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Ridge Racer (series)
Encyclopedia
Ridge Racer is a series of arcade racing game
s developed and published by Namco
for both the arcade
and various gaming systems
. In each of the games, players race on courses
set in and around the fictional Ridge City while utilizing the concepts of drift racing to quickly traverse corners.
through the corners, attempting to maintain as much speed as possible.
In the arcade games (and the home versions based on those games), the players also race against a timer, with time extended for each successfully-completed lap of the course. The race will end if the timer expires or the player completes the final lap of the race, whichever occurs first. In the console-exclusive versions, players must finish the race in a minimum assigned place in order to advance through the game.
Later games in the series expanded these basics by introducing cars with different drifting characteristics; some cars could be made to drift quite easily, but were more challenging to control, while other cars were harder to initiate drift yet easier to control. Another recent addition was "nitrous", which would give the player's car a short burst of additional speed and could be replenished by drifting through corners at high speeds.
arcade games. Many of the tracks in a given game share components, with sections added or removed to alter the course layout, and some games allow the courses to be run in the opposite direction.
s, while the Italian "Assoluto" produces high-performance supercars and the American "Danver" marque makes muscle car
s, trucks and SUV
s. Cars in the series have taken their names and sponsors from various Namco-produced video games.
is the name of the series' most prominent race queen
mascot. Initially appearing as an unnamed grid girl
, and later in a full motion video
intro for Rave Racer
directed by Kei Yoshimizu from Keica, the character was named officially in Rage Racer
.
In 1998's R4: Ridge Racer Type 4
, she was given more prominence, as the opening animation, which used a Kimara Lovelace
song, was a short story starring her, and introduced a redesign to her 3D model by Kei Yoshimizu. This is when Namco started giving more exposure to the character, heavily using her image to promote the game. In the same game, she is identified as the sender of a fax mail to Pac Racing Club, an Easter egg
triggered by completing a specific in-game task.
Due to her newfound popularity she went to make many appearances in games outside of the Ridge Racer series (see list below), most of them featuring her white and red outfit from the R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 promotional artwork. In the year 2000 she also appeared in the Nintendo-developed Ridge Racer 64
.
Namco decided to replace Reiko in 2000's Ridge Racer V
with newcomer Ai Fukami (深水 藍). In 2001, Namco created an image girl for their Namco Sports line named Hitomi Yoshino (吉乃ひとみ), and while the Ridge Racer series doesn't belong to that line she was featured in a Ridge Racer trailer shown in the 2002 edition of the E3.
Since her popularity with fans still was strong, Namco decided to bring back Reiko Nagase for 2004's Ridge Racers
. Featuring a revamped 3D model for the introductory animation, again by Kei Yoshimizu, who would also provide the reference for Reiko's appearances in Ridge Racer 6
(as shown at left), Ridge Racer 7
, Ridge Racers 2 and Ridge Racer Accelerated
.
Reiko is prominently featured in a Ridge Racer-themed pachislot, along with a PlayStation 2 port of that machine. She has also been featured in other products licensed by Namco, including the first and sixth wave of Namco Gals gashapon
. A character named Kei Nagase, with a notable resemblance to Reiko and identified as Reiko's sister, plays a role in games in Namco's Ace Combat
series.
Racing game
A racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
s developed and published by Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
for both the arcade
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
and various gaming systems
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
. In each of the games, players race on courses
Street circuit
A street circuit is a racing circuit composed by temporarily closed-off public roads of a city, town or village, used in motor races. Facilities such as the paddock, pit boxes, fences and grandstands are usually placed temporarily and removed soon after the race is over but in modern times the...
set in and around the fictional Ridge City while utilizing the concepts of drift racing to quickly traverse corners.
Gameplay
While there are differences amongst the various games, the basic gameplay in the Ridge Racer series has remained relatively consistent. Races take place on tracks laid out on city streets and other public roads. Starting in last place, players have a limited number of laps in which they can overtake opponents and ultimately win the race. As many of the turns on the course were not intended to be taken at race speeds, players driftDrifting (motorsport)
Drifting refers to a driving technique and to a motorsport where the driver intentionally over steers, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels through turns, while maintaining vehicle control and a high exit speed...
through the corners, attempting to maintain as much speed as possible.
In the arcade games (and the home versions based on those games), the players also race against a timer, with time extended for each successfully-completed lap of the course. The race will end if the timer expires or the player completes the final lap of the race, whichever occurs first. In the console-exclusive versions, players must finish the race in a minimum assigned place in order to advance through the game.
Later games in the series expanded these basics by introducing cars with different drifting characteristics; some cars could be made to drift quite easily, but were more challenging to control, while other cars were harder to initiate drift yet easier to control. Another recent addition was "nitrous", which would give the player's car a short burst of additional speed and could be replenished by drifting through corners at high speeds.
Race courses
The tracks in the Ridge Racer series are located in and around Ridge City, a fictional coastal metropolis. Ridge City's environs are geographically diverse, including beaches, forests, grasslands and mountains. The actual scope of Ridge City has changed over the series, with new regions and new tracks added continually. Most versions of the game incorporate the original courses from the Ridge Racer and Ridge Racer 2Ridge Racer 2
This article is about the classic game. For the modern game for PSP, see Ridge Racer 2 is a racing game created by Namco. It was released in Japan in 1994 for the Namco System 22 arcade platform. It is the second title in the Ridge Racer series.More of an upgrade than a complete sequel, Ridge...
arcade games. Many of the tracks in a given game share components, with sections added or removed to alter the course layout, and some games allow the courses to be run in the opposite direction.
Cars
The Ridge Racer games generally use fictional cars with styling inspired by real-life cars of the day. Later games introduced fictional auto companies that offer multiple vehicles; for example, "Kamata" is a Japanese manufacturer specializing in sport compactSport compact
A sport compact is a high-performance version of a compact car or a subcompact car. They are typically are front engined, front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive coupés, sedans, or hatchbacks driven by a straight-4 gasoline engine. Performance-oriented sport compacts generally focus on improving...
s, while the Italian "Assoluto" produces high-performance supercars and the American "Danver" marque makes muscle car
Muscle car
Muscle car is a term used to refer to a variety of high-performance automobiles. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines muscle cars as "any of a group of American-made 2-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." Usually, a large V8 engine is fitted in a...
s, trucks and SUV
Sport utility vehicle
A sport utility vehicle is a generic marketing term for a vehicle similar to a station wagon, but built on a light-truck chassis. It is usually equipped with four-wheel drive for on- or off-road ability, and with some pretension or ability to be used as an off-road vehicle. Not all four-wheel...
s. Cars in the series have taken their names and sponsors from various Namco-produced video games.
Reiko Nagase
Race queen
is a Japanese term for a type of promotional model found as part of a pit crew in certain kinds of motor racing, such as F1 races. The equivalent British term is "Pit babe".-History:...
mascot. Initially appearing as an unnamed grid girl
Paddock Girls
Paddock girls is a term that has been used in professional motorcycle racing for many years. It refers to young women employed to hold umbrellas above racers to protect them from the sun...
, and later in a full motion video
Full motion video
Full motion video based games are video games that rely upon pre-recorded TV-quality movie or animation rather than sprites, vectors, or 3D models to display action in the game. In the early 1990s a diverse set of games utilized this format...
intro for Rave Racer
Rave Racer
Rave Racer is a racing game created by Namco. It was released on July 16, 1995 for the Namco System 22 arcade platform. It is the third arcade title in the Ridge Racer series.-Cars:*Car #1: R.T. Derota*Car #2: R.T. Steel Gunner...
directed by Kei Yoshimizu from Keica, the character was named officially in Rage Racer
Rage Racer
Rage Racer is the third title in the Ridge Racer series of racing games on the Sony PlayStation. Created by Namco, it was first released in Japan on December 3, 1996. This game uses the same game's covers for both the Japanese version and the North America version.-Gameplay:Visually the game...
.
In 1998's R4: Ridge Racer Type 4
R4: Ridge Racer Type 4
R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 is the fourth game in the Ridge Racer series on the PlayStation.Unlike some of the other titles in the series, this game is made only for a home console, and does not have an arcade machine version. It is the final Ridge Racer series game released in the PlayStation console...
, she was given more prominence, as the opening animation, which used a Kimara Lovelace
Kimara Lovelace
Kimara Lovelace is a female dance music vocalist who placed three songs in the Top 10 of the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in the late nineties. "Circles" spent a week at #1 in 1998...
song, was a short story starring her, and introduced a redesign to her 3D model by Kei Yoshimizu. This is when Namco started giving more exposure to the character, heavily using her image to promote the game. In the same game, she is identified as the sender of a fax mail to Pac Racing Club, an Easter egg
Easter egg (media)
Image:Carl Oswald Rostosky - Zwei Kaninchen und ein Igel 1861.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Example of Easter egg hidden within imagerect 467 383 539 434 desc none...
triggered by completing a specific in-game task.
Due to her newfound popularity she went to make many appearances in games outside of the Ridge Racer series (see list below), most of them featuring her white and red outfit from the R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 promotional artwork. In the year 2000 she also appeared in the Nintendo-developed Ridge Racer 64
Ridge Racer 64
Ridge Racer 64 is a racing game developed by Namco and Nintendo Software Technology for the Nintendo 64 in 2000. It features tracks from Ridge Racer and Ridge Racer Revolution and its very own set of desert tracks exclusive to the Nintendo 64....
.
Namco decided to replace Reiko in 2000's Ridge Racer V
Ridge Racer V
Ridge Racer V , the fifth game in the Ridge Racer series on the PlayStation, became one of the launch games for the PlayStation 2. It features 14 tracks and 18 vehicles, with 5 modes of play.-Game play:...
with newcomer Ai Fukami (深水 藍). In 2001, Namco created an image girl for their Namco Sports line named Hitomi Yoshino (吉乃ひとみ), and while the Ridge Racer series doesn't belong to that line she was featured in a Ridge Racer trailer shown in the 2002 edition of the E3.
Since her popularity with fans still was strong, Namco decided to bring back Reiko Nagase for 2004's Ridge Racers
Ridge Racer (PSP)
Ridge Racer for the PSP is an arcade racing video game developed by Namco. It is named after the eponymous Ridge Racer video game series to which it belongs. The game was released in Japan as...
. Featuring a revamped 3D model for the introductory animation, again by Kei Yoshimizu, who would also provide the reference for Reiko's appearances in Ridge Racer 6
Ridge Racer 6
Ridge Racer 6 has received generally positive reviews.Pro-G gave the game 8/10, calling it "the closest I've seen to an arcade racer on a home console, in both looks and playability." Gamespy awarded Ridge Racer 6 4.5/5 praising its "killer graphics" and "great presentation", but criticising its...
(as shown at left), Ridge Racer 7
Ridge Racer 7
Ridge Racer 7 is the seventh console installment in the Ridge Racer series of racing games, released on PlayStation 3. The game has around 40 cars, many of which return from Ridge Racer 6 and the PSP incarnations of the game. There are also 22 courses, available in forward, reverse and mirror mode....
, Ridge Racers 2 and Ridge Racer Accelerated
Ridge Racer Accelerated
Ridge Racer Accelerated for iOS is an arcade racing video game developed by Namco Bandai. It is named after the eponymous Ridge Racer video game series to which it belongs. The game was released on the App Store and it uses micro-transactions for unlocking more courses and an extra car class...
.
Reiko is prominently featured in a Ridge Racer-themed pachislot, along with a PlayStation 2 port of that machine. She has also been featured in other products licensed by Namco, including the first and sixth wave of Namco Gals gashapon
Gashapon
is a Bandai brand trademark widely used throughout the world for their capsule toys. It is also referred to as ." Both gashapon and gachapon are Japanese onomatopoeia, made up of two sounds: "gasha" or "gacha" for the turning of a crank on a toy vending machine, and "pon" for the sound of the toy...
. A character named Kei Nagase, with a notable resemblance to Reiko and identified as Reiko's sister, plays a role in games in Namco's Ace Combat
Ace Combat
Ace Combat is a hybrid arcade-simulation flight action video game series featuring 12 games, published by the Japanese company Namco Bandai Games...
series.
Arcade games
- Ridge Racer (7 October 1993), for Namco System 22Namco System 22The Namco System 22 is the successor to the Namco System 21 arcade system board co-designed with the assistance of graphics & simulation experts Evans & Sutherland. It was first released in 1993 with the game Ridge Racer...
- Ridge Racer Full Scale (1994), for Namco System 22, controlled by a real automobile
- Ridge Racer 2Ridge Racer 2This article is about the classic game. For the modern game for PSP, see Ridge Racer 2 is a racing game created by Namco. It was released in Japan in 1994 for the Namco System 22 arcade platform. It is the second title in the Ridge Racer series.More of an upgrade than a complete sequel, Ridge...
(16 June 1994), for Namco System 22, an update to the original arcade game with multiplayer support, remixed soundtrack, and a rear view mirror - Rave RacerRave RacerRave Racer is a racing game created by Namco. It was released on July 16, 1995 for the Namco System 22 arcade platform. It is the third arcade title in the Ridge Racer series.-Cars:*Car #1: R.T. Derota*Car #2: R.T. Steel Gunner...
(16 July 1995), for Namco System 22 - Pocket Racer (1996), for Namco System 11Namco System 11The Namco System 11 is an arcade system board released by Namco in 1994. The actual hardware is based on the Sony PlayStation, and thus many games were ported to that console. The major difference between the two is that the System 11 used surface-mounted ROM chips to store the game data, whereas...
- Ridge Racer V: Arcade Battle (2000), for Namco System 246Namco System 246The Namco System 246 is a development of the Sony PlayStation 2 technology as a basis for an arcade system board. It was released in 2001 on its first game Ridge Racer V. Like the Sega NAOMI, it is widely licensed for use by other manufacturers...
Console games
- Ridge Racer (1994 - Japan, 1995 - USA/EU), for PlayStationPlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
, similar to the arcade with an optional 3rd person view (Launch Game). Début of 13th Racing ("Devil" car). - Ridge Racer RevolutionRidge Racer RevolutionRidge Racer Revolution is a racing game developed by Namco for the PlayStation in 1995. It is the sequel of the inaugural game Ridge Racer. The game's covers between the Japanese version and the European & North America version are different in this game. The game's cover of the Japanese...
(1995 - Japan, 1996 - USA/EU), for PlayStation. 13th Racing Kid and White Angel made their grand début in this game, challenging you in the game's Time Trial mode. Soundtrack was taken from the Ridge Racer 2 arcade game. - Rage RacerRage RacerRage Racer is the third title in the Ridge Racer series of racing games on the Sony PlayStation. Created by Namco, it was first released in Japan on December 3, 1996. This game uses the same game's covers for both the Japanese version and the North America version.-Gameplay:Visually the game...
(1996 - Japan, 1997 - USA/EU), for PlayStation. This game marked the début of the retries rule and customization aspects. - R4: Ridge Racer Type 4R4: Ridge Racer Type 4R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 is the fourth game in the Ridge Racer series on the PlayStation.Unlike some of the other titles in the series, this game is made only for a home console, and does not have an arcade machine version. It is the final Ridge Racer series game released in the PlayStation console...
(1998 - Japan, 1999 - USA/EU), for PlayStation, following the Rage RacerRage RacerRage Racer is the third title in the Ridge Racer series of racing games on the Sony PlayStation. Created by Namco, it was first released in Japan on December 3, 1996. This game uses the same game's covers for both the Japanese version and the North America version.-Gameplay:Visually the game...
formula, but instead of customization, there are four racing teams to choose from. - Ridge Racer Turbo (1998 - Japan, 1999 - USA/EU), for PlayStation. (known in Europe as Ridge Racer Hi-Spec Demo) A new version of the original game which featured a reduced number of game modes but run at 60fps and featured gouraud shadingGouraud shadingGouraud shading, named after Henri Gouraud, is an interpolation method used in computer graphics to produce continuous shading of surfaces represented by polygon meshes...
which had been absent from the original. Was given away as a bonus with R4: Ridge Racer Type 4. - Ridge Racer 64Ridge Racer 64Ridge Racer 64 is a racing game developed by Namco and Nintendo Software Technology for the Nintendo 64 in 2000. It features tracks from Ridge Racer and Ridge Racer Revolution and its very own set of desert tracks exclusive to the Nintendo 64....
(2000), for Nintendo 64Nintendo 64The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
, features tracks from Ridge Racer and Ridge Racer 2 and its very own set of desert tracks ("Renegade") exclusive to the N64. - Ridge Racer VRidge Racer VRidge Racer V , the fifth game in the Ridge Racer series on the PlayStation, became one of the launch games for the PlayStation 2. It features 14 tracks and 18 vehicles, with 5 modes of play.-Game play:...
(2000), for PlayStation 2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
(Launch Game) - Allows slight customisation, R4-style Grand Prix races are present rather than the original's free-form structure. - Ridge Racer 6Ridge Racer 6Ridge Racer 6 has received generally positive reviews.Pro-G gave the game 8/10, calling it "the closest I've seen to an arcade racer on a home console, in both looks and playability." Gamespy awarded Ridge Racer 6 4.5/5 praising its "killer graphics" and "great presentation", but criticising its...
(2005), for Xbox 360Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
(Launch Game) - Ridge Racer 7Ridge Racer 7Ridge Racer 7 is the seventh console installment in the Ridge Racer series of racing games, released on PlayStation 3. The game has around 40 cars, many of which return from Ridge Racer 6 and the PSP incarnations of the game. There are also 22 courses, available in forward, reverse and mirror mode....
(2006), for PlayStation 3PlayStation 3The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
(Launch Game) - Allowed complete customization of vehicles from body kits to engine parts and paint jobs. - Ridge Racer UnboundedRidge Racer UnboundedRidge Racer Unbounded is an upcoming racing video game for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Scheduled for release in Europe on March 2, 2012 and in North America on March 6, 2012, the game will be published by Namco Bandai and developed by Bugbear Entertainment. It will be the first...
(2012), for Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, PlayStation 3PlayStation 3The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, Xbox 360Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
Handheld games
- Ridge Racer DS (2004 - USA, 2005 - EU), for Nintendo DSNintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
, a port of Ridge Racer 64 with the additional feature of being able to steer by using the touch screen. - Ridge Racer (PSP)Ridge Racer (PSP)Ridge Racer for the PSP is an arcade racing video game developed by Namco. It is named after the eponymous Ridge Racer video game series to which it belongs. The game was released in Japan as...
(2004 - Japan, 2005 - USA/EU), for PlayStation PortablePlayStation PortableThe is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
, mixed new vehicles with tracks from the previous games. - Ridge Racer 2 (PSP) (2006), for PlayStation Portable followed the same formula as its predecessor with tracks featured in previous games of the series.
- Ridge Racer 3DRidge Racer 3Dis a racing video game for the Nintendo 3DS which is developed by Namco Bandai Games. First images of the game were leaked in early November 2010, and Namco confirmed that the video game was going to be released later on in 2011...
(2011), for Nintendo 3DSNintendo 3DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo. The autostereoscopic device is able to project stereoscopic 3D effects without the use of 3D glasses or any additional accessories. The Nintendo 3DS features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS series software, including Nintendo DSi software... - Ridge Racer VitaRidge Racer Vitais a racing game set for release in 2011 on the PlayStation Vita handheld game system. The game is currently in development by Namco Bandai Games. The game will continue the Ridge Racer tradition of drift racing and will support single-player as well as local and Wi-Fi multi-player games.-External...
(Working Title) (2011), for PlayStation Vita (Launch Game)
Mobile Phone games
- Ridge RacerRidge RacerRidge Racer may refer to:*Ridge Racer , an arcade game first released by Namco in 1993, later ported to the PlayStation*Ridge Racer , a series of sequels and spin-offs based on the arcade game...
(2005), for J2ME - Ridge Racers Mobile (2007)
- Ridge Racer AcceleratedRidge Racer AcceleratedRidge Racer Accelerated for iOS is an arcade racing video game developed by Namco Bandai. It is named after the eponymous Ridge Racer video game series to which it belongs. The game was released on the App Store and it uses micro-transactions for unlocking more courses and an extra car class...
(2009), for iOS - Ridge Racer Drift (2010)