Back To Reviews
By Contributing Writer Jimmy Payne Rating: Good Ridge Racer 64 is a lot better than I thought it would be, but it's still not quite the best Ridge Racer game available. One of the things that surprised me about this game was its graphics. Previous Ridge Racer games have a sort of realistic, gritty feel to them, but RR64's graphics are very bright and cheerful. The tracks are some of the most graphically detailed I've ever seen in an N64 game, and the opening introduction is one of the best intros I've ever seen in an N64. The only problem with the graphics is that die-hard Ridge Racer fans might be a little disappointed with the color scheme. This game's options screen lets you customize just about anything you can imagine. You can even change the driving styles in the game, switching between Ridge Racer Revolution's style and Ridge Racer 64's own unique style. I wish more games let you do this, because I can remember plenty of times when I didn't like how a company changed the control in a sequel. I was a little hesitant to play this game at first because I was afraid it would have a low number of tracks, and I thought that the tracks would be re-hashes of old Ridge Racer tracks. Thankfully, there are over ten tracks in Ridge Racer 64, and most of them are completely original. Not only are they new, but they're very well-designed. It's also nice that every new track that you unlock is completely different than the previous ones. Ridge Racer 64's multi-player modes are just a good as the single-player mode. First, there's the typical versus mode in which up to four players can compete in a regular race. Second, there's the battle mode in which you can race against up to six computer drivers. The battle mode is great for crowded and hectic races. Perhaps the most fun multi-player mode of all is the team race where you and a friend can race together against two other people, or against two computer-controlled drivers. This mode is great because it causes you to be concerned with how your partner is doing in the race, not just yourself. It's nice to know that the developers of the game didn't take the easy way out and only include a simple versus mode. The only major complaints I have about Ridge Racer 64 are its control and its invisible walls. The analog control is way too touchy, and it will probably have you swerving all over the road uncontrollably more often than not. The digital control is much more precise and forgiving, but it's still not as responsive as it probably should be. The collision detection is extremely messed up, which results in invisible walls being present a few feet next to the actual walls. Your car will be several feet away from the wall on the side of the track, but it will still act as though it's bumping up against the wall. The walls make it very annoying to play with the Ridge Racer 64 driving style. In the Ridge Racer Revolution driving mode, you hit the walls when you're supposed to, but you're bumped outward unrealistically whenever you do so. Not only do these flaws make the game frustrating, but it makes the developers look stupid for not cleaning them up. It wouldn't have taken a rocket scientist of a play-tester to notice that you're constantly bumping into invisible walls. So, is Ridge Racer 64 better than the last Ridge Racer game for the PlayStation, R4? Both games have their own strengths and weaknesses, but I'd have to say that R4 is the better game overall. It has almost all the good things that Ridge Racer 64 has, without the flawed control. Send your thoughts on this review to jimmy@mastergamer.com
© 2001 ivan@mastergamer.com