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Review info
Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2
Available on: Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Release date: June 5, 2025
Namco’s Ridge Racer is my favourite racing game collection of all time. A stellar mix of arcade drifting, excellent visuals, and vibes-driven soundtracks have made it a legendary racing franchise, notably with entries like Ridge Racer Type 4 for the unique PlayStation, and Ridge Racer 6 on Xbox 360 – each of which stay my favorites within the collection to today.
It’s a franchise that has been long-dormant to my chagrin, with the final mainline entry – Ridge Racer Unbounded – coming from FlatOut and Wreckfest developer Bugbear Entertainment in 2012. And truthfully, the much less mentioned about that sport, the higher.
Now, developer Hamster has injected some life into the collection as soon as once more, with a implausible port of the unique Ridge Racer for Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Arcade Archives 2 Ridge Racer is a bundle that includes the 1993 arcade model of the sport, with a handful of modes and loads of settings for customizing your expertise.
It could be very gentle within the content material division, although. You’re not getting something like Type 4’s 300+ automobiles or Ridge Racer 7’s large marketing campaign. As you may count on for an arcade racer of its time, you’re getting one monitor, a single automotive, and a half-dozen music tracks. If that relative lack of content material is a matter, you may wish to give Arcade Archives 2 Ridge Racer a miss.
That’s to not say that there aren’t a minimum of just a few issues to do. The monitor varies and extends primarily based in your chosen issue, in addition to the automotive’s high pace. The ‘Original’ mode packs in loads of customizable choices to tailor your expertise, and chasing on-line leaderboard instances is a moreish endeavor. For $16.99 / £14.99, there’s quantity on provide for the low price of entry.
Slide by the curves
Ridge Racer is maybe the arcade racing sport in its purest type. Similar to friends like Daytona USA, you’re tasked with finishing a variety of laps, whereas doing all your greatest to move different automobiles and hit checkpoints throughout the time restrict, thus granting you a time extension – priceless seconds wanted to proceed the race.
Ridge Racer is available in 4 flavors of issue, every altering issues up fairly considerably. Novice provides a simplified course format over two laps. Intermediate is similar course prolonged to a few laps with the next high pace. Advanced contains the complete course format, whereas Time Trial (shortened to T.T. in-game) pits you in opposition to a single driver on the complete course with a good greater high pace.
Even although there’s only one monitor, it’s a visible deal with even right now, and it’s spectacular simply how a lot selection is packed right into a single circuit. The full course takes you thru a metropolis, beachside resort, building web site, countryside, and extra over simply a few minutes. Lovely environmental touches like planes flying overhead and the time of day step by step shifting make for an atmospheric racing expertise, too. Blasting by all of it at round 220km/h is an actual deal with, particularly when you’ve nailed down the drifting and dealing with.
Drifting, specifically, is certainly the pioneering gameplay function of the Ridge Racer collection, and that began as early as this primary entry. The trick is to let go of the throttle and feather the brakes whereas turning, thus whipping your automotive round tight corners with out shedding a lot pace.
Nailing it right here feels extremely satisfying, particularly when the sport punishes you with fairly extreme pace loss for those who hit a wall or one other driver. Drifting could be refined in future entries, nevertheless it’s spectacular how good of a job Namco did on this first outing.
Drift into the lead
So what different modes are on provide in Arcade Archives 2 Ridge Racer? If you wish to problem the web leaderboards, there are just a few methods to take action. Hi Score Mode is a true-to-arcade expertise the place you have to obtain the most effective race time you may on a single credit score.
Caravan Mode has you racing for 5 minutes straight, together with your rating recorded in distance traveled. In each Hi Score and Caravan, you’re additionally ready to decide on your issue, every of which has its personal leaderboard. Finally, Time Attack Mode is a gauntlet that has you setting instances in every of the sport’s 4 difficulties consecutively.
Best bit
Chasing down quicker instances within the sport’s numerous on-line leaderboards is an incredibly addictive expertise. This is the place many of the replay worth lies, too, particularly as there’s only a single monitor to race on that evolves relying on the issue you choose.
There’s quantity to do, then, for those who’re a excessive rating chaser, and loads of different methods to go about it. What you may discover, although, is that outdoors of Original Mode, monitor place doesn’t actually matter. It’s all about going as quick as you may, setting the quickest instances, or going as a lot distance as you probably can.
Original Mode is probably the most malleable of the bunch. It’s probably the most informal of the modes, providing save states, and is the one mode that really pauses whenever you hit the pause button. You’ll even have the choice of enjoying Japanese or English ‘SD’ or ‘DX’ ROMs, with the one main distinction being DX’s addition of a clutch button, mimicking the arcade cupboard releases.
There are loads of settings, too. Full button format customization is obtainable, in addition to numerous show settings, together with wallpapers for the 4:3 decision, display screen format with the choice for widescreen, and numerous CRT filters (although I a lot most well-liked to play with out these for cleaner picture high quality).
You also can select from six distinct music tracks earlier than loading right into a race. Ridge Racer is understood for routinely having among the greatest soundtracks to grace the style, although I can’t say that’s the case on this first entry.
The rave-inspired music ranges from tolerable to borderline unbearable, and had me pining for the pristine mix of funk, home, and UK storage present in Ridge Racer Type 4. Though particular point out does need to be given to Speedster – Track 5 – which homes an iconic pattern that is additionally used within the Jet Set Radio soundtrack. That’s plus factors in my ebook.
Ridge Racer additionally has the dishonor of that includes what is maybe the collection’ most irritating announcer. Delivering traces with the overly charismatic cadence of an American sport present host, you’ll hear “hey, somebody’s right on your tail!” numerous instances throughout a single race.
Should you play Arcade Archives 2 Ridge Racer?
Play it if…
Don’t play it if…
Accessibility
There aren’t actually any up to date accessibility choices in Arcade Archives 2 Ridge Racer. Being capable of modify display screen and button layouts relying in your preferences is good, however there’s not a complete lot past that.
How I reviewed Arcade Archives 2 Ridge Racer
I’ve clocked in 4 hours of playtime in Arcade Archives 2 Ridge Racer to date. That’s greater than sufficient to expertise every of its modes many instances over, and most of that point was spent climbing the web leaderboards for every mode.
I performed the sport on Nintendo Switch 2, utilizing the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller to play in docked mode. Though the overwhelming majority of my playtime was spent in handheld mode, often on lunch breaks or simply earlier than settling in for the evening.