Ridge Racer is the name of an arcade and home 3D racing game franchise developed and published by Namco. It involves tracks which wind through cities, beaches, woods, and mountains. Opponent cars are decorated with logos from other Namco games.

There have been several games in the Ridge Racer series. In chronological order:

• Ridge Racer (1993), the original arcade game
• Ridge Racer Full Scale (1994), controlled by a real car
• Ridge Racer (1994), a PlayStation launch title, similar to the arcade but with more tracks
• Ridge Racer 2 (1994), an arcade game which added the tracks from the home version
• Ridge Racer Revolution (1995), for PlayStation
• Rave Racer (1995), an arcade game
• Rage Racer (1996), for Playstation
• R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 (1998), for PlayStation
• Ridge Racer 64 (1999), for Nintendo 64
• Ridge Racer V (2000), for PlayStation 2
• Ridge Racer V: Arcade Battle (2000), the same game for arcade
• Ridge Racer DS (2004), for Nintendo DS
• Ridge Racers (2005), for Sony PSP

In games which offer multiple tracks, all of the tracks share the same starting gate / finish line, and open or close off different parts of the track to give a different racing experience. The Ridge Racer games are about style, speed and arcade style handling. The games normally feature ambient/house style music.

All the games feature "mascot girls". In the first few games, this was Reiko Nagase, but in Ridge Racer V she was replaced by Ai Fukumi. However Reiko Nagase is back in Ridge Racers on Sony PSP.

Ridge Racer Full Scale is projected onto a wide screen in front of a real automobile, a Eunos Roadster (the European version of a Mazda Miata). The car's steering, accelerator, and brake are connected to the game. The car itself does not move, but its brakelights work. The game code is modified slightly to make the player's car look like the real automobile being used.

Ridge Racer 64 contains subtle cameos from a few Transformers characters, such as Optimus Prime, occasionally spotted in vehicle mode across bridges and in other places.

Ridge Racer Type 4 includes a bonus disc containing a new version of the original Ridge Racer game, named Ridge Racer Turbo, which runs at 60 frames per second with improved graphics models.

Ridge Racer DS for Nintendo DS allows a player to steer by using the touch screen.

Ridge Racers for Playstation Portable is a PSP launch game.

A related game is R: Racing Evolution, released by Namco in 2003 on the PlayStation 2 and GameCube consoles. Although some of the classic Ridge Racer elements are retained, the emphasis is on simulation type driving and having an appreciation of the forces that affect a track car.

External link

• Photographs of Ridge Racer Full Scale