Ridge Racer 7

Ridge Racer 7
Publisher: SCEE
ERP: £39.99

That the latest, lucky number seven, in this revered series fails to make us swoon is a sign of the times as much as anything else. Ridge Racer, like Tekken, has been synonymous with PlayStation for over a decade. Unlike Tekken, Ridge Racer has veered onto several high-profile consoles in recent years. Most notably last year’s Ridge Racer 6 for Xbox 360 but also the gala that was Ridge Racers on PSP.

Having lost the glamour of being the first next-generation Ridge Racer, and without the option of revisiting past glories in 1080p or whatever, Ridge for PS3 needed to be utterly outstanding. Instead, Ridge Racer 7 feels like routine… even if ‘routine’ by the creative team’s standards generally means ‘outstanding’. But the main concern for RR7 on PS3 is that it’s almost exactly the same game as RR6 on Xbox 360.

All the familiar boxes are ticked: lush, detailed backdrops; fictitious cars to die for; high-octane dance music urging you to push the envelope, and of course the exhilarating art of drifting through every corner. If the last time you played Ridge Racer was on PSP, by all means get excited by what’s on offer on PS3: customizable cars, and online races for real-world notoriety which feels like true prestige due to Ridge Racer’s Hall of Fame status. However if you’ve already experienced this on Xbox 360, RR7’s presentation overhaul barely improves the same overall package.

There’s only one brand new feature to brag about and that’s slipstreaming, in other words riding an opponent’s tail to cut down wind resistance before using the slingshot effect to overtake. This improves the skill factor online, but isn’t necessary in the one-player races which is another missed opportunity.

Although you can’t blame Namco for debuting next-generation Ridge Racer on Xbox 360, we have to say we’re dismayed by the promise of a fully-fledged PS3 super-sequel only to find the same old, same old (but still enjoyable) game.

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