Ridge Racer Type 4

Sony Playstation (Japan)

Dual Shock and Analog Compatible

NeGcon and JoGconCompatible

1-4 players via link cable

With the PS now being out almost four years, it seems that games just start looking better and better. Some companies that have been with Sony since the get-go are still there and continuing to make bigger and better games. The most notable of those companies is definitely Namco. They have been like Sony's top dog since the release of the Playstation back in 1995. With every new game Namco releases it sets a new standard for that particular genre. Whether it be Tekken, or even Air Combat, they always seem to the best there is.

The Ridge Racer series is definitely no exception. Since the first time I ever got to play Ridge Racer I have been hooked. The game gave such a sense of speed that it is, to this day unrivaled. With its flashy arcade style graphics and gameplay, Ridge Racer is destined to be one of the greats of its time. Namco capitalized on this with the releases of Ridge Racer Revolution and of course Rage Racer. Rage Racer was more of a step in realism but stil retaining the RR feel. Now with games like Gran Turismo out there Namco definitely needed to make R4 something extremely special.

The game itself sports a brand new engine and super smooth graphics. They are seamless with absolutely zero pop-up. The game runs at a smooth framerate and with such speed it is incredible. The control is definitely where you can see it is a RR game. The arcade-feel of the driving is intense and brings back memories of playing the original. One thing they have touched up though is that when you ram another car in the back you have a better recovery than in the previous version. This feature is definitely welcome, but hitting the wall still puts you in a bad position.

Now for the big debate..is R4 better than Gran Turismo?? Well in some areas yes, with this I mean that the gameplay is arcade whereas Gran Turismo's is realistic. As far as the graphics go, I can honestly say that R4 excels, not by much but just enough to say its better. The lighting effects and pop-up are my main reasons along with the seamless landscapes and track designs. Overall R4 is a extremely great game that gets my vote as best racing game on the PS to date. I hope that everyone will take a look at it when it hits US shores sometime in May.

Graphics--9.5

Sound--9.5

Control--9.0

Replay--9.5

OVERALL--9.5

By far the best racing game this year and probably best racing game on the PS to date!

ZeroTolerance