Genre: Racing
Developer: Namco
Publisher: Namco

As one the very first of what went on to be over three thousand commercial PSX titles, Ridge Racer is understandably a bit primitive on the geometry and texture side. And yet, it has a razor sharp appearance, giving it a beauty in simplicity. There is only one track, but the various palm tree-laden outdoor stretches, blue sky overhead, look beautiful while the various tunnels are lit up with cool yellow lighting. Most importantly the game moves in a super fluid manner, and has a frenetic pace. It's not nearly as good looking at, let's say, 3DO's "The Need for Speed", but for a launch window title on a brand new platform. Ridge Racer is a nice way to show off the system.

At first this reviewer thought his disc was skipping. Then he realized: "Wait, the music is supposed to sound like that." Indeed, this game has some truly bizarre techno beats which rhythmically pound away in the background as game progresses, not making much of an impression, but not being actively annoying either. That said, the soundtrack is nothing compared to competing game "Daytona USA" and its crazy Engrish lounge singing. Ridge Racer does have an announcer, and he does a reasonable job of informing the player as to what is happening.

Like "Daytona USA", Ridge Racer's gameplay is built around mastery of a drift mechanic-- but unlike Sega's competing title, the car grip in this release feels a little less predictable. At the same time, executing a perfect corner is supremely satisfying. Disappointingly the game only has one track, albeit it has multiple layouts with increasing difficulty. There are four cars initially, and additional cars can be unlocked. The game has that pure arcade feeling which is quite pleasant.

Ridge Racer initially loads with a "Galaxian" mini-game. Then the actual game demo begins, and the basic red, trademark Namco font on the HUD completes the mood: this is a pure, Namco arcade experience like the ones people fell in love with in the 1980s, but brought into the modern age of 3D, and showing off novel hardware to boot. It's a shame that the game is so content light, although this would be remedied with future series releases for Sony's impressive new platform. Still, this original Ridge Racer is highly playable, and has a nice aesthetic.