Ridge Racer Longplay (Arcade) [4K]
AL82 Retrogaming Longplays
26,287 views
Game Info
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Developer: Namco
Publisher: Namco
Year of Release: 1993
Game Review & Impressions
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In an age where new GPU technologies and the benefits they bring to the world of gaming are typically incremental, it's difficult to remember what it felt like to see a game that was so amazingly ahead of the curve, that you just knew you'd witnessed the future of gaming first-hand. For those wandering into arcades in 1993 and 1994 and being greeted by the visual spectacle of Daytona USA and Ridge Racer cabinets, it must have been a strange, possibly even messianic experience. Until this point, 3D games had largely been the remit of Atari Games. Battlezone's wireframe graphics had wowed audiences back in the early 80s, and the likes of S.T.U.N. Runner and Hard Drivn' might have looked cool in their day, but both Namco and Sega, now entering a battle for 3D gaming supremacy, completely tore up the script as far as real-time 3D gaming was concerned.
Before we discuss the gameplay of Ridge Racer, it seems only right we talk about the graphics. The texture-mapped 3D polygonal cars and environments zooming around on screen at a solid 60 Hz (or thereabouts) are simply stunning. The effect would have been breath-taking when viewed from first person on a screen the size of that which was bolted into the original arcade cabinet, but on a suitably-sized TV or monitor, you still get a sense of the immersion that playing the original must have brought.
The game itself is a lap-based circuit racer featuring high-performance sports cars. There's only a single overall course, but each of the three difficulty levels alters which sections of the course you ultimately drive. The objective is, as one would expect, to beat he course before the race timer runs out, and to finish in first place. Although this is very much an arcade racer, real-time physics and collision systems come into play whilst driving, and while it's not the focus, there are undertones of drifting when it comes to taking corners. Reaching the front of the pack and actually staying there isn't easy; you need to get a feel for the speed at which you can take each of the various turns, because colliding with anything will rob of you speed and precious seconds from the timer.
Racing games have come a long way in the last 40 years, but Ridge Racer, like Daytona, is one of those pivotal moments where you just knew you'd experienced something special. There would have been no question about wanting to play the game; the coins would have probably levitated out your wallet and into the machine by themselves. It's obviously not as a sophisticated as Forza or Gran Turismo, but it marks the start of a revolution that would ultimately see those games come to pass. It still looks great, and it's always worth getting behind the wheel just one more time.
Chapters
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00:00 Attract mode
00:30 Novice Mode
03:40 Intermediate Mode
07:35 Advanced Mode
12:35 Time Trials Mode
20 Comments
Great jon! I got everything on camera so you'll watch it later, huh? You are the greatest!
のリズム感が好き。
Ridge Racer Longplay (Arcade) [4K]
AL82 Retrogaming Longplays
26,287 views
Game Info
---------------------------------------------------
Developer: Namco
Publisher: Namco
Year of Release: 1993
Game Review & Impressions
---------------------------------------------------
In an age where new GPU technologies and the benefits they bring to the world of gaming are typically incremental, it's difficult to remember what it felt like to see a game that was so amazingly ahead of the curve, that you just knew you'd witnessed the future of gaming first-hand. For those wandering into arcades in 1993 and 1994 and being greeted by the visual spectacle of Daytona USA and Ridge Racer cabinets, it must have been a strange, possibly even messianic experience. Until this point, 3D games had largely been the remit of Atari Games. Battlezone's wireframe graphics had wowed audiences back in the early 80s, and the likes of S.T.U.N. Runner and Hard Drivn' might have looked cool in their day, but both Namco and Sega, now entering a battle for 3D gaming supremacy, completely tore up the script as far as real-time 3D gaming was concerned.
Before we discuss the gameplay of Ridge Racer, it seems only right we talk about the graphics. The texture-mapped 3D polygonal cars and environments zooming around on screen at a solid 60 Hz (or thereabouts) are simply stunning. The effect would have been breath-taking when viewed from first person on a screen the size of that which was bolted into the original arcade cabinet, but on a suitably-sized TV or monitor, you still get a sense of the immersion that playing the original must have brought.
The game itself is a lap-based circuit racer featuring high-performance sports cars. There's only a single overall course, but each of the three difficulty levels alters which sections of the course you ultimately drive. The objective is, as one would expect, to beat he course before the race timer runs out, and to finish in first place. Although this is very much an arcade racer, real-time physics and collision systems come into play whilst driving, and while it's not the focus, there are undertones of drifting when it comes to taking corners. Reaching the front of the pack and actually staying there isn't easy; you need to get a feel for the speed at which you can take each of the various turns, because colliding with anything will rob of you speed and precious seconds from the timer.
Racing games have come a long way in the last 40 years, but Ridge Racer, like Daytona, is one of those pivotal moments where you just knew you'd experienced something special. There would have been no question about wanting to play the game; the coins would have probably levitated out your wallet and into the machine by themselves. It's obviously not as a sophisticated as Forza or Gran Turismo, but it marks the start of a revolution that would ultimately see those games come to pass. It still looks great, and it's always worth getting behind the wheel just one more time.
Chapters
---------------------------------------------------
00:00 Attract mode
00:30 Novice Mode
03:40 Intermediate Mode
07:35 Advanced Mode
12:35 Time Trials Mode