The first Ridge Racer came out in arcades in 1993, and thanks to the Namco System 22 hardware, it stood out for its unbelievably smooth frame rate and dazzling texture-mapped 3D graphics. At the time, 3D games were rare enough, and arcades only had a handful of them, Virtua Fighter and Daytona USA being some of the only other examples available. The force feedback cabinet was a main draw, but now, as an Arcade Archive rerelease, how does Ridge Racer hold up?
Ridge Racer had a bit more style than its contemporaries, having taken influences from Japanese street racing. The game’s sleek, high-performance cars resembling fictionalised versions of Japanese sports cars like the Mazda RX-7 or Toyota MR2 tapped into the 1990s cultural zeitgeist of car enthusiasm, with a focus on drift-heavy driving inspired by real-world mountain pass racing. Its techno and house soundtrack, composed by Namco’s sound team, was heavily inspired by the early 1990s rave and electronic music scene, giving the game a youthful, energetic feeling that synced with the speed of the races. It’s almost futuristic with its colour choices and emphasis on urban street racing.
Ridge Racer has no named characters, dialogue, or cutscenes. The “story” is conveyed through the act of racing itself. Reiko Nagase didn’t exist yet and wouldn’t appear until 1996’s Rage Racer. All the player has to think about is crossing the finish line and drifting at almost every corner. Games from this era barely bothered with characterisation of any kind, and it was to their detriment. It’s good to have a defining character to anchor the game. Reiko was a great idea and helped give Ridge Racer an identity, but that wouldn’t be for several more years.
Ridge Racer is a shockingly Spartan racing game. For an arcade experience, it is a minimalistic, cheap thrill, and it makes sense that it wouldn’t have a lot going on. There is only one car to drive, and it can only be driven in first-person view. Even the choice of automatic or manual shift barely has any difference in how the car performs. There is only one track to race on, with only a couple of variations. Opponent AI racers aren’t that varied and seemingly adjust back into their routine when interrupted.
The driving and feel of the car is smooth as silk, like a high-performance, souped-up Mazda would be. Reapplying the accelerator mid-drift helps exit the turn smoothly, preserving speed. It’s a system that rewards precise timing and practice, making it intuitive for beginners but deeply satisfying for skilled players aiming for perfect lines. The forgiving physics made drifting flashy and fun, compared to the likes of Daytona USA or Virtua Racing.
For all its accessibility, winning a race is very challenging, and the Arcade Archives version is designed around keeping it that way. Having a credit in Ridge Racer doesn’t get extra time or let players continue to race. The entire course has to be restarted, and players must earn their victory. It’s hard enough to clear the finish line, let alone be in first place. There is no cheesing a win, which is good because it’s the only thing that Ridge Racer has going for its limited gameplay. For the first time, an arcade experience has been faithfully preserved, even with infinite credits, and it’s all because money doesn’t buy anything. To win at Ridge Racer is to master its deceptively simple mechanics. It may be one race, but it’s a race that players will study and keep throwing themselves at to try different approaches.
Like all of Hamster’s Arcade Archive releases, expect the same usual suite of features. Time attack and caravan mode still seem like pointless additions. This version also includes DX versions for both regions, which are a slight remapping of the stick shift controls. It doesn’t make much of a difference, but these rereleases aim to offer the most complete set of options for their respective titles. There isn’t a way to increase the time earned per lap/checkpoint, keeping the core challenge preserved, even with the option of infinite credits.
