Every Sony console launch, from PS One to PS3, including PSP and PS Vita, comes with a new ridge racer release. However, since PS4, Ridge Racer has been largely abandoned by Bandai Namco. The previous generation machine didn’t get Ridge Racer’s love, and neither does his new PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Well, at least until now.
Of course, I’m talking about the PSP’s Ridge Racer 2, so it’s not the new Ridge Racer in the proper sense, but for many, it’s the first time a Ridge Racer game has been made available to play on a home console. ..and to be fair, it’s not a bad job at all, but I would love to play Ridge Racer 6…
Ridge Racer 2 for beginners is a very simple arcade racing game. The cars are all fictional, there is no in-game currency, no loot boxes, and no complex multiplayer. More importantly, there are no penalties for drifting like the Duke boys are doing in Hazzard County. In fact, skating around curves at incredible speed is encouraged and rewarded. Ridge Racer 2’s driving model is unrealistic in every way. What other racing game can you pin into a corner, slam the electronic brakes to unleash his big 360 spin, and get out the other side faster than I did?I’ll let my case rest .
Drifting serves another purpose besides looking cool as hell. A long drift will fill your nitrous gauge and give your tank something extra for that last-second dash to the finish line. When you start feeling too good and start playing very aggressively, you need to accumulate and use these nitrite boosts at the right time to ensure your success. Or you could easily lower the difficulty in the settings, but where’s the pride and sense of accomplishment in that?
Squinting the eyes a bit and lowering the light is about the same. largely.
The entire experience plays to a soundtrack that wouldn’t be out of place at a ’90s rave. Heavy electronica mixed with jazzy piano sounds and bouncy basslines isn’t my favourite, but he admits he’d inadvertently nodded his head to the soundtrack before he remembered he had Spotify on the PS5. It fits. If that kind of music suits you, great. myself? It was The Killers or something, and I have fond memories of playing Ridge Racer 6 on my Xbox 360 when I was a teenager and a Mormon rock band providing the tunes. Naturally, I recreated my experience here, turning my tiny little brain back into a 16-year-old boy for a few hours.
To be fair, Ridge Racer 2 on PS5 actually tickles the nostalgia itch nicely. It hasn’t been digitally re-released anywhere else. At the time of writing this review, I’ve only discovered that it’s backwards compatible on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, but no luck or money. So this Ridge Racer 2 PSP release on PS5 and PS4 is the closest I’ve come to reliving those glory days.
Yes, obviously the graphics aren’t as good and it doesn’t have the splitscreen multiplayer that my friends and I play, but it’s a PSP game that runs on PS5 and PS4 via emulation, so this is to be expected. If you squint a little and dim the lights, it’s pretty much the same. largely.
It should be remembered that this game was first released on handheld consoles in 2006 and can be emulated on today’s cheapest smartphones. Graphics are fine most of the time, but vehicle decals tend to look a little off when viewed up close. Likewise, the background environment lacks detail, especially on certain stages with large pixelated mountains. It’s not as clean and crisp as it should be. That said, if these are the compromises you need to make to enjoy the old games of yesteryear without forgetting them.
If you’re a PS Plus Premium subscriber, you should definitely download and play Ridge Racer 2. It’s simple, it’s fast, it’s fun, and in the current climate of live services and silly dance emotes, there’s no racing game quite like Ridge Racer 2. That’s it. For a quick nostalgia fix, I highly recommend it. Perhaps Bandai Namco gauging interest in a possible Ridge Racer revival is just the toe of the water? ing…
