As per the norm for racing games, several options allow drivers to race against the clock, in competition, against themselves (practice), and more. Three difficulty levels allow for enjoyable but challenging racing regardless of expertise. Pre-race options allow you to customise your car with your team name, driver name, colour, car type, engine type and transmission type. While these options are limited when compared to the likes of Gran Turismo, this game's arcade feel requires none of the fine tuning and gear ratio tweaking its simulator cousin revels in.
There are six vehicles available for racing, each fictional but similar in appearance to Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Porsches and others. Where one may excel in power, it will for example lack in steering, and each of the cars reflects this balance. Some players will elect to drive the more powerful vehicles, trusting in their skill to negotiate the corners, while others will prefer the more sedate, controllable beasts on offer. Its pays for players new to Ridge Racer to experiment with different vehicles as each offers its own flavour. Finding a car that is comfortable to use may take some time.
Into the game, we find ourselves at the tail end of the racing pack, waiting on the green light. Two views are selectable. Outside view, which places the camera fairly close to the rear of the vehicle, and "bumpercam" which has the camera much closer to the ground and the view is unobstructed by your car. The scenery is reminiscent of past Namco racers, with the familiar skyline, overpasses, tunnels, and beach-lines making their fifth appearance.
While the background scenery is well constructed, and almost no pop-up is ever seen, it suffers the same affliction that most other racers do. There is basically no life within it. While there is the odd plane, seagull, and truck lumbering into the distance, they are rare and accentuate the emptiness of the city. Most players will not notice this, as it is usually a forgotten blur amidst the need to concentrate on the upcoming powerslide around the impending hair-pin. Power-sliding is something that players will become infinitely familiar within RR5. Every vehicle, regardless of it's build will need to take some of the corners at speed to compete, and in this game there is only one way to do that -- power-slide. The "gas off, turn, gas on" power-sliding is dizzyingly easy to do. But it does take time to master, especially with the handling characteristics of each vehicle changing the dynamics and control needed. Regardless, the actual act of power-sliding is pure fun, although quite why this is so remains a mystery. There is a huge amount of satisfaction in pulling off a perfect 'slide, especially as such skill is hard to repeat time and time again. Remember -- easy to learn, hard to master.
There are several championship cups to race for, spanning several race tracks. Again Namco has elected to use a base number of tracks, and modified each one so that subsequent races seem to be on different tracks. The truth is that the courses are always familiar, but players may find known routes blocked off, and new ones opened up. Racers will not be confined to viewing grey cityscapes only. Cliff sides, beach lanes, hilly passes, and bridges add to the variety within the given tracks. These features thankfully give players enough variety to stop boredom setting in, at least in the short term.
