Driving right from arcades to the PlayStation is the glorious Ridge Racer. As was true in the arcade iteration, Namco's racer uses ultra smooth texture-mapped polygons in spades, thereby giving a realistic look to the track and its environments, in addition to its cars. The game's speed is astounding as well, and perhaps its biggest draw. Tunnel lights zoom so quick that there is no sight of pixelation whatsoever. Unlike Daytona on Saturn, there is not a hint of pop-up to be found. RR's gameplay is straightforward as can be. Race for the gold using one of 13 available racing cars, including a lovely pink sedan, the RT Pink Mappy.

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Veterans of the coin-op may find it tricky to adjust to the digital gamepad instead of a steering wheel, but Namco thankfully added a slew of options, including manual or automatic transmission, to make sure the fit is just right. The selection of tracks is just OK. With only four to choose from, it is hardly a step above Daytona, but we do admit the High-Level track does pose a challenge at first. Ridge Racer's music selection also does well to get your heart racing as you, um, race! The game's announcer is just as annoying as the original, constantly spitting lines like "Somebody's right on your tail!" A faithful translation is a faithful translation, we suppose. An excellent 32-Bit racer.

Printed in Issue #29, September 1995