Ridge Racer V
- October 23, 2000 00:00 AM PST
Ridge Racer V continues the great tradition of the Ridge Racer series. This sweet racing game unleashes the horsepower of the PS2.
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Grand Prix
The game features Grand Prix, Time Attack, and two-player Versus modes for racing. A fun new Dual Mode, where you bet your car against a challenger's lets you add your winnings to your car collection. Free Run lets you cruise the tracks in any car without any kind of time limit. You'll spend most of your time in Grand Prix mode, in which you compete in a series of races against AI driven cars, and where you'll unlock most of the new tracks and hidden cars. Time Attack also unlocks more goodies if you set a track record. The two-player Versus mode is great fun, but the detail is tuned down just a tad and the draw-in is closer.
The driving in Ridge Racer V is tough, especially so for newcomers to the Ridge Racer games. You'll want to bump down the difficulty level, as it's quite hard on the default setting, but the excellent controls allow for more precise handling than in previous PlayStation incarnations, and ripping through the turns is a blast once you get the hang of powerslides. Learning to corner correctly in Ridge racer V takes practice, but there is a practice mode that you can use to hone your skills.
Track Time
The tracks in Ridge Racer V seem to be a tribute to the first Ridge Racer game, which is cool, but only the hardcore fans will really enjoy this. Still, the tight turns and sharp corners will test your driving skills to the max, and the tracks get progressively harder. It would have been nice to have different racing environments and completely different tracks; the lack of variety cuts into the replay value a bit
The graphics in Ridge Racer V are as fast as the cars, meaning they scream. The graphics show off highly reflective car surfaces, smoke from squealing tires, and some excellent lighting effects from the sun, the street, and headlights. Most of the detail is in the car models, and they look simply superb. The backgrounds are excellent as well with bridges, trees, and buildings whizzing by. There are some jagged edges on the cars and buildings especially, but you're moving so fast in the game that you'll hardly notice.
Pump The Stereo
Music has always been a centerpiece of the Ridge Racer games, and Ridge Racer V is no exception. The deep, soulful, and excellent techno tracks aren't even in the same league as most other videogame soundtracks. Engine noise and other race sounds have a solid fidelity as well.
Ridge Racer V is one of the highest-profile launch games for the PS2, and it's definitely one of the best racing games available. It sticks a little too close to tradition to be a real breakthrough title for Namco, but fans of the series (and there are plenty of rabid RR fans) will love it.
