Rage Racer

There s no denying Ridge Racer was a success for the PlayStation. Many considered it the system s flagship game. Ridge Racer Revolution, while not really a revolution in the strictest sense of the word, did manage to continue the Namco racing legacy. Now they re back to try it again with Rage Racer. It s a solid title but unfortunately does little to advance the series.

Again, the tracks are built off of one main roadway around an island. While this does occasionally seem like an easy way out, the tracks are varied enough to warrant being called tracks . In fact, it is this variation in the tracks that sets Rage Racer apart from its predecessors. All of the tracks have an abundance of hills which add greatly to the racing dynamics. Manual shifting is almost a necessity for passing on an incline.

Graphically speaking, Rage Racer is the best of the three. The countryside is lush and detailed, and the cars themselves are nicely done. Once you get past the graphics, though, the gameplay is just like that of the first two. Power slides are, of course, an integral part of the game. The cars drive like you would expect them to - like Ridge Racer.

This is really Rage Racer s biggest shortcoming. After two previous PlayStation versions, you d think Namco would want to move on to something else. Apparently not. If you really, really love Ridge Racer, and want to play it yet again, by all means get Rage Racer. It s not a bad game, we ve just seen it all before (and before that even).