Ridge Racer 7 – PS3 – Review

Speeding
down city streets, you cut off one driver while slipping in between two
others. You reach for your horn but there isn’t one. You reach for your brakes
at the sight of a sharp corner, then shrug your shoulders and drive into it at
full speed. All is well in your world – the grand prize is just moments away.

In the vein
of every great tragedy, you’re just about to become the champion when a
selfish opponent attempts to power-slide into first. Instead he slides into
you, who slams into the nearest wall, totaling the vehicle while crushing
every bone in your body.

Everything
about this story is true. Except for the part about a totaled car and crushed
bones. You see, Ridge Racer is not a series where crushed anything is
possible. The vehicles are not licensed to any real-world manufacturer, and
the driving physics are in no way realistic. Even so, the developers started
the series with cars that could not be damaged. Eleven years and several
thousand pile-ups later and they’ve yet to get a single scratch.

Ridge Racer
7 is the fourth game in the series to launch with a new Sony console. Like the
original, which was ported from arcades exclusively to PSone, the latest
update is not overwhelming in its depth. But it can be and often is
overwhelming in its challenge. RR7 brings back the same type of cars and
ridiculously fun arcade handling of the PSP adaptation. New vehicles, courses,
and an improved graphic engine are three of the highlights. However, no number
of race tracks could keep the Ridge Racer series from repeating each course
with different routes. Memorize the layout early on – you’re going to see a
lot each locale.

Slip ‘N’
Slide

Ridge Racer
7’s physics take power-sliding to the extreme. Every vehicle has an immediate
reaction to deceleration. Braking will cause the car to function in a more
traditional manner. If you’re entering a corner – or just cruising a
straightaway – and release the gas, turning will shift the vehicle into its
controlled power-slide. With little to no effort players can skid in and out
of the course’s toughest areas. You’ll expect to spin out – you’ll think
there’s no way to win when your vehicle is driving sideways.

But Ridge
Racer isn’t about the frustration of realistic drifting. In spite of its
simplified – really, I should say magnified – steering, RR7 is a very
difficult racing game. Opponents are fierce and unforgiving. They’re vengeful
and full of second chances. They don’t take a loss lying down, and though
they’ll allow a few unexplained passes from time to time, their comebacks make
it seem like that was the plan all along. There’s an opportunity to win, but
only if you take it. The cars can’t be damaged, but the slightest bump will
slow you down. Losing speed is the top way to lose the top spot. Acquiring
first – in the first place – is going to drive you mad.

Technically
that makes RR7 a contradiction of its own good fortune. The controls are easy
enough for the most inexperienced player to master. But the courses and
opponent AI push the difficulty ahead of any current- or next-gen racer, on
any platform, released this year.

Racing
Tiers, Racing Tears

Nearly
two-dozen courses were built for Ridge Racer 7. Most are new (or are supposed
to be) but retain the series’ classic feel.

Ridge State
Grand Prix is where you’ll go to unlock the vehicles and courses. The journey
is a long and arduous one, but it’s also very entertaining and rewarding.
There are three race types, and they decide how your next joy ride will play
out.

Manufacturer’s Trial races are sponsored by machine and parts manufacturers.
Win and you’ll have the option to purchase new parts. The UFRA Single Events
are individual competitions with restrictions (such as a time limit). Ridge
State Grand Prix are the main competitions, featuring multiple races and a
point system that determines the winner at the end. Completing them will
advance you toward the final goal. They also reward you with lots of prize
money, which is needed for new parts.

Almost
Next-Gen. Almost.

Ridge Racer
7 is not an instant eye-popper. The motion controls of the sixaxis are nowhere
to be found. That’s disappointing, but given how recent Sony made the
announcement, "Wii can play too, Nintendo," I didn’t expect any of the launch
titles to use that feature.

Expectations
were much higher for the graphics, which could’ve (and probably should’ve)
obliterated everything else on the planet. RR7 doesn’t come close to that. But
it is a very good-looking, high-res game that has managed to avoid the
corruption of launch-title blues. Pixelation, pop-up, clipping – all were
bypassed. Granted, this is not the fastest racer. The turbo boost does not
bring the game to Burnout-like speeds.

But to see
such lush, deep locations, and cars full of not just detail, but also a richer
and more realistic body – is not something you could’ve gotten from the
current generation. Xbox 360 could’ve powered this game, and that should come
as a surprise to no one. It’ll take a good year or two before the significant
differences between the two consoles are easy to spot.

However,
when it comes to games like Madden 07 and Need For Speed, it is often the
developers’ intent to make each version equal. So while I do expect exclusive
titles like Ridge Racer to become much more impressive, we may not see that
level of advancement from games that are simultaneously made for more than one
platform.

Review Scoring Details for Ridge Racer 7

Gameplay: 8.5
Ridge Racer 7
doesn’t make the most of PS3’s engine, but it’s got enough horsepower under
the hood to earn a permanent place in your game collection. The courses have a
great, classic Ridge Racer layout (but are not all rehashes), and the crazy
steering is a blast to fool around with.

Graphics: 8.9
This game looks
great, and is filled with wonderful landscapes and structures to get lost in.
But its beauty will age. Compared to what else is out there, Ridge Racer 7 is
an 8.9 this year. In 2007, its graphics will likely drop to a 7.5, and
much lower after that. I say that assuming PS3 is as powerful as we all hope
it is. And that developers start making games that aren’t just a notch above
the rest, but are downright beautiful and, if nothing else, are stunning the
first time we see them.

Sound: 5.0
The Ridge Racer
series has had some quality techno tunes over the years. These tunes, however,
are annoying and repetitive.

Difficulty: Hard
Think you’re
hardcore? Ridge Racer 7 will test that thought. Its races are extremely
difficult thanks to a plethora of smart AI opponents. They can drive faster
than the player. Who would have thought – real competition from a
racing game. When’s the last time that’s happened?

Concept: 6.0
Ridge Racer 7 is
great, but this series hasn’t evolved much in 11 years. Could sixaxis motion
steering change that in Ridge Racer 8…?

Multiplayer: 8.5
Whether you’re
playing against others across the country (up to 14 players online) or against
the guy sitting next to you (two-player split-screen offline), Ridge Racer 7
multiplayer magnificence.

Overall: 8.5
You will scream
at your opponents and their tough AI, but in the end, it helps give this
series longevity. In a world where racing games are getting shorter and have
become easy enough to beat in a day, I’ll take the frustration of Ridge Racer
7 over the rest. It’s not cheap, it’s excruciatingly difficult. There
is a difference.