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.
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
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.
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!
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
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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!
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
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!
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
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.
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 ❤
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.
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 :)
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!
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.😢.
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
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 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.
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.
Would like to see any ridge racer ported to the Saturn. Layer Section 2 turned out great on the Saturn, surely it could’ve churned out a Saturn port or unique ip
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 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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Still surprised they didn't try to revive the franchise on Switch. Basically every publisher with a racing game managed to put something out. Namco Banda and Nintendo are pretty tight right now, iirc they even opened a Switch specific studio somewhat recently. If they're not there with RR for the Switch 2 launch then I guess we can wait with baited breath for the PS6 launch but I wouldn't be expecting it.
It's sad that the Ridge Racer series ended up becoming a canary in the coalmine for the AAA arcade racing genre, at least the indies influenced by it are still alive and kicking.
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.
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
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!
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!
Nearly two hours long... no wonder this took some time to make! Can't wait Greg.
Thanks! I hope you enjoy it :)
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
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 :)
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.
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!
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.
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?
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!
Fantastic video! Absolutely my favourite arcade racing franchise, and the more Ridge Racer love I see..the better! Great work!
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.
I LOVE Retrospective’s like this!!!!
Just brings joy to my heart to see Rage Racer included in any video. Dammit though, I forgot how grey that game was!
Great, informative, and extensive video of a series that really influenced me when I was a teenager. You've earned yourself a sub!
Welcome!
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!
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!
Ridge 4/5 is peak RR.
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!
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.
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!
A great retrospective of a beloved franchise that I, personally, miss very much.
Thanks!
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.
Ridge racer on N64DD should be your next highlight.
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
Great video. Very thorough and detailed. We definitely need a new Ridge Racer game.
Thanks!
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
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!
The video is so good that even CJ watched a little of it. Seriously, amazing video as always!
Thanks!
Huge undertaking. Thanks for making this… a nice look back. Hard to believe it’s been some three decades already.
Glad you enjoyed it!
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!
Great video! I miss Ridge Racer so much! 😢
Ridge Racer!!!!!
An absolute gem of a video, so glad I got it randomly recommended! Subscribed ♥♥
So glad to hear it got recommended. Welcome!
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.
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!
this was such a nostalgic, good feeling trip...thx. Plus the analysis and historical was great.
Thanks!
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?
Wonderful video; we learned a lot!
Great video. GT or Sega racing games retrospective next please!
I'm actually working on a NASCAR video next.
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.😢.
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
Great documentary. What a trip. Never knew about the Daytona crossover
R4 OST is forever imprinted in my head... It so good that I still have it in my music player
This video gave me chills. fantastic video.
Thanks!
The only site for the definitive word on racing game history.
Thanks :)
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 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.
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 miss the music, the vibe.
Would like to see any ridge racer ported to the Saturn. Layer Section 2 turned out great on the Saturn, surely it could’ve churned out a Saturn port or unique ip
Would have been very cool to see, but I guess the rivalry between the two in arcades was too strong at the time
Come on, I bet there is still a demand for this series.
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
excellent, i like this style of video, i hope you'll do more of these!
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.
nice channel you have here, greg!
Thanks!
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!
3:40 'Atari's Hard Driving to Market'
A sentence created specifically to let out your inner Newfie, haha
Man. The PSP section brought back so many great memories. Awesome video, as always.
Thanks!
Wow, I had no idea Pocket Racer existed! I’d love to play on that cabinet.
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.
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.
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?
Thanks for your work, a lovely retrospective to my favorite racing saga, 2 hours that fly away
Generation 16 climbs back to the top of the yarn ball with this one!
Amazing content.
Great job, Greg. Loved the video.
Thanks!
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 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!
Awesome video
Thanks!
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?
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!
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.
Excellent!! Very nice presentation and condensed info!! We wish we could make videos that good too!
Thanks so much!
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.
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!
Blessed by the algorithm 🙏🏿✨️
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
Masterful, thank you for this awesome full length documentary, an incredible effort! Subbed.
Another absolutely brilliant video, boss.
Thanks!
Excellent work Greg!
Thanks!
21:50 "gone are the namco theme liveries" *shows a car with the Ace Combat logo
Excellent video, excited to watch your channel grow
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 🔥
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! :)
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 :)
ridge racer type 4 has the best sound track
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.
Another game that I missed is San Francisco Rush
Yeah I was a big fan of the Rush series as well.
Still surprised they didn't try to revive the franchise on Switch. Basically every publisher with a racing game managed to put something out. Namco Banda and Nintendo are pretty tight right now, iirc they even opened a Switch specific studio somewhat recently. If they're not there with RR for the Switch 2 launch then I guess we can wait with baited breath for the PS6 launch but I wouldn't be expecting it.
Maybe Bandai Namco is just waiting for someone else to foot the development costs
i've been listening to the music for 20 years thanks to the PSP version (i was somehow 10 late!).
oh my god that Zeebo version of Rotterdam Nation oh my god
@@danhectic5629 🤣
It's sad that the Ridge Racer series ended up becoming a canary in the coalmine for the AAA arcade racing genre, at least the indies influenced by it are still alive and kicking.
Great work - that's a sub from me ❤
Welcome!
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!
Drive u 2 dancing is what made ridge racer.
Great video....I've bought too many of these games, but luckily avoided the dross.