Ridge Racer 5

I love this game. Even with all the great American-developed launch titles on the way, RRV is the reason I'll be buying a PlayStation 2 this month. It embodies almost everything I look for in an arcade-style racer: awesome graphics, smooth framerate, intense speed and a collection of cars that caters to every driving style imaginable. Once you've discovered which machine works best with your style, there's nothing you can't do on the track. The cars handle so well it's almost scary. The debate as to which of the first four Ridge Racer games had the best control can be put to rest, since fans of every one of them will find a car they like in RRV. Much like earlier games in the series, all seven of RRV's tracks are connected, usually featuring some of the same turns every time. That said, each track offers a unique challenge, so lack of variety isn't a problem. The only place where some more variety would be nice is in the car designs. Once you've seen the main group of vehicles, they just keep reappearing with different body modifications (the hidden cars are a little more interesting, but you can't use them in the official races anyway). A collection of vehicles more akin to the ones found in Rage Racer would have been best here. But the big reason why Ridge V isn't receiving a 10 from yours truly: The two-player split-screen mode is ugly to the point of being offensive--inexcusable on a system this powerful.

No surprises here; Ridge V is as good as we anticipated. Having played the Japanese version for some time we knew what to expect. If you're a fan of the classic Ridge Racer panache you won't be disappointed. The game manages to retain its famous drift-style gameplay while incorporating new flash. It's amazing that it can look so good yet still keep a respectable framerate. I still think it's odd however, that the cars made for grip actually slide better than the drift vehicles. The drift cars tend to slow quite a bit when you whip 'em around the corners, whereas the grip cars slide and keep speed. Not much of a complaint really. RRV is a very solid game.

In part because I expect great racing games from Namco, and in part because of similarities to earlier Ridge games, I liked RRV but it never blew me away. The graphics are nice--there are a couple bad textures you may notice, and some serious fog in the two-player mode you can't miss--but mostly it's blaz-ingly fast, crisp and detailed. Controls feel great (although I prefer the Grip-type cars now for the first time) with good use of the analog buttons; I adjusted and was back in form after only a few races. But winning don't come easy. Computer cars are fast and love to box you out (a relief after R4's wimpy Al). All said, I found RRV polished, but predictable.