I’m my own algorithm. Just tried the game and played the Grand Prix for R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 since it’s been on my PS4 for months without me acknowledging it. Looked up how to drift for certain tracks and came across someone talking about other games in the series. Talk about a stroke of luck
Excellent video! So many odd entries into the series. I personally really enjoy the games on the PS1, PSP and Ridge Racer 5 on the PS2. I had always thought Saturn Daytona was more fun than PlayStation Ridge Racer at the time though... I had never seen either in the arcade.
My first ever full-time job was in a mall that happened to have an arcade. They had sit down versions of Ridge Racer and Daytona USA sitting side by side. I went down every lunch hour to play a few rounds on each. When they ended up being flagship launch games for the Saturn and PlayStation, I was super excited. I went with the Saturn because I was a hardcore Sega fan at the time, and I thought Daytona was extremely fun if a bit graphically lacking. Ridge Racer was really pretty, but as far as I was concerned they got the feel of the drifting wrong. So I didn't really get back into the series until I bought a PlayStation a couple years later and really gave Rage Racer an honest try.
@@joesaiditstruefor me my all time favourite ridge racer games are: All PlayStation 1 Ridge Racer games, R:Racing Evolution, both PSP RIDGE RACER games and RR7.
This was both amazing to watch but also absolutely heartbreaking. Ridge Racer as a series after the PSP and PS3 releases is so sad. Namco could never figure out what to do with this franchise. It’s like game after game just buried it deeper into obscurity. Lots of cool stuff in here I never knew about. Thanks for creating such a deep retrospect on (at one time) one of favorite franchises. I agree that we may never see another one again.
I think they were losing interest in making new Ridge Racer games. They suddenly stopped caring about the series after Ridge Racer 7. It was a shock that ANY new Ridge Racer games were coming out, given Namco's growing fascination with Dragon Ball Z. Really, the struggles that Namco had with evolving Ridge Racer's gameplay were symptomatic of larger problems with the company. Tekken was still selling like hotcakes, but it seemed like they couldn't quite figure out how to adapt their other classic gaming series from arcades to consoles all that well. Just look at how badly they struggled to bring Pac-Man into the 21st century, for example. The Pac-Man World trilogy was a moderate success, but it wasn't anywhere as momentous as the original arcade title, and it ended after 3 games and a kart racer. Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures... Yikes. They've seemingly given up on trying to modernize him since that fiasco. Plus, look at how stale and repetitive Katamari became after just 2 games. I'm not sure if some of their series like Klonoa and Mr. Driller, for example, ever surpassed 1 million units in total franchise sales. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't. Namco was a powerful competitor to Sega. Heck, their games like Ridge Racer and Tekken tended to out-sell their Sega competitors like Daytona USA and Virtua Fighter, respectively. It also helped that Namco games were being released on the PS1 and PS2, both of which curb-stomped the Sega Saturn and the Dreamcast. But, both Namco and Sega went down the same path in the end. They merged with larger, stabler companies like Bandai and Sammy, probably to avoid bankruptcy, and then they abandoned most of their old game franchises in the process.
Almost all Ridge Racer games including Ridge Racer 7 are all masterpieces. Rage Racer and Ridge Racer Type 4 both have arguably, the best game progression of alltime in Ridge Racer series.
Amazing to see a video about this series that actually shows care for the other games, rather than just putting R4 as its centre focus and everything else as "Before/After R4". I do really like R4 but my love is for the series as a whole and it's awesome to see a video that actually handles the whole series with care!
Definitely your best video yet, Greg. I enjoyed the original Ridge Racer in arcades, but R4 blew my mind. I was about 9 years old when I first played it, and the music, graphics, and general vibe of the game really struck a chord with me. I still listen to the soundtrack to this day. RRV was one I enjoyed too - I wish they'd bring this series back. Keep up the good work!
i just suffocated under 2h of pure nostalgie. I've only played RR2 on PSP. I got it for Christmas in a PSP bundle when I was around 7 years old. It was the only game i've had for a year, and I fully completed it. (Even if the max campaign was only completed years later). RR2 PSP was a gigantic compilation of all previous game, with tons of different cars ands tracks. I remember unlocking cutscene from previous game when progressing in the campaign mode. I've watched those video thousands of times. Today I just understood everything was coming from previous games, which explain the diversity in tracks and styles. The Musics was also perfect. Almost 20 years later, this game remains my best videogames souvenir. Also, pressing the select button while selecting a track or a car would load a mirrored version of the track and give you unlimited nitro. Thanks for this great video.
Your Ridge Racer video is finally unleashed onto the masses! 🥳🥳🥳 I have little experience with Ridge Racer beyond the DS and PSP installments, so I learned a lot. It's definitely sad how the series has drifted into irrelevance, though. Anyway, excellent video. I'll look forward to future Racing Evolution videos, assuming it continues.
Really big props for covering the mobile games as every other Ridge Racer Retrospective video never really care about them. They just point them out and say, "These are mobile games and they suck because mobile" without giving an in-depth look at each of them. Definitely the best RR content we have in awhile!
It's not even on the play store anymore - so no one's hurt if there's a mod that removes the monetizeation in ridge racer slipstream which looks and sounds GORGEOUS and plays great, even without a controller (can even use gyroscope in various ways) I mean I'd buy the game, namco could make it available SOMEWHERE If anyone wants the mod, and the game, let me know, and if I survive tonight (long story) I will check where I got it from and let you know) meow!😊
@@sewartbtw great video dude! Shit, you just saved my life (had taken an overdose, of course I have an antidote to everything I take because I'm careful) Because we need a new ridge racer, and while it won't be official - I'm not bad at what I do and great at doing things low budget - I can make a reiko nagase equivalent that looks more real but, for budget reasons, I may have to make the whole thing look anime style - which while different, will get people to buy it - can set it in the near future, omg im gonna add a story AND I ALREADY HAVE A CHARACTER WHO RACES! Kara shall be our new mascot! The mobile version will be pay upfront with a free demo Because we were doing that anyway (I have a team too) Fuck yeah!😊😊
I didn't realize (until you mentioned it) that you're THE Greg Sewart from EGM. instant sub, your reviews were always the ones I looked for. Excellent video. Glad to see you here.
Just playing Ridge Racer 2 for the PSP on emulator after years of thinking about playing it again. It’s still such a blast, played the first ridge racer for PSP to death back in 06/07
Great video - thoroughly enjoyed it! RRT4 was basically my childhood so was good to see it discussed. I miss classic RR so much - thanks for putting in the effort, it really shows!
Ah, here’s a chunk of my weekend plans! Even though I could‘ve seen it last week via Patreon Early Access, I held off as I wanted to watch it on my big TV.
9.5 video from the ExpertGamer/EGM veteran. Definitely worth the wait (more than a year). Sewart longform videos are always good, looking forward to the Joe Montana Football video.
The effort, content, accuracy, editing, documentary of this video deserves 25m views, not 25k. Congrats ❤ As for the series, because even if I'm a sim racer, I would say that Ridge Racer is the only REAL arcade racer, not trying to be in between sim and arcade. I owned all of the titles from PS1 , I've played thousands of hours and the enjoyment back then was top notch . Nowadays I'm back with emulators spending time with Ridge Racer series in my breaks from Iracing. Right now I'm playing Ridge RacerV on Pcsx2
Nice video, it's clear that the author really knows this franchise and its history. In my opinion, the major reason Ridge Racer is not a mainstream title anymore is also to seek in new players tastes, that mainly revolve around strict realism and competitive multiplayer game modes, rather that having a fun arcade game. Despite its actual state, i'm still waiting for a new game to drop for the newest consoles, deeply knowing that my dream is never coming true.😢.
Love it. Definitely worth mentioning the cancelled Nintendo Switch project though. That broke my heart when I learned about it. Ridge Racer 2 (PSP) is absolutely one of my desert island games. The series deserves so much better.
Good to see you getting some algorithmic pickup, it always feels weird to me that Ridge Racer went from "Namco Flagship" to "we really only make this as a system launch tech demo" in the space of a console generation. It's a shame.
I'm okay waiting for a new RR if it means namco wants to get it right. Beautiful video, your captures of the PS1 games complete with dithering looked fantastic. It was like watching a mega review of the series. You're one smooth operator!! My favorite version of RR is currently RR7 via RPCS3 on Steam Deck. It runs surprisingly great!
Thanks so much. I'm glad you like the capture quality of the PS1. I really had to adjust my capture setup to use original hardware for those games, so I'm happy to hear it was noticed :)
Great video, but it's too bad that it had to end on such a sad note. With that said, Ridge Racer had a really good run, all things considered. It lasted from 1993 to 2016, meaning it was around from the days that arcades were still relevant to the days of HD gaming. That ain't too bad. I was hooked on Ridge Racer 7 in 7th grade, and I finally warmed up to Ridge Racer V, when I came back to it in high school. I didn't appreciate that game enough when I played it in 1st grade because it felt like the cars slid on ice at the time. It's superior to Ridge Racer Type 4, and it's the 3rd best in the series behind RR7 & RR6, despite what some folks might say. Sometimes, we forget how difficult it is to sustain a video game franchise. Make a sequel too similar to the previous title, and it'll feel stale. Make a sequel that's too different, and it'll feel like too big of a departure. Plus, gaming evolves at a breakneck pace, and it's a highly crowded and competitive industry, so it's a major challenge to maintain an audience's interest in a video game franchise before a shiny, new game takes our attention away. Long-running (and still popular) video game franchises like Pokemon, Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, Tekken, Yakuza, Street Fighter etc are relatively rare for that reason. It's a miracle when a game series remains relevant enough to make it past even 4 games. The good news is that racing games, while not the force of nature they were in the 1990s to the mid-2000s, aren't nearly as dead in mainstream gaming as, for example, on-rails space shooters. In fact, racing games seem to be making a comeback. Need for Speed, Forza Horizons, and Gran Turismo are still going strong. Burnout might be making a comeback. There was Cruisin' Blast in 2017, and a new Tokyo XTreme Racer title was announced after a nearly 20-year hiatus. I didn't think Tokyo XTreme Racer would EVER return. Plus, Namco finally did remakes of its past series like Klonoa (which I heard sold nearly 1 million units) and Mr. Driller. It'd be pretty rad to see a new Ridge Racer on PS5 that's sleek and fancy, but now with photo-realistic graphics that rival those of Gran Turismo 7. If Tokyo XTreme Racer can make a comeback, then anything can come back. In the meantime, though, I'll sit and wait for Namco to make console versions of the Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune games and then release them in the USA. Those could be a good substitute for Ridge Racer for now.
Dude, this retrospective was so well done...awesome work! I'd love to see a back to basics ridge racer, focused on pick up and play arcade mechanics, drifting, stylish presentation and groovy soundtrack...it would be cool to see some cell shading techniques, employed -similar to Auto Modellista. It's fun to dream about it.
I rented Rage Racer back in the day. It's the only game in the series I've ever played. I had a blast with it. I love that campaign grinding style race game.
Great overview of the series and RIP Ridge Racer, one of the best racing series of all-time at one point, but left to diminish by a lack of continued creativity and development. Left to rest on its laurels far too often and leaving people with a bad taste in their mouth when shelling out for another minor upgrade or re-release of the same thing.
Yeah I never really felt that way in the moment, but looking back on the series I do see how people were getting a bit tired of the original format by the mid-2000s
Being a Ridge Racer fan is painful, Especially when compared to Midway, SEGA racing games. It's sad that Ridge Racer dies a horrible death rather than a peaceful retirement. - Midway (Includes Atari Games) - Cruis'n: Cruis'n blast released in 2017, Switch version released in 2021, Fast & Furious Arcade released in 2022 Spy Hunter: Spiritual Sequel Agent Intercept is released. (Agent Intercept was originally going to be a Spy Hunter.) Sprint (Super Sprint is a Midway game.): NeoSprint is released. RUSH: Fan game Project San Francisco in development. - SEGA - Daytona USA: New arcade game released in 2017, Daytona USA 2 ported in 2023. Virtua Racing: Great Switch version released. Outrun: The fan-made Outrun 2006 patch was released, a fan game Turbo Outrun Reimagined is released. Also, there is news that Outrun 3 may come out. Crazy Taxi: Remake and Reboot are coming out. Sega Rally: DDI Rally Championship has been released. Necro Felipe says Ridge Racer 8 hasn't been canceled, but looking at Namco's current situation, I doubt that's true. Especially when look at the failure of the Blue Protocol. But I'm hoping Necro Felipe is right.
I doubt RR8 is still in development. It would mean it has been in development for almost as long as Metroid Prime 4. There's a case to be made for why MP4 is still getting made (millions of copies will be sold). Can't really say the same for Ridge Racer anymore, unfortunately.
@@InfinitySevens It would be an understandable explanation, but then that begs the question - why doesn't Namco drop Maximum Tune games on consoles or PC?
Great to have this video to learn about one of my favorite arcade racers of all time. Its a shame that the hope for it ever returning is so slim, I think everyday about it. Hopefully, just HOPEFULLY, there’s something we don’t know about. Especially since SEGA is doing their “revive classic games” strategy now, maybe Namco could feel pressure to do the same. I did some research of my own; I’m really surprised that you never touched on the Ridge Racer 8 leak for Nintendo Switch. Apparently it was on someone’s portfolio as a 2018 game that unfortunately never came out. I really hope we get a surprise someday this century!
I was searching for videos of '90's arcade racer', as I remember the kickstarter was years ago....I was fortunate enough to come across this video, so thorough and informative.....really enjoyed it. subbed.
One of the things that held up production on this video was the fact that I couldn't put down Ridge Racer V until I'd unlocked everything. Love that game so much!
Dude, awesome video. Unfortunately, as the video went on…it became very sad to see where this series went. At least we got this great retrospective as a result.
This racing game just have amazing admiration of fun arcade with some banging tunes my personal fav in RR4 and RR PSP, kinda sad that this franchise died in Unbounded, although did have collab event Drift Spirits yearly but yeah this series sadly died by Namco Man, if Ace Combat & Tekken still alive and kickin in franchise, hopefully Ridge Racer returns ASAP for My Fav Trilogy Namco Franchise
As a huge Ridge Racer fan I wanted to say thank you for this retrospective. I was blown away by the first few titles on PS1 and recently discovered Rave Racer on MAME. With the force feedback plugin installed, it's like you're playing on the original cabinet, it's so amazing. And thanks to projects like VGM Player and Quattroplay I'm jamming out to the music for those games on my phone and laptop. I did pick up RR 6 and really enjoyed it a lot and am using this video to figure out what else is out there and to figure out where it all went off the rails. Hoping for a new numbered RR when the next gen (or Switch 2) launches...what number would that be anyway?
Ridge Racer Type 4 wasn't just the culmination of all the series prior highs; imo it was singularly the BEST racing game on console (and it stayed in the spot for a _long_ time!) The fact it never got a true sequel was heartbreaking.. absolute VIBE of a game, the "campaign", the colour palette, the soundtrack... they *nailed* the formula with R4.. one of my favourite games OAT and the first game I download on any new Emu device ❤
Just watching now. Enjoying this a lot. Have probably played literally thousands of hours of Ridge Racer and all it's iterations over the years :) Arcade, including the full car version they had at my local arcades, to endless PSX link up with friends, to PS2, PSP, Vita, PS3..... Still regularly play it honestly. There's just something about these games, it's my comfort zone game (along with og Doom). Thanks for making this! Edit: The worst aspect of the 3DS and Vita version, outside of the whole ridiculously limited structure of the Vita one, was that they ran at 30 fps, when RR had long been a 60fos series by that point.
Summer 2003, I received my diploma but couldn't travel with my friends because my passport wasn't valid anymore. So I spend my summer on Ridge Racer! That moment when I thought It was finished by beating all the cars, but there is that one black car waiting in the middle of the track. Trying to beat it and finally achieving a true victory in my lonely summer! I remember passing him and then watching my mirror to block him while drifting my way to the end. EPIC!
I have very, very fond memories of Ridge Racer. That said, IMHO the series was nearly killed by the release of Rage Racer. It was such a harsh departure from the original and Revolution. It was sustained on life support briefly (and barely) by R4 but sadly passed away after that. This game will always be the first two entries for me. For me, the look, feel, announcer and music were all massively missing set pieces in every release after Ridge Racer Revolution. R4 was a big departure from the first two but at least it had some saving grace in the presentation and handling department. I miss those early days of Ridge Racer (and Namco) on the PS1. For me, those games and times represent some of the best times I've ever had in console gaming.
26:40 That is not the case with the Japanese version, as analog stick steering is absent from that version. A NeGCon or the then-released JogCon is required to use analog steering. Thankfully the western versions added analog stick steering for the better.
popping the game out and putting a music cd in while playing ridge racer and other games was cool if i remember correctly you had to reswap the original game back in to load the nest level and do it all over again.
Oh my... sounds like the Zeebo port's music was put through a "circus" filter 🤣 Played a lot of RR and RRR (still have my original copies!), think I rented a later version (I think R4), and that was the newest RR experience for me.
No other racing game has the vibes like RR does. The art design, music, and super slick drifting, everything about it has a freshness and coolness that is sorely missing from the genre nowadays.
When Galaxian went in the PSX release of Ridge Racer it was then 15 years old. That was 30 years ago, sad but makes sense Ridge Racer is being used as IP for off topic games that many years later.
Enjoyed this video and how you presented it. 1 or 2 points I would disagree on. RRR is actually a really good game and I prefer it to the Original Ridge Racer. Yes content wise its still extremely light but the gameplay is good, the course and 2 variants are good enough, the Boss Cars and I am a massive fan of the soundtrack on RR and RRR in particular. On the subject of Soundtrack, I wouldn't say Ridge Racer or RRR has "House Music". Not a chance! Its far to up tempo and is more inline with "Techno" than House (I am a lover of House Music especially classic House Music from the 90s).
You are damn good at this. The algorithm needs to be slapped.
Thanks!
Here from reccomended
Algorithm brought me here it’s doing alright
@@FadedPilotNWThere are a lot more views now than when I wrote that.
I’m my own algorithm. Just tried the game and played the Grand Prix for R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 since it’s been on my PS4 for months without me acknowledging it. Looked up how to drift for certain tracks and came across someone talking about other games in the series. Talk about a stroke of luck
Excellent video! So many odd entries into the series. I personally really enjoy the games on the PS1, PSP and Ridge Racer 5 on the PS2. I had always thought Saturn Daytona was more fun than PlayStation Ridge Racer at the time though... I had never seen either in the arcade.
My first ever full-time job was in a mall that happened to have an arcade. They had sit down versions of Ridge Racer and Daytona USA sitting side by side. I went down every lunch hour to play a few rounds on each.
When they ended up being flagship launch games for the Saturn and PlayStation, I was super excited. I went with the Saturn because I was a hardcore Sega fan at the time, and I thought Daytona was extremely fun if a bit graphically lacking. Ridge Racer was really pretty, but as far as I was concerned they got the feel of the drifting wrong. So I didn't really get back into the series until I bought a PlayStation a couple years later and really gave Rage Racer an honest try.
Ridge Racer 5, Revolution and Rage Racer are my favorites!
@@joesaiditstruefor me my all time favourite ridge racer games are: All PlayStation 1 Ridge Racer games, R:Racing Evolution, both PSP RIDGE RACER games and RR7.
I remember playing ridge racer on both ps1 and ps2 it was one of the most simplest and most chill arcade racing game I've ever played
This was both amazing to watch but also absolutely heartbreaking.
Ridge Racer as a series after the PSP and PS3 releases is so sad. Namco could never figure out what to do with this franchise. It’s like game after game just buried it deeper into obscurity.
Lots of cool stuff in here I never knew about. Thanks for creating such a deep retrospect on (at one time) one of favorite franchises. I agree that we may never see another one again.
Thanks!
I think they were losing interest in making new Ridge Racer games. They suddenly stopped caring about the series after Ridge Racer 7. It was a shock that ANY new Ridge Racer games were coming out, given Namco's growing fascination with Dragon Ball Z.
Really, the struggles that Namco had with evolving Ridge Racer's gameplay were symptomatic of larger problems with the company. Tekken was still selling like hotcakes, but it seemed like they couldn't quite figure out how to adapt their other classic gaming series from arcades to consoles all that well. Just look at how badly they struggled to bring Pac-Man into the 21st century, for example. The Pac-Man World trilogy was a moderate success, but it wasn't anywhere as momentous as the original arcade title, and it ended after 3 games and a kart racer. Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures... Yikes. They've seemingly given up on trying to modernize him since that fiasco. Plus, look at how stale and repetitive Katamari became after just 2 games. I'm not sure if some of their series like Klonoa and Mr. Driller, for example, ever surpassed 1 million units in total franchise sales. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't.
Namco was a powerful competitor to Sega. Heck, their games like Ridge Racer and Tekken tended to out-sell their Sega competitors like Daytona USA and Virtua Fighter, respectively. It also helped that Namco games were being released on the PS1 and PS2, both of which curb-stomped the Sega Saturn and the Dreamcast. But, both Namco and Sega went down the same path in the end. They merged with larger, stabler companies like Bandai and Sammy, probably to avoid bankruptcy, and then they abandoned most of their old game franchises in the process.
Almost all Ridge Racer games including Ridge Racer 7 are all masterpieces. Rage Racer and Ridge Racer Type 4 both have arguably, the best game progression of alltime in Ridge Racer series.
Amazing to see a video about this series that actually shows care for the other games, rather than just putting R4 as its centre focus and everything else as "Before/After R4". I do really like R4 but my love is for the series as a whole and it's awesome to see a video that actually handles the whole series with care!
Thanks!
Definitely your best video yet, Greg. I enjoyed the original Ridge Racer in arcades, but R4 blew my mind. I was about 9 years old when I first played it, and the music, graphics, and general vibe of the game really struck a chord with me. I still listen to the soundtrack to this day. RRV was one I enjoyed too - I wish they'd bring this series back. Keep up the good work!
Thank you so much!
this video is a gem. Im loving to hear your perspective as someone who was writing in magazines in the early days! subbed
Awesome. Thanks!
Not screaming, good voice and good content, that's a sub!
Thanks!
i just suffocated under 2h of pure nostalgie. I've only played RR2 on PSP. I got it for Christmas in a PSP bundle when I was around 7 years old. It was the only game i've had for a year, and I fully completed it. (Even if the max campaign was only completed years later).
RR2 PSP was a gigantic compilation of all previous game, with tons of different cars ands tracks.
I remember unlocking cutscene from previous game when progressing in the campaign mode. I've watched those video thousands of times.
Today I just understood everything was coming from previous games, which explain the diversity in tracks and styles. The Musics was also perfect.
Almost 20 years later, this game remains my best videogames souvenir.
Also, pressing the select button while selecting a track or a car would load a mirrored version of the track and give you unlimited nitro.
Thanks for this great video.
So glad you like it!
Holy shit THE Greg Sewert? Thanks for all the EGM memories. Your articles and reviews helped me appreciate racing games at a young age! Thank you!
Glad to hear I had an impact :)
Fantastic video! Absolutely my favourite arcade racing franchise, and the more Ridge Racer love I see..the better! Great work!
Thanks!
Your Ridge Racer video is finally unleashed onto the masses! 🥳🥳🥳
I have little experience with Ridge Racer beyond the DS and PSP installments, so I learned a lot. It's definitely sad how the series has drifted into irrelevance, though. Anyway, excellent video. I'll look forward to future Racing Evolution videos, assuming it continues.
Thanks man!
Really big props for covering the mobile games as every other Ridge Racer Retrospective video never really care about them. They just point them out and say, "These are mobile games and they suck because mobile" without giving an in-depth look at each of them. Definitely the best RR content we have in awhile!
Thanks! I do my best to give every game the benefit of the doubt.
It's not even on the play store anymore - so no one's hurt if there's a mod that removes the monetizeation in ridge racer slipstream which looks and sounds GORGEOUS and plays great, even without a controller (can even use gyroscope in various ways)
I mean I'd buy the game, namco could make it available SOMEWHERE
If anyone wants the mod, and the game, let me know, and if I survive tonight (long story) I will check where I got it from and let you know) meow!😊
@@sewartbtw great video dude! Shit, you just saved my life (had taken an overdose, of course I have an antidote to everything I take because I'm careful)
Because we need a new ridge racer, and while it won't be official - I'm not bad at what I do and great at doing things low budget - I can make a reiko nagase equivalent that looks more real but, for budget reasons, I may have to make the whole thing look anime style - which while different, will get people to buy it - can set it in the near future, omg im gonna add a story AND I ALREADY HAVE A CHARACTER WHO RACES! Kara shall be our new mascot!
The mobile version will be pay upfront with a free demo
Because we were doing that anyway (I have a team too)
Fuck yeah!😊😊
I didn't realize (until you mentioned it) that you're THE Greg Sewart from EGM. instant sub, your reviews were always the ones I looked for. Excellent video. Glad to see you here.
Thanks!
Just brings joy to my heart to see Rage Racer included in any video. Dammit though, I forgot how grey that game was!
Just playing Ridge Racer 2 for the PSP on emulator after years of thinking about playing it again. It’s still such a blast, played the first ridge racer for PSP to death back in 06/07
I LOVE Retrospective’s like this!!!!
A great retrospective of a beloved franchise that I, personally, miss very much.
Thanks!
Great, informative, and extensive video of a series that really influenced me when I was a teenager. You've earned yourself a sub!
Welcome!
Great video - thoroughly enjoyed it! RRT4 was basically my childhood so was good to see it discussed. I miss classic RR so much - thanks for putting in the effort, it really shows!
RR Type 4 was a beautiful part of my childhood. Thx 4 the memories mate.
RR Type 4 still looks so good! Thanks for watching!
I didn't realize that Ridge Racer 2 in the PS+ Classics collection was the unreleased PSP version! I'm downloading it now.
I hope you enjoy!
Huge undertaking. Thanks for making this… a nice look back. Hard to believe it’s been some three decades already.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Ah, here’s a chunk of my weekend plans! Even though I could‘ve seen it last week via Patreon Early Access, I held off as I wanted to watch it on my big TV.
9.5 video from the ExpertGamer/EGM veteran. Definitely worth the wait (more than a year). Sewart longform videos are always good, looking forward to the Joe Montana Football video.
The effort, content, accuracy, editing, documentary of this video deserves 25m views, not 25k.
Congrats ❤
As for the series, because even if I'm a sim racer, I would say that Ridge Racer is the only REAL arcade racer, not trying to be in between sim and arcade.
I owned all of the titles from PS1 , I've played thousands of hours and the enjoyment back then was top notch .
Nowadays I'm back with emulators spending time with Ridge Racer series in my breaks from Iracing.
Right now I'm playing Ridge RacerV on Pcsx2
Thanks so much. I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
Nearly two hours long... no wonder this took some time to make! Can't wait Greg.
Thanks! I hope you enjoy it :)
Nice video, it's clear that the author really knows this franchise and its history. In my opinion, the major reason Ridge Racer is not a mainstream title anymore is also to seek in new players tastes, that mainly revolve around strict realism and competitive multiplayer game modes, rather that having a fun arcade game. Despite its actual state, i'm still waiting for a new game to drop for the newest consoles, deeply knowing that my dream is never coming true.😢.
Love it.
Definitely worth mentioning the cancelled Nintendo Switch project though. That broke my heart when I learned about it.
Ridge Racer 2 (PSP) is absolutely one of my desert island games.
The series deserves so much better.
An absolute gem of a video, so glad I got it randomly recommended! Subscribed ♥♥
So glad to hear it got recommended. Welcome!
Good to see you getting some algorithmic pickup, it always feels weird to me that Ridge Racer went from "Namco Flagship" to "we really only make this as a system launch tech demo" in the space of a console generation. It's a shame.
I'm okay waiting for a new RR if it means namco wants to get it right. Beautiful video, your captures of the PS1 games complete with dithering looked fantastic. It was like watching a mega review of the series. You're one smooth operator!! My favorite version of RR is currently RR7 via RPCS3 on Steam Deck. It runs surprisingly great!
Thanks so much. I'm glad you like the capture quality of the PS1. I really had to adjust my capture setup to use original hardware for those games, so I'm happy to hear it was noticed :)
Are there still graphical glitches or has that been fixed?
@@DuckAlertBeats It looks really good to me. For me it's my best running RPCS3 game on Deck. I playing the pkg file.
Generation 16 climbs back to the top of the yarn ball with this one!
Amazing content.
Really awesome video. Enjoyed it a lot.
Thanks!
Awesome video
Thanks!
Great video! I miss Ridge Racer so much! 😢
Great video, but it's too bad that it had to end on such a sad note. With that said, Ridge Racer had a really good run, all things considered. It lasted from 1993 to 2016, meaning it was around from the days that arcades were still relevant to the days of HD gaming. That ain't too bad. I was hooked on Ridge Racer 7 in 7th grade, and I finally warmed up to Ridge Racer V, when I came back to it in high school. I didn't appreciate that game enough when I played it in 1st grade because it felt like the cars slid on ice at the time. It's superior to Ridge Racer Type 4, and it's the 3rd best in the series behind RR7 & RR6, despite what some folks might say.
Sometimes, we forget how difficult it is to sustain a video game franchise. Make a sequel too similar to the previous title, and it'll feel stale. Make a sequel that's too different, and it'll feel like too big of a departure. Plus, gaming evolves at a breakneck pace, and it's a highly crowded and competitive industry, so it's a major challenge to maintain an audience's interest in a video game franchise before a shiny, new game takes our attention away. Long-running (and still popular) video game franchises like Pokemon, Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, Tekken, Yakuza, Street Fighter etc are relatively rare for that reason. It's a miracle when a game series remains relevant enough to make it past even 4 games.
The good news is that racing games, while not the force of nature they were in the 1990s to the mid-2000s, aren't nearly as dead in mainstream gaming as, for example, on-rails space shooters. In fact, racing games seem to be making a comeback. Need for Speed, Forza Horizons, and Gran Turismo are still going strong. Burnout might be making a comeback. There was Cruisin' Blast in 2017, and a new Tokyo XTreme Racer title was announced after a nearly 20-year hiatus. I didn't think Tokyo XTreme Racer would EVER return. Plus, Namco finally did remakes of its past series like Klonoa (which I heard sold nearly 1 million units) and Mr. Driller. It'd be pretty rad to see a new Ridge Racer on PS5 that's sleek and fancy, but now with photo-realistic graphics that rival those of Gran Turismo 7. If Tokyo XTreme Racer can make a comeback, then anything can come back.
In the meantime, though, I'll sit and wait for Namco to make console versions of the Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune games and then release them in the USA. Those could be a good substitute for Ridge Racer for now.
Dude, this retrospective was so well done...awesome work!
I'd love to see a back to basics ridge racer, focused on pick up and play arcade mechanics, drifting, stylish presentation and groovy soundtrack...it would be cool to see some cell shading techniques, employed -similar to Auto Modellista. It's fun to dream about it.
Thanks!
I rented Rage Racer back in the day. It's the only game in the series I've ever played. I had a blast with it. I love that campaign grinding style race game.
Yeah there's just something about that game.
Great overview of the series and RIP Ridge Racer, one of the best racing series of all-time at one point, but left to diminish by a lack of continued creativity and development. Left to rest on its laurels far too often and leaving people with a bad taste in their mouth when shelling out for another minor upgrade or re-release of the same thing.
Yeah I never really felt that way in the moment, but looking back on the series I do see how people were getting a bit tired of the original format by the mid-2000s
Thanks for your work, a lovely retrospective to my favorite racing saga, 2 hours that fly away
Being a Ridge Racer fan is painful, Especially when compared to Midway, SEGA racing games. It's sad that Ridge Racer dies a horrible death rather than a peaceful retirement.
- Midway (Includes Atari Games) -
Cruis'n: Cruis'n blast released in 2017, Switch version released in 2021, Fast & Furious Arcade released in 2022
Spy Hunter: Spiritual Sequel Agent Intercept is released. (Agent Intercept was originally going to be a Spy Hunter.)
Sprint (Super Sprint is a Midway game.): NeoSprint is released.
RUSH: Fan game Project San Francisco in development.
- SEGA -
Daytona USA: New arcade game released in 2017, Daytona USA 2 ported in 2023.
Virtua Racing: Great Switch version released.
Outrun: The fan-made Outrun 2006 patch was released, a fan game Turbo Outrun Reimagined is released. Also, there is news that Outrun 3 may come out.
Crazy Taxi: Remake and Reboot are coming out.
Sega Rally: DDI Rally Championship has been released.
Necro Felipe says Ridge Racer 8 hasn't been canceled, but looking at Namco's current situation, I doubt that's true. Especially when look at the failure of the Blue Protocol. But I'm hoping Necro Felipe is right.
I doubt RR8 is still in development. It would mean it has been in development for almost as long as Metroid Prime 4. There's a case to be made for why MP4 is still getting made (millions of copies will be sold). Can't really say the same for Ridge Racer anymore, unfortunately.
Wondering if Maximum Tune has anything to do with Ridge Racer being dormant.
@@InfinitySevens It would be an understandable explanation, but then that begs the question - why doesn't Namco drop Maximum Tune games on consoles or PC?
Man. The PSP section brought back so many great memories. Awesome video, as always.
Thanks!
Great to have this video to learn about one of my favorite arcade racers of all time. Its a shame that the hope for it ever returning is so slim, I think everyday about it. Hopefully, just HOPEFULLY, there’s something we don’t know about. Especially since SEGA is doing their “revive classic games” strategy now, maybe Namco could feel pressure to do the same.
I did some research of my own; I’m really surprised that you never touched on the Ridge Racer 8 leak for Nintendo Switch. Apparently it was on someone’s portfolio as a 2018 game that unfortunately never came out. I really hope we get a surprise someday this century!
We need a soul blade / edge / calibur episode 👏
For now I'm going to be sticking to racing games. But I'm glad you enjoyed this one.
also, the Soul Blade intro is one of my all-time faves on the PS1
I was searching for videos of '90's arcade racer', as I remember the kickstarter was years ago....I was fortunate enough to come across this video, so thorough and informative.....really enjoyed it. subbed.
Awesome! Thank you!
Great video. Very thorough and detailed. We definitely need a new Ridge Racer game.
Thanks!
Incredible video! I played the hell out of Ridge Racer on my PS1 and Ridge Racer V and R: Racing Evolution on PS2.
One of the things that held up production on this video was the fact that I couldn't put down Ridge Racer V until I'd unlocked everything. Love that game so much!
Dude, awesome video. Unfortunately, as the video went on…it became very sad to see where this series went. At least we got this great retrospective as a result.
Thanks so much!
I thoroughly enjoyed this, Ridge Racer 3DS seems fun and If TXR is returning I hope Ridge Racer one day will.
Thanks!
Masterful, thank you for this awesome full length documentary, an incredible effort! Subbed.
The video is so good that even CJ watched a little of it. Seriously, amazing video as always!
Thanks!
This racing game just have amazing admiration of fun arcade with some banging tunes my personal fav in RR4 and RR PSP, kinda sad that this franchise died in Unbounded, although did have collab event Drift Spirits yearly but yeah this series sadly died by Namco
Man, if Ace Combat & Tekken still alive and kickin in franchise, hopefully Ridge Racer returns ASAP for My Fav Trilogy Namco Franchise
I agree!
I know that You are a racing fan, but a Tekken video done with this level of Quality would be great, thank you great work.
Thanks!
I'm kind of focusing on racing for now since it's my favourite genre, but who knows where we go after a couple of those videos?
Ridge 4/5 is peak RR.
This video gave me chills. fantastic video.
Thanks!
excellent, i like this style of video, i hope you'll do more of these!
this was such a nostalgic, good feeling trip...thx. Plus the analysis and historical was great.
Thanks!
Excellent video, excited to watch your channel grow
As a huge Ridge Racer fan I wanted to say thank you for this retrospective. I was blown away by the first few titles on PS1 and recently discovered Rave Racer on MAME. With the force feedback plugin installed, it's like you're playing on the original cabinet, it's so amazing.
And thanks to projects like VGM Player and Quattroplay I'm jamming out to the music for those games on my phone and laptop.
I did pick up RR 6 and really enjoyed it a lot and am using this video to figure out what else is out there and to figure out where it all went off the rails. Hoping for a new numbered RR when the next gen (or Switch 2) launches...what number would that be anyway?
Ridge racer on N64DD should be your next highlight.
Great video. GT or Sega racing games retrospective next please!
I'm actually working on a NASCAR video next.
Great documentary. What a trip. Never knew about the Daytona crossover
Wonderful video; we learned a lot!
I still hope we get a Ridge Racer Collection for modern consoles, like Konami did with MGS.
I miss it and I'd love to play it all again on the Switch.
dude i've been wondering where that is, i've wanted something like that for a while
Wish we could get ports of the arcade originals too 🙂
@@mmatiasautio Yes. Just give us all in a collection. I'll take it.
Ridge Racer Type 4 wasn't just the culmination of all the series prior highs; imo it was singularly the BEST racing game on console (and it stayed in the spot for a _long_ time!)
The fact it never got a true sequel was heartbreaking.. absolute VIBE of a game, the "campaign", the colour palette, the soundtrack... they *nailed* the formula with R4.. one of my favourite games OAT and the first game I download on any new Emu device ❤
Zero competitor AI, though.. that always annoyed me
Just watching now. Enjoying this a lot. Have probably played literally thousands of hours of Ridge Racer and all it's iterations over the years :)
Arcade, including the full car version they had at my local arcades, to endless PSX link up with friends, to PS2, PSP, Vita, PS3..... Still regularly play it honestly.
There's just something about these games, it's my comfort zone game (along with og Doom).
Thanks for making this!
Edit: The worst aspect of the 3DS and Vita version, outside of the whole ridiculously limited structure of the Vita one, was that they ran at 30 fps, when RR had long been a 60fos series by that point.
I'm glad you enjoyed it :)
Great video, its crazy to think how many Games were in the series. In my option i think Ridge racer peaked on the PlayStation 1
Thanks!
Ridge Racer Revolution was my jam back in the day along with Need For Speed III
Great job, Greg. Loved the video.
Thanks!
The only site for the definitive word on racing game history.
Thanks :)
21:50 "gone are the namco theme liveries" *shows a car with the Ace Combat logo
"a lot of the cool namco-themed branding disappearing." I didn't say all of it.
nice channel you have here, greg!
Thanks!
R4 OST is forever imprinted in my head... It so good that I still have it in my music player
Excellent work Greg!
Thanks!
Summer 2003, I received my diploma but couldn't travel with my friends because my passport wasn't valid anymore. So I spend my summer on Ridge Racer! That moment when I thought It was finished by beating all the cars, but there is that one black car waiting in the middle of the track. Trying to beat it and finally achieving a true victory in my lonely summer! I remember passing him and then watching my mirror to block him while drifting my way to the end. EPIC!
Another absolutely brilliant video, boss.
Thanks!
Wow, I had no idea Pocket Racer existed! I’d love to play on that cabinet.
Excellent!! Very nice presentation and condensed info!! We wish we could make videos that good too!
Thanks so much!
Amazing profiling, John Linneman's recommendation got me here. Kudos 🎉
Welcome. John got an early look at this video and actually caught a pretty big mistake I made during rendering.
@@sewart Surprisingly, it wasn't that glaring to take us out of the intended experience.
It was amazing 🔥
I only ever played RR64 AND V, and hot damn they were fun as hell. GT3 ended up taking over my racing life for a good long while, though.
Yeah GT3 was kind of an event game. I was the same way.
I have very, very fond memories of Ridge Racer. That said, IMHO the series was nearly killed by the release of Rage Racer. It was such a harsh departure from the original and Revolution. It was sustained on life support briefly (and barely) by R4 but sadly passed away after that. This game will always be the first two entries for me. For me, the look, feel, announcer and music were all massively missing set pieces in every release after Ridge Racer Revolution. R4 was a big departure from the first two but at least it had some saving grace in the presentation and handling department. I miss those early days of Ridge Racer (and Namco) on the PS1. For me, those games and times represent some of the best times I've ever had in console gaming.
Totally get it. The first two games had that arcade purity that the series mostly left behind starting with Rage Racer.
26:40 That is not the case with the Japanese version, as analog stick steering is absent from that version. A NeGCon or the then-released JogCon is required to use analog steering. Thankfully the western versions added analog stick steering for the better.
Time for me to replay Ridge Racer 2... God I hope this franchise makes a comeback like how Ace Combat 7 did.
Wouldn't that be great?
3:40 'Atari's Hard Driving to Market'
A sentence created specifically to let out your inner Newfie, haha
popping the game out and putting a music cd in while playing ridge racer and other games was cool if i remember correctly you had to reswap the original game back in to load the nest level and do it all over again.
Wow, you were writing for EGM at the absolute peak of EGM! I used to look forward to every issue coming in the mail and read them cover to back.
I agree. We were killing it in the early 2000s! :)
Oh my... sounds like the Zeebo port's music was put through a "circus" filter 🤣
Played a lot of RR and RRR (still have my original copies!), think I rented a later version (I think R4), and that was the newest RR experience for me.
Blessed by the algorithm 🙏🏿✨️
Great video....I've bought too many of these games, but luckily avoided the dross.
No other racing game has the vibes like RR does. The art design, music, and super slick drifting, everything about it has a freshness and coolness that is sorely missing from the genre nowadays.
Yeah the series really defined "cool" in the 90s.
Agreed! Nothing like it
Really glad I found this channel, that was a great watch. I didn't realize just how many terrible mobile versions of Ridge Racer got released, lol.
Welcome!
When Galaxian went in the PSX release of Ridge Racer it was then 15 years old. That was 30 years ago, sad but makes sense Ridge Racer is being used as IP for off topic games that many years later.
Come on, I bet there is still a demand for this series.
Enjoyed this video and how you presented it. 1 or 2 points I would disagree on.
RRR is actually a really good game and I prefer it to the Original Ridge Racer. Yes content wise its still extremely light but the gameplay is good, the course and 2 variants are good enough, the Boss Cars and I am a massive fan of the soundtrack on RR and RRR in particular.
On the subject of Soundtrack, I wouldn't say Ridge Racer or RRR has "House Music". Not a chance! Its far to up tempo and is more inline with "Techno" than House (I am a lover of House Music especially classic House Music from the 90s).
I would've been blown away by that mobile version of ridge racer in 2003, my cell phone did have snake though! So there's that lol
I miss the music, the vibe.
Ridge Racer!!!!!
Great video, I only played 7th and 3ds games and loved them although I wish I could play some ps1 games.