23 replies to this topic

[HammR25]

Looks like the next Ridge Racer game is going a completely different direction than the old ones. Bugbear, the makers of the Flatout series will be doing it. I just wonder why they're annoucing it now when it won't be out until 2012. Personally I can't wait for it. I love the Flatout series. It'll be on the 360, PS3 and PC.

http://bugbear.fi/

[liveinabin]

Just another instance of the Japanese games industry getting scared and pandering to (what they think) are western tastes.

What we have here is everything that made Ridge Racer great stripped away and replaced with a me-too aggressive racing game. The thing that always surprises me is, whenever Ridge Racer is mentioned online -in forums like this - there's the general murmur of 'Ridge Racer 4 was the best one' - an opinion I definitely hold. So, either Namco never looks at the internet or they just can't make lightning strike twice. Still, giving up and producing tripe like this is isn't any kind of solution.
It's like putting guns in Tekken. Or helicopters in Ace Combat....oh wait..

Goodness, I hope that the girl in the video wasn't Reiko Nagase. That'd be a virtual career low Looks more like that grotty one from Ridge Racer 5 now I look at it again.

[Rex Dart]

Getting scared & pandering, or trying not to make the same-old same-old for the umpteenth iteration? I'll give it a try, I love vehicle action / vehicular combat.

[Christophero Sly]

The trailer was stupid, but letting another studio have a crack at the franchise isn't pandering to the west. I think Namco finally woke up to the fact that this series has been stagnant for a decade. Time to see what someone else can do with it.

[liveinabin]

Rex Dart, on Tue Feb 15, 2011 1:50 PM, said:

Getting scared & pandering, or trying not to make the same-old same-old for the umpteenth iteration? I'll give it a try, I love vehicle action / vehicular combat.

No problem with vehicle combat games, but it isn't Ridge Racer. They should have called it something else. I accept RR is quite a niche driving game but I like it, and the thing I liked most of all was the LACK of aggression. To be good at Ridge Racer you have to flow the car round the track, it's pretty graceful - this is the exact opposite.
This is bound to backfire as there's no target audience for it. Burnout fans aren't going to jump to Ridge Racer and Ridge Racer fans are going to turn their noses up in disgust. They really shouldn't use a franchise name unless they intend to honour at least one thing about it.

[HammR25]

They really should just call it Flatout 4.

[Lord Helmet]

I'm really not one for the aggressive driving games. I like more arcadey racers like the PGR series...and Ridge Racer. Color me a bit disappointed in this news.

[Rex Dart]

liveinabin, on Tue Feb 15, 2011 3:48 PM, said:

This is bound to backfire as there's no target audience for it. Burnout fans aren't going to jump to Ridge Racer and Ridge Racer fans are going to turn their noses up in disgust. They really shouldn't use a franchise name unless they intend to honour at least one thing about it.

You've got a point. I'll try the game like I said, but I doubt I'll be paying for it.

[vrocko]

I watched it and I'm not real happy. Ridge Racer as a vehicle combat game? I don't think it's going to work. I might buy it but only when the price drops. I like Ridge Racer the way it is. Looks to me like they will screw it up but I'm into all kinds of racing games so eventually it will make it to my collection. Why Namco why?

[madmax2069]

I love flatout and all but they should not taint the ridge racer name by rehashing flatout. they need to stick with the same formula that made ridge racer famous.

this is going to be the same as NFS HP 2 and burnout. its a freaking rehash of burnout that tainted the NFS name, if i want burnout i will play burnout not a rehash.

If i want to play flatout i will play flatout and not a rehash.

this just goes to show you all that they are running out of ideals and are looking for other formulas

I will stay away from this game

[wood_jl]

This is just another example of the dilution of a brand/franchise.

Looks like they're copying what happened to Need for Speed, which means little else but Burnout now, but used to be really unique.

Although it's not out yet, I suspect the upcoming "Star Raiders" game will have a similar effect, but I'm surprised that they're doing this for Ridge Racer; Namco ain't what it used to be, eh?

To the folks old enough to remember, it seems to destroy the gaming franchises to do this, as well as weaken the associated brands that became famous for those franchises. In other words, Need for Speed, Ridge Racer, and Star Raiders will likely mean less to me. I suppose as long as it sells to a new, younger crowd, who cares? I suppose they figure most folks who were in their gaming prime when the original Ridge Racer launched the PS1 are too busy raising kids now to be the primary targeted demographic, and folks who were in their gaming prime when Star Raiders was relevant are now sitting in diapers, clinging to an aluminum walker. But in the modern market, they'll probably make more money buy just stamping "me-too" games with [formerly] iconic brands than painstakingly creating authentic sequels; in either case, the kids are going to buy it anyway, play it 2 weeks, then throw it down (or trade it for pennies) and buy the next. Ain't that how gaming works nowdays?

Edited by wood_jl, Wed Feb 16, 2011 1:51 AM.

[madmax2069]

wood_jl, on Wed Feb 16, 2011 1:50 AM, said:

Ain't that how gaming works nowdays?

Sadly yes.

[vrocko]

Not to be too nitpicky but shouldn't it be Ridge Racer Unbound? Unbounded sounds kind of weird to me. The "ed" on the end seems unnecessary.

[Atariboy]

Ridge Racer Unbound sounds stupid.

Not that Ridge Racer Unbounded is much better sounding...

[remowilliams]

wood_jl, on Wed Feb 16, 2011 1:50 AM, said:

Looks like they're copying what happened to Need for Speed, which means little else but Burnout now, but used to be really unique.

Exactly. First Need for Speed Burnout (yuck), and now Ridge Racer Flatout? bah.

And I don't even like Ridge Racer that much.

[HammR25]

Looks like this is coming out at the beginning of March.



I wonder how long it's going to take this to hit $20.

[vrocko]

Ok now I know what it looks like, Burnout. I like Burnout but if you are taking Ridge Racer and making it a Burnout ripoff then I have a problem. Why do you have to change it? I like Ridge Racer the way it is.

[onlysublime]

considering that Burnout lost its way with Paradise, if any developer can bring back the core of Burnout which reached its pinnacle with Burnout Revenge, then I welcome that!

so far, it's too early to condemn the game. and it's hard to tell from a video but it appears the game is a 30 fps which is a no-no for a true racer. At least Burnout always maintained 60 fps.

Edited by onlysublime, Sun Jan 22, 2012 11:40 PM.

[madmax2069]

It reminds me too much of burnout with a side of split second.

[HammR25]

I'm sure the game will be fun but I'm a bit "burned out" on these types of racers right now.

[Cafeman]

Something about the visuals really draws my attention. Looks awesome to me!

I've not play all l 'these types of racers' this gen. THe only one I've bought was Burnout Paradise, which was awesome in its way, but did not have the same draw as the earlier Burnouts, to me.

So - any Xbox 360 recommendations - I don't know much about Split Second or the other similar racers. Reviews are a mish-mash so its hard to know. I like arcade racers which I consider the Burnouts to be - so I won't be buying any Forza title.

[HammR25]

I'd recommend Bugbear's other game on the 360 FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage. Ridge Racer Unbounded will probably end up being a lot like it was. You can pick up a used copy of it online for about $12. Need For Speed Hot Pursuit is the latest game done by Criterion which did the Burnout Series. I had fun with that one. I think there's a demo of it on XBL.

I didn't ever get Split-Second so I can't comment on it.

[onlysublime]

I can't believe I didn't notice that the above video was from Youtube which doesn't allow 60 fps videos. So does anyone know if this game is a 30 fps racer or a 60?

[bdog_147]

Has anyone picked this up and what's it like?