version was a launch title for the console and was an astounding success for Namco, prompting the creation of several sequels for arcades and home platforms. Earlier Ridge Racer games received critical acclaim for their graphics, gameplay, and musical score, many citing it as a contributing factor to the success of the PlayStation in its early years.

Later entries were criticized for straying too far from the source material and lack of content, with Ridge Racer Vita (2011) being the first game to receive generally negative reception from critics; its base content was considered extremely lacking, with the player forced to obtain the vast majority of additional content by purchasing DLC. The last mainline title, Ridge Racer Unbounded (2012) received mixed-to-average reception from critics. Games list Main series Ridge Racer (1993) is the first entry in the series, originally released for arcades and running on the Namco System 22 arcade system. A PlayStation conversion was released in 1994 and 1995 as a launch title for the console.

Two other versions of the game were released for arcades: Ridge Racer Full Scale , which featured a replica Eunos Roadster that the player sat in to control the game, and Ridge Racer: 3-Screen Edition , which used three different monitors to provide a peripheral vision effect, similar to Namco's earlier game Driver's Eyes (1991). A Japanese mobile phone version was released in 2000. The game was also released for J2ME in 2006 and Zeebo in 2009. Ridge Racer 2 (1994) was released for arcades, running on the Namco System 22 hardware.

It serves as an update to the original game, featuring multiplayer, a rear-view mirror, and a remixed soundtrack composed by Shinji Hosoe . Rave Racer (1995) was released for arcades. It features two new tracks alongside the two present in the original Ridge Racer , and had linkable arcade cabinets that allowed for up to eight-person multiplayer. Home conversions for both the PlayStation and Microsoft Windows were announced in 1996, but were later cancelled.

Ridge Racer Revolution (1995) was released for the PlayStation. It is a modified home release of Ridge Racer 2 with three completely new and different tracks than the arcade and original games, new music, additional vehicles, and multiplayer via the PlayStation Link Cable peripheral. Rage Racer (1996) was released for the PlayStation. Alongside the introduction of series mascot Reiko Nagase, it featured customizable cars and a retries rule, both of which have become prominent throughout the franchise.

It also features a more gritty and darker graphical style, a departure from the series' more colorful art style. R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 (1998) was released for the PlayStation, titled Ridge Racer Type 4 in Europe. It marks the debut of racing teams, which became a core aspect for all games to follow, and is the first PlayStation game in the series to use Gouraud shading for its graphics. Multiplayer modes are also present, being displayed in a split-screen orientation.

In 2018, it was released as one of the built-in games on the PlayStation Classic mini console. Ridge Racer 64 (2000) was released for the Nintendo 64 in North America and Europe; it was not developed by Namco , who instead licensed the series to Nintendo and developed by its subsidiary Nintendo Software Technology . It includes tracks from Ridge Racer (Arcade) and Ridge Racer Revolution (PS one), alongside new tracks and cars. Ridge Racer V (2000) was released as a launch title for the PlayStation 2 .

An arcade version was released a year later, subtitled Arcade Battle . The original Ridge Racer game's free-form structure is instead replaced with Grand Prix races found in Ridge Racer Type 4 . Ridge Racer DS (2004) was released as a launch title for the Nintendo DS . A remake of Ridge Racer 64 , it includes touch-screen controls that allow the player to use the stylus to steer the car, alongside a multiplayer mode via local wireless multiplayer.

Nintendo Software Technology again returned to develop. Ridge Racer (2004) was released as a launch title for the PlayStation Portable , and was titled Ridge Racers in Japan. It features tracks, cars and music found in earlier Ridge Racer games, leading it to be described as a "compilation" of the series. Ridge Racer 6 (2005) was released as a launch title for the Xbox 360 , featuring a total of 130 vehicles and 30 playable tracks, alongside 14-person online multiplayer through Xbox Live .

Ridge Racer 2 (2006) was released for the PlayStation Portable and was named Ridge Racers 2 in Japan keeping the unique PSP naming scheme. It is a direct sequel to the 2004 Ridge Racers and retains the same concept of the first game featuring tracks, cars and music taken from earlier games in the franchise. Ridge Racer 7 (2006) was released as a launch title for the PlayStation 3 . It is a largely enhanced and expanded version of Ridge Racer 6 .

Ridge Racer 3D (2011) was released as a launch title for the Nintendo 3DS . Ridge Racer (2011) was released as a launch title for the PlayStation Vita . It was developed by Cellius . Ridge Racer Unbounded (2012) was released for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows.

The game is a large departure from the series' core gameplay, instead focusing on vehicular combat akin to the Burnout series. It was developed by Finland-based Bugbear Entertainment .