Joystiq

Ridge Racer Driftopia is 'free-2-drift' on PS3 and PC

JC Fletcher — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:00:00 EST

Ridge Racer usually breaks ground by being a launch game on ... pretty much every platform ever. Now it's innovating by adopting a new model, free-to-play, and bringing it to a new level of silly nomenclature by calling it "free-2-drift."

Ridge Racer Driftopia, developed by Ridge Racer Unbounded's Bugbear Entertainment, is a racing game in which you can buy cars, "repair kits," and XP packs. Namco previously experimented with a similar business model with Ridge Racer for Vita, which shipped with a small number of cars and courses, and sold the rest as DLC. Of course, that game had a $30 MSRP. So this is progress! It's due out this year, Namco says.

Ridge Racer Driftopia is 'free-2-drift' on PS3 and PC originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ridge Racer skids onto Vita March 13, free DLC in tow

Jordan Mallory — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 21:00:00 EST

It wouldn't be the launch of a new PlayStation device without a new Ridge Racer game, and while Ridge Racer for the Vita may have missed launch day, it'll be making making up for its zero-to-retail time with free cars, music and tracks when it launches on March 13.

Initial retail copies of Ridge Racer ($29.99) will include a "Ridge Racer Gold Pass," which nets the buyer five additional cars, three bonus courses, two new songs and an extended remix of an existing song. PSN copies of the game ($24.99) also include the Gold Pass goodies, provided they're purchased before April 30. An additional "Silver Pass" DLC pack will also be available in April, albeit at an undisclosed price.

Aside from free DLC, Ridge Racer's North American launch also includes a system update, which improves the game's frame rate and adds "crisper graphics." It's fitting, since the only other thing more "PlayStation" than Ridge Racer is a system update.

Ridge Racer skids onto Vita March 13, free DLC in tow originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 03 Mar 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ridge Racer Vita's development cycle was also a race

JC Fletcher — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:10:00 EST

This may or may not be a surprise to you, depending on your level of cynicism about the relative lack of content in Ridge Racer for PlayStation Vita, but it was developed at a quick pace. A Famitsu interview with director Hideo Teramoto (translated by Andriasang) notes that development started in "spring," which likely refers to March at the earliest -- giving the team about eight months to have the game ready for the Vita's Japanese launch.

Teramoto said that the development schedule was "tight," as Andriasang puts it, but that the Vita hardware was easy to develop for, with the development kit in an "advanced state." The content was in an advanced state as well, on account of having already been designed for other Ridge Racer games. Oh, there we go being cynical again.

Ridge Racer Vita's development cycle was also a race originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: These are the Vita games that require a memory card

JC Fletcher — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 11:45:00 EST

Some PlayStation Vita games will let you save to the internal memory on the cartridge; others require you to have an external memory card, in a situation reminiscent of the Nintendo 64's confusing "Controller Pak." Kotaku Japan compiled a list of the Japanese launch games and their memory requirements, allowing us to see how common the external memory requirement is.

Known launch window games requiring separate memory cards include Ridge Racer, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention, Sega's golf game @Field, Hot Shots Golf 6, the AR title Monster Radar, and the assuredly Japan-only Dream Club Zero Portable. Everything else saves to memory included on the game itself -- with one exception: the status of (sigh) Touch My Katamari is unannounced.

That's for the retail versions of these games. Here's the list of games whose PSN versions require you to use an external memory card for save data:

All of them

Report: These are the Vita games that require a memory card originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 21 Oct 2011 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ridge Racer Vita gets insane teaser trailer, fairly tame screens

Griffin McElroy — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 23:05:00 EST

YOU WILL GET A NEW "MACHINE," the teaser trailer for the obligatory PS Vita version of Ridge Racer promises. We have ... just, literally no idea what that means. The screenshots posted below, however, are a lot more clear-spoken.

Continue reading Ridge Racer Vita gets insane teaser trailer, fairly tame screens

Ridge Racer Vita gets insane teaser trailer, fairly tame screens originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 23:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ridge Racer Unbounded gameplay video ruins dozens of sidewalk cafes

Jordan Mallory — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 16:30:00 EST

Ridge Racer Unbounded, the newest entry in Namco Bandai's ever-present racing series, has historically played its cards fairly close to its chest. Little has been revealed about the racer since it was first announced back in February, and ridge-racing veterans have expressed concern over the decidedly extreme direction the series appears to be taking.

Thanks to the magic that is Gamescom, however, we now know quite a bit about Unbounded's core gameplay mechanics. As explained by producer Joonas Laakso in the video above, the title's "crash race" mode slots neatly between Ridge Racers of yore and Split/Second: players fill a power meter by drifting, which can then be used to open shortcuts or destroy other racers. Environments are also highly destructible, with points awarded for destroying "collateral" that has been deemed "inconsequential." Chewing up the scenery with your front fascia will be instrumental in finding the fastest lines, as well as earning the highest scores.

At the moment, we're intrigued by the racer's dramatic cinematics and minimalistic UI presentation, however it's also possible that we've simply been entranced by Joonas Laakso's accent. Unbounded is due out in 2012, so we'll just have to wait and see if the title can hold up without European charm.

Ridge Racer Unbounded gameplay video ruins dozens of sidewalk cafes originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 21 Aug 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Of course there's a Ridge Racer game for PlayStation Vita

Ludwig Kietzmann — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 06:15:00 EST

Namco Bandai didn't have much to show at Sony's post-keynote gathering of playable games, but an interactive "trailer" running on the PlayStation Vita was expressly designed to show the publisher's commitment to the handheld. As always, Namco's courtship of new hardware begins with Ridge Racer.

There's not much game to speak of at the moment, as the nondescript trailer consisted of little more than a camera swooping over an extravagant 3D car. Swiping across the screen, poking the rear touchpad and tapping the shoulder buttons introduced some visual effects and altered the soundtrack, but this served no real purpose other than to impart assurance that Namco knows exactly what the PSV can do.

A Namco representative wouldn't commit to a Vita launch debut for the game, but readily acknowledged Ridge Racer's day-one traditions. After all, a new platform just doesn't seem real until Namco plays its part.

Of course there's a Ridge Racer game for PlayStation Vita originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 06:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ridge Racer Unbounded will be a brand within a brand

Justin McElroy — Wed, 11 May 2011 21:00:00 EST

Some of you in the Ridge Racer hardcore may have been a little put out by early video of the edgier Ridge Racer Unbounded, but it appears you needn't worry. During Namco Bandai's Level Up event in Dubai, product manager Kevin Chadine said that the Ridge Racer brand is becoming a larger umbrella with several series underneath it, much like EA has done with Need For Speed, saying of Unbounded that "This is just a different branch."

So don't fret, Ridge Racers. Think of Unbounded less as a new direction and more a sidepath, a shortcut that's being explored. And, assuming this is the first of many, let's hope the side streets down the road have better names.

Continue reading Ridge Racer Unbounded will be a brand within a brand

Ridge Racer Unbounded will be a brand within a brand originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 11 May 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ridge Racer 3D review: Classic car, new finish

Randy Nelson — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 21:10:00 EST

It's difficult to imagine a new hardware launch that isn't accompanied by a new Ridge Racer game (sorry, Wii). So, with the dawn of glasses-free portable 3D gaming upon us, the seminal 3D -- as in polygons -- arcade racing series is idling at the starting line, ready for you to take the wheel.
It may seem like a cash grab, with the game arriving at launch more or less unchallenged and bearing a well-known name, but while there's probably some element of that at play, there's no denying that Ridge Racer 3D is as strong an entry in the series as there's been in years.

Gallery: Ridge Racer 3D (1/19/11)

Continue reading Ridge Racer 3D review: Classic car, new finish

Ridge Racer 3D review: Classic car, new finish originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 21:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ridge Racer Unbounded colliding with Xbox 360, PS3 and PC in 2012

David Hinkle — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 12:01:00 EST

Namco Bandai Games VP of marketing, Carlson Choi, describes Ridge Racer Unbounded as "very different from the Ridge Racer you've come to know." if you've ever bought a game console at launch, you've probably come to know Ridge Racer very well, and you'll easily recognize the face of Reiko, the franchise's seemingly immortal mascot.

Her behavior in the Unbounded trailer shows a turn for the worse -- she crashes her expensive car through a busy intersection, implying that Ridge Racer is about to adopt a more dangerous and careless approach to racing. Another, more obvious clue: It's being developed by Bugbear Entertainment, creator of chaotic arcade racer FlatOut.

Ridge Racer Unbounded is set to arrive on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC sometime in 2012.

Continue reading Ridge Racer Unbounded colliding with Xbox 360, PS3 and PC in 2012

Ridge Racer Unbounded colliding with Xbox 360, PS3 and PC in 2012 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Watch these lucky people play Nintendo 3DS before you can

Ben Gilbert — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 02:56:00 EST

As if you needed any more proof that the Japanese public has more carefully manicured hands that you do, the videos we've embedded after the break of folks playing Nintendo's 3DS on Japan's MX TV feature nothing short of the prettiest thumbs we've ever seen. Also, tons of 3DS gameplay (in 2D), so there's that.

Continue reading Watch these lucky people play Nintendo 3DS before you can

Watch these lucky people play Nintendo 3DS before you can originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 02:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Ridge Racer Accelerated' trademark filed

Alexander Sliwinski — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:45:00 EST

You weren't there, man! You don't know what it was like. Pity is not an emotion one should ever feel for a man whose salary dwarfs the combined income of your entire staff, but there we were, dying inside for Kaz Hirai presenting Ridge Racer at E3 2006. The mere memory of that still causes those who were in the audience to sympathize for the executive, the way one would for a dog unable to use its hind legs and instead relying on a wheelie contraption.

With all that said, Siliconera has found a Namco Bandai trademark application for Ridge Racer Accelerated. We don't know if enough time has gone by for us not to desperately exclaim "Riiiiidge Racer!" every time we hear the title, but perhaps enough time has gone by for the corporations to think we won't.

'Ridge Racer Accelerated' trademark filed originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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