Ridge Racer 7

Did You Know?

• The game was first unveiled at the 2006 E3 event in a teaser trailer.
• It has been re-issued under Sony's Platinum and The Best budget lines.
• Bugbear developed the drastically different Ridge Racer Unbounded, released in 2012.

Gameplay

The gameplay centers on high speed circuit racing featuring drift handling, where the player slides the car around turns without great loss of speed. New features include car body and engine customization that can affect performance, handling, and the nitrous boost system. Ridge Racer 7 actively encourages players to slipstream other cars, a technique not emphasized in previous iterations. The game brings back unlimited restarts for the first time since Ridge Racer Revolution in 1996, allowing the player to restart during races at any time. Players can replay the same race series for more points and money. A global ranking system uses a combination of FP (Fame points), CR (Credits), and OBP (Online Battle Points) to calculate an overall number of RP (Ridge Points), displayed on the player's Ridge State ID Card. Game modes include Ridge State Grand Prix, a series of races; Manufacturer's Trials, where players earn cars or parts; UFRA Single Event, races with restrictions; Extreme Battle, boss battles of higher difficulty; Arcade, a single player mode with unlocked tracks or cars; Global Time Attack, a time trial with global leaderboards; Standard Race, online for up to 14 players; Pair Time Attack, combining times of two racers; Team Battle, splitting players into colored teams with a points system; Pair Battle, teams of two racing for smallest total time; and UFRA Special Event, 25 extra events downloaded for free from the PlayStation Store with higher difficulty and often preset car choices.

Extras

Namco offered downloadable content for Ridge Racer 7 on the PlayStation Network starting March 22, 2007. This included the UFRA Special Events, roof decals, and purchasable background music. The US PlayStation Store received these add-ons on June 1. An October 2010 patch enabled 3D play. The classic arcade title Xevious can be unlocked within the game.