On the original PlayStation, Ridge Racer, in all its one-track glory, got more play in my system than any other launch title. Cut to a few generations later: I’m sitting in front of my television with an Xbox 360 playing the sixth sequel, another launch title, and wondering what happened. The series seemed to be returning to form with the PSP release following a rocky period on the PS2, only to fumble yet again and in such a way that it would surprise newcomers to find out that this series was once heralded by many as the king of arcade racers. She still has a little magic in her, though – but it’s just a little.

Someone at Namco needs to force the Ridge Racer team to take a breather before the inevitable seventh release. As of right now, the series is focusing on everything but what needs to be focused on. The series has latched on to the drifting aspect of racing, which is fine, but they’ve done so at the cost of just about everything else. In Ridge Racer (PSP), whipping around corners gave a sensation of speed and intensity, but in Ridge Racer 6 it simply feels routine. To emphasize the drifting aspect, all of the cars have been given the agility of a tank whenever they aren’t careening out of control around corners, which is a definite step backwards. That being said, there are some solid additions.

The world is now laid out like a spiderweb, with the player being able to select what kind of route to take.  Special courses are linked to prizes, and winning said courses will unlock a new ride for your collection. Oddly enough, most of the cars won’t be as useful as the cars you’re already given, but there’s the random gem hidden amongst the undesirables. It’s these rides that compel you to keep playing, and the outlying world mechanic is just right in giving you your fix. There are more prizes in the middle of surrounding intersections, but these are unlocked only after the area around it has been ‘discovered’, meaning that  all the surrounding races have been completed – also, all races require first place to win. You could go through the game on a level course, pre-loading races to keep from having to go back to the overview screen, slowly progressing through the ranks and getting to drive more exotic, fancier-looking cars. You can also try to discover the entire world and unlock all of the prizes by racing every single event. I went for the most-bang-for-my-buck approach.

There is still a niche for Ridge Racer in the gaming world. Not everyone wants a Project Gotham Racing or Grand Turismo or a Need for Speed; some people want a fast racer that simply breaks the cars down to the basics where the drifting is dynamic and the max speed is 150mph, with well-designed courses that aren’t so much realistic as they are built for pleasure and the drifting-for-nitro mechanic. The core is here, but the game fails to go beyond being slightly addictive and increasingly archaic.  Ignoring the blasé techno soundtrack and the horrid announcer, who is one of the worst things to happen in a racing series in a long time, and you’re still left with cars that control like logs and hit detection that either sends a recipient of a bump flying forward or your car becoming a wall magnet, hitting objects at least three times after initial impact because the car simply refuses to steer away. Many of these aren’t new problems, either.

Another problem that is wholly unintentional is the inability to play a lag-free game online. Lag-free games are there, but it’ll be very hard to find one since the game seems to be the cat’s pajamas overseas but not too hot in North America. If you can find a game within your country to play, have a ball.  Everyone else: enjoy the lag.

Overall: 6/10

It isn’t that Ridge Racer 6 isn’t enjoyable, because it is a perfectly serviceable racer; it’s just that there are many superior alternatives out there, leaving little reason to pick up this particular game. Even fans of the series aren’t assured a good time this time around due to past issues not being addressed and new ones that have unfortunately crept in.