With all this excitement over the Cheat Code Compendium and the pre-order campaign (which you can support right now on Kickstarter), I almost forgot to cover this month's newest PlayStation classic on PS Plus – Ridge Racer. Or, as Kaz Hirai would say, “Ridge Racer.” (No, I'm not going to do the impression.) This was a seminal release on the fledging PlayStation, but what did the critics say? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Hyper, Next Generation and more classic magazines that reviewed the game back when it first came out. Brace yourself, because the next corner is tough in this speedy episode of PlayStation Plus Review Crew.


In the 32-bit console war, Ridge Racer was at the very center of the first skirmish. Let me set the scene: After Sega announced that their arcade hit Daytona USA would be headlining the launch of the Saturn, Namco responded by fast-tracking a PlayStation port of their own arcade hit, Ridge Racer, only a few months before the system's Japanese launch. Despite the truncated development cycle, Ridge Racer was still capable of going toe-to-toe with Sega's own 32-bit racer, leading to the first of many battles between the two consoles. Let's see what the critics thought of this high-profile launch game.

For Ridge Racer, we're going to start at the bottom and work our way up. When Next Generation reviewed the game in their fourth issue, they leaned heavily in the Sony vs. Sega framing. Giving it four stars, they noted that “while the jury may still be out in the Ridge Racer vs. Daytona USA battle for arcade supremacy, there's no disputing that as a home title, Namco has just scored a home run for the PlayStation. The graphics really do have to be seen to be believed, and when you consider that this is effectively a last-minute rush job, it's a fantastic testament to the PlayStation's potential power. On the downside, it lacks a two-player mode. Due to time constraints, Namco was unable to squeeze the networking code into the final program. But overall, a fine game. And an excellent harbinger of what's to come.”

Game Players gave the game a similar mark of 82%, though was a lot more defensive about the score than Next Generation. Electronic Gaming Monthly liked it a bit more, giving Ridge Racer an average score of 8.75 out of 10. That said, EGM sidelined the racing game to the sports section, where Iceman and the Video Cowboy had a crack at the game instead of the usual Review Crew. The Iceman gave it an 8.5 out of 10, arguing that “ever since this came out for the PlayStation, I haven't had to go back to the arcades. You'll get the same feeling – and you won't have to worry about quarters. All of the tracks and then some are here, as well as killer music that sets the tone of the game. This could be the best racer of the year.” Video Cowboy liked the game even more, concluding that “this is one of the most addictive games I have ever played. This game is incredible, and after the game has been loaded, you can take the Ridge Racer CD out and replace it with one of your favorite CDs. You can still play the game listening to your favorite music. I don't know why you would ... the music for this game rocks. This game is a must-play.”

While there were a few magazines that gave it slightly lower scores, the truth is that pretty much every magazine loved Ridge Racer. Practically every critic gave it a 90% or above. You saw a 9 out of 10 from Game Informer in their 29th issue, as well as the debut installment of the Official U.K. PlayStation Magazine. Edge also gave the game a 9: “After its half-year journey onto the PlayStation, Ridge Racer has managed to fulfill almost all expectations. This achievement is all the more remarkable when you consider the price of the game in Japan – a mere 37 pounds. From the brief but perfect game of Galaxian that you can play while the game boots up, to the dazzling graphics and arcade-perfect music and speech, Ridge Racer is the killer app that Namco – and Sony – can be proud of. And this is just the beginning.”

Don't look now, but we're only going up from there. Game Fan gave the game a 92%, the exact same score that Hyper gave the game. Computer & Video Games liked the game a bit more, going with a 96%. Despite being one of the year's top-scoring games, Mark Patterson leveled an interesting criticism: “Who needs arcades anymore? Well, we still do. As impressed as I am at Ridge Racer on a home machine, it is a game I've seen before and played in the arcades. But, and I felt the same way about Virtua Fighter, it seems to play a whole lot better when you're not coughing up 1 pound a go. Technically, it's magnificent, and with the mirror mode and plenty of hidden features, any doubts about its long-term appeal are quickly dispelled. Let's just hope that we start seeing original software of this quality. But this'll definitely do for now.”

When it comes to the highest marks, there were two different magazines that gave Ridge Racer a perfect score. Video Games: The Ultimate Gaming Magazine ended up raving about the game, giving it an incredible 10 out of 10. GamePro agreed, going with the equivalent 5 out of 5. “The best racing game to date for home systems, Ridge Racer definitely outpaces Daytona USA. Until Cruisin' USA for the Ultra 64 arrives, Ridge is the king of the track.”

Oh, you sweet summer child. I have some real bad news about Cruis'n USA, so you might want to be sitting down. On the other hand, there's no bad news when it comes to Ridge Racer. While it didn't have any multiplayer support and the tracks were a bit limited, the critics were quick to forgive the PlayStation launch game. They gave Ridge Racer an average score of 91%, making it a great day-one purchase with your new system. It's dated, but I think Ridge Racer is still a whole lot of fun.