Ridge Racer Unbounded Review

[PAGETITLE=Introduction][Top Ad] Like first-person shooters, racing games are a dime a dozen. But despite that being the case, there are few series as aged as Ridge Racer, with its first title having been released in 1994 for the PSone. The first RR title I played was Rage Racer, released in 1996 and also for the PSone. Since then I've been a big fan of the series. There are a couple of things that make Ridge Racer Unbounded a special release. For one, it's the first proper RR game to come out since Ridge Racer 7, released for the PS3 in 2006. Second, it's the first RR ever to be released for the PC. As someone who doesn't play consoles much anymore, the fact that this iteration is available on the PC is exciting. Of course, just because a game gets released to the PC doesn't mean that it's a "true PC game". Ridge Racer Unbounded is in fact a console port, but for fans of the series, or racing fans in general who don't insist on the best graphics possible, few are going to be disappointed. There's a ton of eye-candy, and overall, the game world looks great. There is one important caveat, however. There are virtually no graphics options to tweak. No AA to adjust, no AF to increase, no texture detail to alter... nothing. Sure, you can increase the brightness, but I don't think anyone considers that to be a valuable graphics tweak. Console portalitis aside, Ridge Racer Unbounded is sure to receive a mixed reaction by PC gamers. The reason is two-fold. First, if you're someone who's never been much into consoles, chances are you're not familiar with this series at all. That can result in you having expectations that might not be lived up to. Second, if you're looking for a Need for Speed clone, Ridge Racer isn't it. Ridge Racer is about as close to an "arcade" racer as you can get. The racing is often unrealistic, and the ease of drifting, unparalleled. But RR's goal is to be fun and offer an exciting racing experience - not a realistic one. Even for fans of the series, Unbounded isn't typical. While the driving mechanics are as expected (and quite good overall), the level of destruction has been cranked up in this iteration. The game comes off to me as a cross between Burnout and Blur, although weapons are not implemented (thanks for not going that route, Namco). If there's one thing lacking from most racers, it's a good story. Unbounded doesn't become an exception, and in fact, its story is about the simplest I've ever seen. At the start of the game, you're briefly given a character backstory, and after that, you're off to the races. Unlike Need for Speed games, which typically have "bosses" to defeat and then continue the story with the help of those, Unbounded has no such thing. Once you're racing, the story is pretty much yours to make up. Unbounded takes place in "Shatter Bay", a city infused with similarities to some US cities, such as New York and Chicago. This city is split up into sections, each with their own sets of events. However, these districts can at times intertwine depending on the race, so while you may be entering a brand-new district, you're sure to see landmarks from adjoining districts. "Domination" is the most common race-type in Unbounded. It's a standard race, but with the ability to knock-out opponents and also smash through certain buildings for shortcut purposes. "Shindo" races are also standard, but without those extra perks. "Frag Attack" are special races that avail you near limitless boost to take out as many opponents as you can within the time-limit, and finally, "Time Attack" speaks for itself. Each district has at least seven races, and once all seven are beaten, you'll have "Dominated" that district. In order to get into the latter races in a given district, however, you'll need to perform well enough in the previous ones - it's not only a matter of placing first. Your score can go up based on the number of opponents you take out, drifts you pull off, buildings you smash through and so on. [PAGEBREAK][PAGETITLE=Continued; Final Thoughts][Top Ad] The racing physics in Unbounded are solid, as long as you don't expect any sort of realism. The control is tight, and successful drifting is easy to pull off. While there are many things you can run into that will stop you in your tracks, most objects on or off to the side of the track can be smashed through without issue. Trees in the middle of the road? No problem. A concrete pillar in front of the bank? Ditto. Sometimes, objects you run into can affect other racers, although that sort of gameplay isn't a major focus. The biggest destruction detriment to other racers are explosive trucks found throughout most of the races. If you're boost is full, you'll be able to ram these and virtually take out any racers within a close radius. Death doesn't mean the race is over for that particular racer, but it does mean they lose precious seconds. A major complaint I have with most Need for Speed titles is that there's an obvious "rubberband effect". That effect means that no matter how far ahead you can get from other racers, the game gives them a boost to help keep things competitive right until the very end. This is hardly ideal, as it makes any race feel a little pointless, and gives you the opportunity to lose within the last few seconds of the race even if you had a perfect run up until that point. Fortunately, I've noticed no such issue with Unbounded. There might be a reason for that: the game is difficult. Unbounded is one of the few racing games where I didn't beat the initial race on the first try, and in all of the races I've completed, I don't think I've ever been more than eight seconds ahead of #2. More often than not, I win races a mere 2-3 seconds ahead of the person behind me. This is the kind of difficulty I appreciate, as unlike the "rubberband effect", it actually feels genuine. To win races, you'll need to take advantage of your boost, or "power" as the game calls it. This is similar to nitrous, but it allows you to take out opponents or smash through certain buildings (clearly marked). Power can help you overtake an opponent when the opportunity arises and allows you to take important shortcuts. Power alone won't win races for you - but learning the best time to use it can. While Need for Speed is packed with big-name autos, Ridge Racer never has been. Instead, we are treated to a variety of faux manufacturers and models that generally resemble real-world counterparts. For some, this might be off-putting, but the fact of the matter is, Ridge Racer is not a realistic game, so the faux cars do fit in well (plus, I might cry if I was expected to drive an FXX through a concrete pillar). In addition to the quest mode, there's also online play. You are able to play any mode or track online, and even create your own tracks for use online. If you're not much of a multi-player gamer, you're still able to go on and play a set of different user-modded tracks each day, and if you manage to beat the set time, you'll be awarded with a Domination point (used for nothing more than bragging rights, unless the developers have future plans for them). A common issue with racing games ported to the PC is that the online community is usually very small. There's no exception to the rule here, so the best chance of finding a good multi-player race will depend on whether a friend owns the game. In the couple of MP races I did partake in, lag was virtually nonexistent. The graphics in Unbounded are quite good. The city is full of eye candy, and for the most part it feels like a real city. Things can become bland after a little while when you realize the differences between districts are not great, but Shatter Bay is most definitely a fun city to race through. The audio is also suitable, but like the gameplay itself, don't expect realism. To help keep you pumped up during the race, the music score includes different varieties of electronic music that perfectly suits the game. The soundtrack list is rather small, however, so you will hear the same songs over and over as time goes on. Whenever you're bored with racing, there's still fun to be had, thanks to the level editor. With this, you're able to mix and match various portions of all districts, place them down how you want, and then add in other variables such as explosive trucks or ramps. Unfortunately, due to the "budget' that exists, there are limits to the tracks you can create, but overall the editor is very flexible. Once built, you can take the race online, or simply fool around in it solo. To help wrap things up, Ridge Racer Unbounded is one of the best racing titles I've played in a while. It's not like most other racers, and that works to its advantage. It's a game for those who don't take racing all too seriously and just want to have fun blasting through cities in ways only Hollywood can deliver. Still not sure if it's for you? Be sure to check out the YouTube video posted on the first page of the review! Discuss this article in our forums! Have a comment you wish to make on this article? Recommendations? Criticism? Feel free to head over to our related thread and put your words to our virtual paper! There is no requirement to register in order to respond to these threads, but it sure doesn't hurt! [PAGEBREAK][PAGETITLE=Extra Screenshots]

Ridge Racer Unbounded Review

Page 3 – Extra Screenshots

Rob Williams