Ridge Racer Unbounded doesn't look a whole lot like Ridge Racer. Gritty urban streets and crunchy collisions replace lens flare-clad coast lines and thumping techno, as Bugbear - developer of the acclaimed Flatout series - attempt to spawn a parallel path for the veteran franchise, much like EA has achieved multiple times with its constantly reinvented Need for Speed.
But unless you're an obsessive franchise purist, there's no reason to be worried about Namco Bandai's sharp swerve on to the beaten path, because as with Flatout, Bugbear's racer looks to boast impressive destruction, powerful technology and the sort of fresh thinking approach a middle-aged crooner like this could do with.
CRASH ATTACK
The racer takes place in the fictional city of Shatter Bay, an East Coast-style metropolis inspired by New York and Chicago, where a group known only as the Unbounded are battling it out to find out "who is the ultimate badass" (who needs Hollywood writers, eh?)
In what's almost certainly a hint at under-wraps network features, Bugbear says Shatter Bay is "one of a thousand cities" set to appear in the game.
The city's been designed for "carnage and risk taking", the developer says, and from the developer that designed a roster of mini games based around projecting a driver through the car windscreen, we'd expect no less than a destruction-fueled focus for its take on the legendary Namco series.
Booting up two laps of 'Crash Race' - Ridge Racer's main game mode - it's immediately apparent that Unbounded is a very attractive game, with highly detailed shops and buildings padding the race course, a great looking vehicle damage system and sunshine glittery off the car bonnet.
Interestingly, the game is completely HUD-free, with Bugbear opting to integrate race and scoring info into the environment, in a similar fashion to Splinter Cell: Conviction's mission objectives.
Drifting arse-first around a debris-filled street corner, you're likely to see your race position or current race 'score' (based on destruction and taking out other vehicles) displayed in big white letters on the side of the road.
The epic corner slide is the first hint of how Unbounded feels to play - and it definitely looks like it's adopted the Ridge Racer arcade style, with plenty of the aforementioned drifting and power boosting on straights.
Classic cars from the original games are set to supply the nostalgia, plus Bugbear's hinting at rough track remakes and a "distinctive" soundtrack, but it's clear even at this early stage that Unbounded is its own beast - and that's a good thing.
And there's no bigger distinction for Bugbear's games than the focus on destructive environments, with even its last game allowing for literally tens of thousands of physics objects smashing and sliding across the race course.
Like Flatout, Unbounded's races are promised to be consistently unconsistant, with trackside destruction and the magic of physics providing a slightly different outcome to ever session.
The biggest display of this is the game's Destruction power, built up by drifting, grabbing big air jumps and smashing other cars in to scenery. Once fully charged the game will mark out points of the race course you can smash through with a big orange HUD item. For example, in our demo Bugbear smashed through a shop front, up a staircase and out the second floor window. Another example shown was a small building supporting a bridge, which when smashed through then sends the bridge crumbling down behind you, blocking the path for your opponents.
It's clear then that Ridge Racer Unbounded is doing something very different - but very well. It's Flatout with Ridge Racer on the box, which is great news for fans of the old series and if done well, even better for the Namco fans who might discover a new favourite.
Comments
24 comments so far...
Imaduck on 12 May '11 said:
This is bound to be full of Engrish conversions
ste hicky on 12 May '11 said:
burnflatridgesplitsecondout
LordVonPS3 on 12 May '11 said:
I don't understand the thought track of some people...
Ridge Racer and RR Revolution were both great arcade racing games on PS1. A lot of people thought so, in fact they even bought a PS1 for them. I don't really understand how creating 2 similar hit games means a franchise should change, but it did and now it's changing again - but it's still not changing back.
Imagine if Dead Space 3 was on Earth and you had foxes instead of mutant alien people and you controlled a small crawling baby with a water pistol instead of a guy in a space suit with a laser gun. Interesting concept for a game perhaps but call it Dead Space 3 and you'll find people say it's a great way to f**k up a franchise.
BenThomasFoster on 12 May '11 said:
You sir a a blabbering idiot with a grasp of English but no grasp of logic. When i think of Ridge Racer i think crummy outdated game created by meme spouting idiots. When i think of forza 3 i think of amazing technical achievement, when burnout i think even more amazing technical achivment, when i think of GT5 i think miss potential but DAYUM TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT even NFS give me the Humm got potential. if any racing series needed a reboot it was RR
LordVonPS3 on 12 May '11 said:
You obviously failed to notice RR has already been through 3 "reboots". c**t.
If Namco wants to make a different game, then make a different game... Calling it Ridge Racer isn't going to help, it's just going to p**s off RR fans.
alan666 on 12 May '11 said:
hope it's not all set in a urban environment, there has to be some palm trees in a Ridge racer game, i think that Rage Racer was the best version of the franchise so far.
Ali_ on 12 May '11 said:
No way. RR Type 4 was easily the pinnacle, though the 360's RR6 was very good. I can't see any reason for all the changes. It's like Sega Rally suddenly deciding to feature hoverships and guns. These are superficially lightweight arcade racers that, in reality, have huge depth if you go searching for it. This me-too racer bearing the name of Ridge Racer seems as pointless as the truly rubbish R: Racing Evolution from 2003, another RR update that went horribly wrong.
FAUNA on 12 May '11 said:
JAPANESE GAMES NEED TO BE DEVELOPED IN JAPAN. & NO 'WESTERNIZING'!
Imaduck on 12 May '11 said:
Graphics look a bit murky.
SavageEvil on 12 May '11 said:
What the old RR fan forgets to realize is that he is the minority. This climate in gaming is all about numbers and the casuals who like pretty things and jump in and play mechanics will probably snatch this up if it's marketed correctly. I liked ridge racer back on PS1 but the best for me was the madness on N64 RR64, completely like the original but with smoother visuals and tighter controls. Never played anymore after that, but I will probably attempt to pick up the sequels should I find them.
They might need to take the Ridge Racer brand name off this title, unless they intend on making it completely a new take on RR to begin with, as in realism based physics and possibly upgradeable cars, we all know RR was limited with cars, you had to get the best or get whipped, simple and mindless but in this day and age of online play, customization pays off in dividends as some people like a certain thing and like to use it consistently and upgrade it to be competitive. We'll see how this pans out though.
Nitramuse on 12 May '11 said:
I for one liked Flatout, but didn't like RR. So this looks pretty interesting for me. I like destruction, the should've create a new Destruction Derby
LordVonPS3 on 13 May '11 said:
If you'd played newer versions of RR you'd know that car liveries, parts upgrades and customisation were added. You'd also know that there's more car manufacturers, events and track variations available than you can shake a stick at.
The additions are no more than anyone should expect but it's the gameplay and presentation changes that have warped the franchise into something entirely different from RR & RRR. Gameplay changes like drifting to increase your nitrous boost. If anyone is willing to explain how drifting a car around a corner can create N2O then I'll be happy to laugh at the explanation. As for presentation, instead of Ridge Racer's brash commentary, we're treated to a female voice that's even more embarrassing to listen to than Kazuo Hirai's pathetic attempt just before the PS3's launch.
I think the original version of the RR track (Seaside Route 765) looks brighter and nicer than the RR7 version and there should be some way of getting similar texture detail but keeping the original's vibe. The way the cars handle in addition to the the way you have to take the corners on that track make it an entirely different experience in RR7. Being different does not auto-magically mean better and while it is a matter of preference, I'll repeat myself by saying the original RR & RRR PS1 handling worked really well for an arcade racer and the tracks looked the part and suited the handling such that neither needed to be reinvented and could instead have been expanded on without changing the mechanics. Why Namco decided to make such drastic changes to a winning 90s formula - I wish I could have argued against. Why Namco hasn't since decided to revisit the original formula and expand rather than revamp it is all the more baffling.
AlienClown on 13 May '11 said:
Let's not get precious over the Ridge Racer series. They've not been good for a long time. The FlatOut games were far better. Ridge Racer fans should rejoice.
clayf1ghter on 13 May '11 said:
I've never liked any RR game that I've played but had a lot of fun with Flatout in the past so this is a winner for me.
Also theres definately room in the market for a good arcadey tarmac racer now PGR4's been around for a while
budge on 13 May '11 said:
Things i loved about Ridge Racer:
Sideways cornering.
Insane speeds.
Cool looking cars.
Techno music.
Beautiful track scenery.
Low flying planes.
Grid chicks.
sonic_uk on 13 May '11 said:
Looks and sounds good. I like the idea of no hud on screen. Although I've always enjoyed Ridge Racer I must admit the series has run out of steam recently and I think this reboot is exactly what it needs to stay modern and fresh. Looking forward to more details on this one.
LordVonPS3 on 13 May '11 said:
Tell you what Mr.Clown... Maybe FlatOut fans should rejoice. I won't be rejoicing.
If I see a HD version of Ridge Racer Revolution then I'll think about rejoicing but I'll want to play it first just to be sure.
No "sophisticated" RR Type 4.
No "pitch and pan" Rave Racer or "dark and moody" Rage Racer.
No "Ridge City FM" Ridge Racer 5, 6 or 7...
Just Ridge Racer & Ridge Racer Revolution - all the time.
All you 11 to 20-somethings who were barely out of nappies when RR and RRR were released can just f**k right off. Chances are you never played RRR two-player over a PS-link or think the graphics are too s**t to bother finding a copy of PS1 RR / RRR. Your opinion about what makes a good RR game isn't worth s**t because you don't even know what Ridge Racer is about. Same goes for the original SEGA Rally & Daytona USA. Anything else doesn't count - newer versions don't count... It was DONE in the 90s. Respect the original versions by remaking them authentically, add more cars, tracks, etc - fine - but otherwise just leave them the f**k alone. We never needed the Star Wars "prequels" either.
Don't wake me up with your NEW Ridge Racer!!! marketing campaigns for this s**t.
The Ridge Racer, Rally and Daytona franchises belong to an old-skool generation and if new versions aren't going to respect that then just stay the f**k away. Make something new, but make something else and get the respect you deserve by building your own - new - franchise. Maybe then old-skool gamers like me will receive proper respectful remakes of the games that we've been asking for and studio execs won't be saying "Oh we just did a new Ridge Racer and we don't want to flood the market with Ridge Racer games, so you'll have to wait a few more years (for the next stinky version)..."
f**k you green eyes!
sonic_uk on 13 May '11 said:
Er, f*** you "LordVonPs3" for not respecting other peoples opinions. If they differ in any way from your own you feel it necessary to slag them off. Seriously, grow the f*** up.
Nitramuse on 13 May '11 said:
This guy is on a rampage! Everybody! HIDEEEEE!!!
corkscru74 on 13 May '11 said:
Yes, this really required you to drop the C-bomb. Get some perspective dude.
Also Ridge Racer is a sucky franchise of a bygone era
LordVonPS3 on 13 May '11 said:
No. Seriously - f**k you Sonic! You epitomize the genre of being a s**t also-ran still-wannabe cash-cow. Your modern-day existence as episodic DLC and your green-eyed, long-legged depiction on these message boards is a disgrace to everything that made you a once-great-but-now-swirling-persistent-turd. You just won't flush and I'm sick of the sight of you.
sonic_uk on 13 May '11 said:
And I'm sick of the sight of idiotic morons like yourself who personally slag off anyone else who dares to have a different point of view from your own. Don't like my avatar? Who the f*** cares? I don't like your immature trolling and schoolboyish attitude. Either chill, or p*** the f***off.
skanal1 on 13 May '11 said:
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDGEEEE RACCCCCCEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
thought I'd just lighten the mood in the midst of all this trolling.
mrlister on 13 May '11 said:
Ridge Racer to me means frictionless powerslides, that chick and racing along mountain ridges, however I couldn't give a s--- about the changes they've made or whether or not they call it Ridge Racer or something else. The changes are certainly not as drastic as some people are analogising. Ultimately, it looks like Burnout with destructable tracks. I am therefore sold unless reviews convince me otherwise.