I'm so glad that Hamster's Arcade Archives are a thing.

[Sima Tuna]

I love Ridge Racer's whole hood cam aesthetic (the way the game looks played from first person), but I must admit I play all racing games in third person from behind. Either that, or full cockpit view, but only for those games which support per-car unique interiors with all the regalia. For an arcade racer, I much prefer third-person view.

I've been poor lately and steam sales have been savaging my wallet, so I'll probably wait a bit before grabbing this one. This and pokemon firered came out within a day or two of each other and I'm like, FUCK. I don't think I want to spend money on either one right now, but I'm a sucker and I will eventually.

[Steven]

This is the part where I admit that I never heard of Ridge Racer until about 10 years ago and have never played any of them. What's the deal with these?

[Sima Tuna]

They're fun simcade racing games that began in the arcade and then migrated to ps1 and later psp. Died in the psp and early HD era. My favorite of them is probably RR4. The console games usually have some kind of campaign mode which is comparable to Ace Combat. You have a little story and there are all these car companies using fictional cars based on real cars but modified slightly. I think Ridge Racer may even take place within Strangereal. Ridge Racer 6 and Ride Racer 2 PSP are probably the ones everyone knows the best.

Rave Racer, I think, was the last RR game on arcades before the console switch happened. Maybe I'm wrong there. But it wasn't long from Rave Racer to the console games.

Compared to Gran Turisma, RR is more focused on the racing, drifting, story and action. Less on customization, tuning or real-world cars. Mastering the drift is a big part of the appeal of RR specifically, I think.

The last Ridge Racer game, Unbounded, wasn't a Ridge Racer at all, but some completely unrelated Burnout clone pretending to be Ridge Racer.

[Steven]

Yeah I've never played Ace Combat either lol

Any particular recommendations, should I choose to get a Ridge Racer?

[Sima Tuna]

Ridge Racer Type 4 or the PSP game called Ridge Racer 2. Ace Combat Zero is probably the most polished of the Ace Combat games. AC4 is my favorite because the structure is less a story about characters and more "drop you into a giant battlefield and tell you to get to work."

[PC Engine Fan X!]

The PSX game of Ridge Racer Type 4 really shines when played with a Namco NeGcon or JogCon controller + if you have two PSX consoles, two copies of RRT4, a PSX link-up cable = up to 4 players racing together via linked-up protocol with widescreen split screen style setup. The included PSX "High-Spec" Ridge Racer bonus disc lets you play the original Ridge Racer game in 640 x 480 interlaced mode + 60fps framerate is super silky-smooth -- Namco's know-how in both techincal & engineering prowess/expertise pays off "big time" in spades!

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[scrilla4rella]

Let’s not forget the absolutely pumping beats and sublime aesthetic that go together like white on rice. Namco’s music from this era is killer. RR games were a big part of this. For me it’s all about R4 on PSOne. Timeless

This is the part where I admit that I never heard of Ridge Racer until about 10 years ago and have never played any of them. What's the deal with these?

[Lemnear]

This is the part where I admit that I never heard of Ridge Racer until about 10 years ago and have never played any of them. What's the deal with these?

The first four Ridge Racers, which also include Rage Racer and RR Type-4 have the "old formula".
From V onwards, that is, V, 6, 7 and the two PSP installments and the PS Vita installment, introduce Nitro, and the drifts are even faster and almost on rails. From V onwards, the brakes are practically unnecessary, and once you reach top speed, you practically never slow down.
We could call it "the Rail Shooter of Arcade Racing."

I'd say that for Steven, RR Type-4 is ideal: the soundtrack is amazing, the vibe is incredible, and the driving experience is truly enjoyable. It also has a sort of RPG campaign, in a certain sense: depending on your position, the car you get for winning changes, as does changing car brands or teams, and there are small dialogues between races.
It has a whopping 321 unlockable cars, I think. 8 tracks + 8 reverse tracks.

This is the pinnacle of their old formula.
If you want to try the new formula, RR2 (PSP) has practically all the tracks from the previous games from V , RR4, Rage Racer, Rave Racer, Ridge Racer 1 and 2, and maybe the first RR1 for PSP, including the soundtrack and remixes of them. It's a compendium of the series with everything excluding 6, 7 and RR Vita.

Anyway Steven, thanks for the tip about Kamui, it's nuts, it's basically Raystorm 2!!!

[Fudoh]

From V onwards, that is, V, 6, 7 and the two PSP installments and the PS Vita installment, introduce Nitro

V was the last one without Nitros. But maybe I misunderstood your statement.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

For Steven,

Here's a user created fanzine based on the classic PSX/PSOne Namco's Ridge Racer Type 4 game listed here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/4338509747 ... ebda7f5521

It's a fascinating read about the world of Ridge Racer Type 4 and Namco's development into it that has never been surpassed in terms of story telling nor the slick GUI layout with all of the custom Namco in-house created logos associated with it -- Namco really outdid themselves in creating the RRT4 game in terms of world-building it from the ground up. Plus, it has Sony PocketStation support from the get-go -- how cool is that? Of course, SCEA never did release nor sell the PocketStation in the USA despite a handful of American PSX titles like Working Design's PSX/PSOne Ray Crisis stg release supporting it 100% back in 2000.

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Namco originally wanted to see if it was possible to create a version of RRT4 that would run at 60fps framerate with a 640 x 480 interlaced mode presentation but found out that severe limitations and graphical cutbacks would have to be utilized in order for it to run on the aging PSX/PSOne hardware but with that discovery and steep learning process/curve didn't all "go to waste," they managed to create the "High Spec" Ridge Racer game that really does run at 60fps framerate with a 640 x 480 interlaced mode that fits within the entire PSX/PSOne's 2mb RAM limitation issue -- still quite a very impressive and extravagant technical achievement as it is nowadays, indeed.
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PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Fudoh]

Does the ACA1 PS4 version of Rave Racer have the split-screen 2-player mode? The 4-player mode is exclusive to the ACA2 versions as far as I know. I'd like to use a multi-screen processor to run Rave Raver on two screens - one for each player in 2P mode.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Does the ACA1 PS4 version of Rave Racer have the split-screen 2-player mode? The 4-player mode is exclusive to the ACA2 versions as far as I know. I'd like to use a multi-screen processor to run Rave Raver on two screens - one for each player in 2P mode.

Yes, the ACA1 PS4 port of Rave Racer supports two-players linked-up racing mode -- just would need two Dual-Shock 4 controllers synced up and enter two credits to enable it. Easy as pie.

Unfortunately, the Switch ACA1 port of Rave Racer only is a one-player affair at best -- which sucks "big time" but it is what it is. By hooking up an LCD projector setup to a docked Switch, Rave Racer looks quite awesome with the already "larger than life" overall screen presentation that eclipses the actual Rave Racer sit-down cabs with plenty of aplomb and panache.

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What multi-screen processor would be required for implementation of two separate screens?
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PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[tzm_rade]

Is the guy who shouts the remaining laps in Rave Racer as well as the Tokyo Wars announcer the Donpachi guy?

[OldSkoolShmuper]

PSP Ridge Racers in 2004 / 2005 was the first to introduce nitro, Ridge Racer V on PS2 did not have this.

Indeed it was really cool to have almost all of the tracks from Ridge Racer, Rave Racer, Ridge Racer Revolution, Rage Racer and RR Type 4 remade for the first PSP RR release.

The tracks from the older games that did not make it into the first PSP release, were added to Ridge Racers 2 in 2006. I enjoy playing high resolution version released on PS5 (and PS4)

[Klatrymadon]

BTW, something people might miss or forget about on the transmission/course select screen: shift up and down to change tracks, and hold the brake to select disc 2.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

BTW, something people might miss or forget about on the transmission/course select screen: shift up and down to change tracks, and hold the brake to select disc 2.

Yes, this Rave Racer BGM selection trick is already mentioned in the manual indeed.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Fudoh]

What multi-screen processor would be required for implementation of two separate screens?

You can use a HDMI splitter to feed two processorss, e.g. an OSSC Pro and a Retrotink 4K and have each of them feed one separate screen.

A budget all-in-one solution would be a Datapath x4, which accepts one digital 1080p input and allows to exactly define two (or 3 or 4) screen areas, which are then output to seperate monitors by the same machine (in HDMI or even VGA). Under $200 on ebay. There are lots of video wall processors there. The cheaper ones will just half or quarter the incoming signal without adjustment options, but there should be plenty of older (but more sophisticated) ones that don't break the bank.

[mirkvid]

BTW, something people might miss or forget about on the transmission/course select screen: shift up and down to change tracks, and hold the brake to select disc 2.

Yes, this Rave Racer BGM selection trick is already mentioned in the manual indeed.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

Fir some reason the analog buttons didnt seem to work for selecting music on PS5, but when i switched to digital (L1 and R1) worked fine. Maybe a bug?

Anyways, the game is awesome.

[Klatrymadon]

Haven't managed any true rocket starts yet, but it seems to pay to hold the revs between 7-8000 anyway and get at least a few of the slipstream lights on. You'll boost away at about 100km/h and notice you're a lot closer to the rival car than usual (which helps with making sure they aren't in your way at the worst possible time).

[Marc]

Jesus, Bomb Jack Twin is a complete kick in the dick to anyone that thought they were competent at the original. Talk about manic. I love it though.

[Sturmvogel Prime]

Taito's Plump Pop is this week's title.
https://www.famitsu.com/article/202603/67671

[Jeneki]

Cute em up Breakout looks adorable.

[SavagePencil]

Our group used to refer to this as "Irresponsible Parenting." Getting the sensitivity on the wheel right is key to getting it to feel good.

[professor ganson]

Cute em up Breakout looks adorable.

Do you have any link to share? I love cute-em-ups but couldn't find this game.

[SavagePencil]

Cute em up Breakout looks adorable.

Do you have any link to share? I love cute-em-ups but couldn't find this game.

Here's the official trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXzBk1F ... FkZQ%3D%3D

and then some gameplay demonstrating how utterly chaotic 2P can get: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5laWc77T4PE

[BrianC]

I bought the Switch 1 Plump Pop, but haven't bought the Switch 2 version yet because the discount hasn't shown up.

[NightBeast]

Is Plump Pop a game that demands a spinner/paddle?

[BrianC]

Yes, originally used a spinner.

[SavagePencil]

Is Plump Pop a game that demands a spinner/paddle?

Maybe it's because I discovered the game on the Taito Memories series on Xbox, but I kinda prefer analog stick. On the Egret II Mini it is a LOT of fiddling to get the spinner to be properly sensitive. Not sure how well Hamster has addressed it.

[BrianC]

Is Plump Pop a game that demands a spinner/paddle?

Maybe it's because I discovered the game on the Taito Memories series on Xbox, but I kinda prefer analog stick. On the Egret II Mini it is a LOT of fiddling to get the spinner to be properly sensitive. Not sure how well Hamster has addressed it.

Mouse feels great without any adjustments on Switch 2 (buckled down and paid full price since discount didn't kick in and Nintendo CS didn't help). Also played with VRR on a 144 Hz computer monitor.