Ridge Racer for the 3DS is a game that doesn't beat around the bush. From the outset, this dumb (yet pretty) racer does little more than provide a tightly wound arcade racing in your hands.
The problem with the majority of racing games on a portable platform is that they miss the intoxicating immersion found on higher resolution systems. The screen is too small to really trap the player in the world and give the impression that bends and opponents are being thrown around at breakneck speed. The audio capabilities of the DS and it's compatriots lack the booming, screaming power needed to sell the sensation of being behind the wheel.
The 3DS' newfangled depth of vision, much superior sound system and wider screen make a worthy attempt at resolving these issues. Ridge Racer feels genuinely fast and exciting to play.
The game itself is no different to a host of other racing titles, a fairly long Grand Prix and various one-off races are present. Similarly, there is nothing novel about the way cars are unlocked and upgraded: win enough races and you'll accrue points to spend on NOS and jump-starts from the grid. The cars you get access to all look quite different from each other, even if they handle the same in the first half of the Grand Prix mode.
As the game progresses and as the races get faster you'll just need to stay up with the curve to keep on winning. The racing AI is especially elastic, which keeps the races tight, if not a little repetitive. By mid-game you'll be used to lurking around fourth place until the final lap only to whiz past the top three and claim victory. By the time the final-tier cars are unlocked though, the game becomes a little more punishing on your reflexes.
Driving in Ridge Racer is arcade-style mush at the more extreme end. The primary focus of your racing technique needs to be drifting - as often and as aggressively as possible. Your NOS meter is charged up by the act of drifting and you are encouraged by the in-game voice over to collect and burn nitrous on a continual basis. Drifting is no deterrent to speed in the game, in fact the best method for passing an opponent is to hide in their slipstream and drift-pass them on an S bend, whilst jamming on 3 canisters of N02. A simulator this is not, but it is great fun executing the perfect drift.
Multiplayer is included in the form of StreetPass races, ghost-car downloads and local 4 player over Wi-Fi. Nothing new here, but it works well. It would have been nice to see a more fully fleshed-out online system, but the joy here is really quick races and that's what you are delivered.
The graphics are solid enough for a 3DS title. but it's a shame they still drag behind other handheld racers (even those on the ancient PSP). One area where the game struggles is with 3D, a shame as with all 3DS titles, this is something of a major selling point. While the 3D effect is useful for gauging distance and selecting the optimal spot to launch into a drift, you'll end up going cross-eyed halfway through a race. If you move the console in almost any way while playing, the screen flickers, walls overlap and you'll crash. With the 3D slider turned to halfway the problems are reduced, but so to is any advantage you might gain. When you're dealing with ridiculous speeds towards the end of the game, a flickering screen spells doom.
Minor issues aside, Ridge Racer 3DS proves to be a solid arcade racer with plenty of content to justify the price tag.
