Ridge Racer Revolution
A 1995 PlayStation racing sequel with link-up multiplayer.
Ridge Racer Revolution is a 1995 racing video game developed and published by Namco for the PlayStation. It is the sequel to the PlayStation version of Ridge Racer and adds two-player support via the PlayStation Link cable, two hidden cars, and other features intended to increase depth. The game borrows most of its soundtrack from Ridge Racer 2 and was followed by Rage Racer in 1996.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Namco
- Publisher
- Namco (JP); Namco Hometek (NA); Sony Computer Entertainment (EU)
- Composer
- Hiroshi Okubo; Nobuhide Isayama
- Series
- Ridge Racer
- Platforms
- PlayStation
- Released
- December 3, 1995 (JP); May 17, 1996 (EU); September 25, 1996 (NA)
- Genre
- Racing
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
The gameplay system is unchanged from Ridge Racer, with the same checkpoint and time limit system; running out of time ends the race, and passing through checkpoints grants additional time. Car drifting is more like Ridge Racer 2. The player can use automatic or manual transmission. The game supports the NeGcon controller and adds a rear-view mirror when using the in-car view. Three courses are available: Novice, Intermediate (also called Advanced), and Expert, each with different sections opened. Modes include Race against eleven opponents, Time Trial against one opponent, and a new Free Run mode with no other cars and no lap limit. Speed grade selection, available in Free Run, can be unlocked for Race but not for Time Trial. A time-of-day selection for races is a new feature, not available at the start. Two-player link-up mode gives access to the original Ridge Racer's courses, Special 1 and Special 2, and offers Race and Versus modes; Versus includes a handicap option that increases the speed of the trailing car.
Development
Ridge Racer Revolution came together in eight months with a team of over twenty people, most of whom signed on just for this project. The trickiest parts were getting the link-up mode to work, adding a rear-view mirror, and keeping the game running at high speeds. Every developer had previous console experience, and they noted that the graphics showed how much their skills had grown. Instead of simply porting Ridge Racer 2, the team packed in as many features as they could to make a deeper game. Early versions of the new tracks were built in a free-run program to test how fast the cars could go. The rear-view mirror was mainly designed for the two-player link-up mode. Most of the music came from Ridge Racer 2, so the audio was finished ahead of the rest; new songs were written by Hiroshi Okubo and Nobuhide Isayama. The team kept pushing the PlayStation to solve the high-speed issues, confident it could be done. Designer Hiroyuki Onada said creating an original course was tough, and director Kazumi Mizuno felt split-screen would hurt the graphics, so they chose to focus on the link-up instead.
Reception
The game was a bestseller in the UK and was the top-selling game on the UK multi-format chart in May 1996. Additional features and improvements over the original received high praise. Coming Soon Magazine praised its multiplayer mode, saying it would furnish many hours of competitive fun, and called it an excellent racing game. Absolute PlayStation praised its playability, greatly improved artificial intelligence, and two-player link-up. Both sports reviewers from Electronic Gaming Monthly thought it was better than the original due to cleaner graphics and improved handling. David Hodgson of Maximum acknowledged similarity to the original but gave a strong recommendation, citing removal of slowdown, track updating, unlockables, and two-player mode. The Electric Playground complimented the much improved graphics and scene changes, calling them a serious improvement, and lauded the link-up mode, though it criticized remixed music tracks. Gamezilla's Mark Skorupa praised the new tracks as always challenging and fun, and Free Run as a great way to learn tracks. Major Mike of GamePro believed the game surpassed the first and upheld the Ridge Racer tradition. Computer and Video Games Magazine commented that it was everything Ridge Racer maniacs could have wanted from a sequel.
More in Namco Games of the 1990s 1-24
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