Format: PlayStation 2
Publisher: Namco
Developer: Namco
First release: 2000
Availability: PAL, NTSC, Arcade (RRV Arcade Battle)
Version reviewed: PlayStation 2 (NTSC)
Released in 2000 as a launch title for PS2 across all regions, Ridge Racer V had a tough job ahead of it. It not only followed the critically acclaimed Ridge Racer Type 4, but Gran Turismo had already forced the console racing genre forward by some margin. Gamers now expected more from their racing games, no longer would a small car collection and a small track line-up suffice.
Graphics:
Ridge Racer V adopts a somewhat more realistic visual style compared to the artistic boldness of RRT4. At first this can feel a little restrained, it certainly lacks the flash of RRT4 but taken on its own merits, it’s an exceptionally beautiful game.
Lighting effects are superb, particularly the orange hues of sunset as the low sun clips over the horizon. There’s warmth in the visuals during this time of day, something that felt quite remarkable in 2000 and still holds up today. Night time races are just as spectacular with a real glitzy feel to the environment and with flashing street lights and the reflective surfaces really coming to the fore.
RRV isn’t light on little details either with fully modelled wheels (which is something even GT3 couldn’t manage during races), sparks from cars bottoming out, glowing brake discs and amazing use of depth of field in the replays. Colour also pops with fantastic colour on the cars and the almost Sega-esque bright skies. The replays offer fantastic camera angles which really enhances the design here.
We do however need to address the elephant in the room, the jagged edges. RRV does indeed have a slightly jagged look at times, something that Namco ‘fixed’ for the western release of Tekken Tag. Whilst it would have been cool to have seen this ‘fixed’, it does lend the game a wonderfully sharp image that suits the feeling of the city well and RRV runs at a blistering 60 fps in all modes, including replays.
The presentation is excellent throughout with a superb introductory sequence and brilliantly designed and animated menus. The entire package feels expertly designed and a cut above many of its contemporaries.
Sound:
Like all Ridge titles, RRV has a superb electronic soundtrack provided mostly by the Namco sound team with a few licensed tracks too. Several tracks absolutely bang, really driving up adrenaline for the racing. As good as the soundtrack as it is, it doesn’t quite hit the consistent highs of RRT4.
Engine sounds are varied but perhaps lack the rawness of what you would hope from powerful cars. However the same car when driven by AI sound superb, especially in tunnels, which is a mite inconsistent. There is also a commentary with real life DJ Ken Ayugai which has all the charm you would expect from a game of this era..
The audio presentation as whole is very good, however better in car engines would certainly take this up a notch.
How Does It Play?
With four previous games released on PlayStation, it would have taken a cock up of epic proportions to mess up RRV. Fortunately, that cock up did not happen and RRV plays beautifully. Control is, as expected, ultra responsive and nothing backs this up more than the aforementioned sixty frames per second update, this really lends the game a timeless feel, much like Daytona USA.
There are six main cars in the game, each with a completely different handling style based on the grip/drift mechanic from RRT4. Despite the low number of cars, each one feels completely different to drive. For example, the little Civic style hatchback is a grip based model with zippy response and a lightweight feel. The Mustang style drift machine is heavy and really leans into turns and just a slight mistake in timing of the control will cause it to slide wildly. Each car offers a completely different play style to increase variety and longevity. The overall feel of the handling is much more challenging and rewarding than the modern Ridge Racer games. After the admittedly excellent PSP game, the series took an almost cut and paste feel with simplified drifting and no real variation between cars. RRV doesn’t suffer from this, each car is initially tough to drive but ultimately the satisfaction of mastery is much higher.
Control options are great with full digital support for those that prefer it. Negcon and Jogcon support also exist and both work well, though the Jogcon perhaps isn’t the best controller ever made. The PlayStation 2 controller has all analogue buttons which is something RRV supports fully. You can also adjust the pressure sensitivity for acceleration and braking, though we wouldn’t recommend the heavy setting unless you regularly work out your thumbs!
The racing is your typical Ridge Racer style with 14 competitors in a race with the ultimate aim being to win the GPs on offer. AI is somewhat threadbare but it certainly puts up a good challenge, particularly on the highest of the three difficulty levels. Collisions are a little unfair with the player coming off worse in many side-on encounters so you have to be really careful. You cannot ram your opponents off the road in this game! Despite this, it does somehow add to the thrill of navigating a particularly tight section of the track when chasing down opponents. You absolutely have to get the balance of throttle and nail the angle of the turns which is much easier when using the pressure sensitive controls.
The first person camera is the way to go because the chase view is far too close and locked to the car. It just feels more like an afterthought but then Ridge Racer hadn’t exactly championed the chase view up until this point.
Content:
Six cars in the main line-up as previously mentioned. Each of these cars has an upgraded model with new wheels, aero parts and two extra engines, one for the oval. There are also a good handful of special cars with crazy designs, including remodelled Angel and Devil cars. Paint types can be changed for the main roster of cars and under the right conditions, Pac Man and the Ghosts can be unlocked!
There are seven circuits on offer which at parts, entwine with each other. Ridge City, as it’s known, does somewhat feel light in this area, especially when you consider it’s all based on the original Ridge Racer track. However this track is one of those timeless tracks that never gets old and to see it expand into a full blown city is great. The circuits that branch off of the original track are superbly designed with many tricky turns to compliment the flat out sections.
There are six GPs to race with the Maximum GP only being available on the hardest difficulty level. This GP is extremely hard to win and needs almost perfect driving to complete. A real war of attrition with no rewind feature to fall back on if you make a mistake!
There is also a time trial mode, a duel mode, which is to unlocked those special cars, and a 99 lap race for those mad enough to take it on (us!).
There is also a two player mode with fogging that Turok would be proud of. It runs flawlessly but offers limited content and play modes.
The overall content in RRV is probably best described as focused. It doesn’t have the raw numbers that RRT4 has but what it does have is more varied in terms of gameplay.
Summary:
On release in 2000 Ridge Racer V was perhaps a little harshly judged. A big deal was made of the slightly jaggy visuals and recycling of the old track. However, there was little focus on what Ridge Racer V did right, and that was fantastic, varied handling, stunning design and a brilliant, tight challenge. It could use more content, having fewer tracks than RRT4 is a disappointment and the two player mode is somewhat disappointing, but for anyone that is after a superb, classic arcade racer with handling that is hugely rewarding, then Ridge Racer V is a must.
Note: The PAL version us partially optimised with a boost in speed but a typically squashed letterbox display.
Verdict: Great out of ten:
Digital Foundry’s John Linneman analysed both Ridge Racer V and Type 4 and it’s a superb video that we recommend watching.
Digital Drift/Racer 