Ridge Racer V

Overall: B+
Violence: A-
Sexual Content: A-
Language: A
Drugs/Alcohol: A

Platform reviewed: Sony Playstation 2
Publisher: Namco
ESRB rating: E

I recall a day fifteen years ago, when I saw the unique first-person perspective of Atari's Pole Position, the racing game of its time. Looking out the car's windshield at the city and mountain-scape along the horizon shifting as you round a corner, really made you feel like the highway was moving under your joystick. Like everything computer, it's astounding to see how much has changed! The introduction of the PlayStation 2 (PS2) has raised the video game realism bar yet again.

Released in Japan during the Spring of 2000, hard-core North American gamers have had plenty of time to drool over the capabilities of Sony's latest entertainment device, extolled in magazines filled with screen-shots of early games like Ridge Racer V.

However, I suspect Ridge Racer V's jumpstart in the PS2 race is what has prevented it from fading off the shelf. Play-wise it offers the usual realm of possibilities of any basic racing game, with a restricted selection of cars and tracks to greet the first-time player. Entering into a Grand Prix circuit and placing within the qualifying ranks (from fourth to first place, depending on the track you select) allows you to keep your car and take it to other events.

The Duel Mode where you race against the computer, even in its easiest setting, proved to be too challenging for a novice player such as myself or my under12-year-old boys. Should you win that match, the computer driven car is added to your collection.

Other racing venues allow you to compete against another person with the traditional split screen or to practice your driving skills without interference from other racers on a free run track. Vehicle variables include various engines and exterior design functions that alter a car's performance and image.

All of this is ho-hum when compared to other offerings for the original PlayStation. It's the incredible images the PS2 can deliver that has Ridge Racer V leaving the rest of the pack in the dust.

With the most realistic roadways, markings, and scenery that you have ever witnessed in a video game, you may have to remind yourself that it really isn't your car that's scraping along the guardrail. Sparks fly when you hit the pavement after a small knoll, and drifting through a corner brings clouds of smoke from your wheels. Equally impressive are the physics of the vehicle. If the steering can feel this realistic using the regular PS2 controller, I can only imagine how impressive the steering wheel attachment could be.

Obviously, this game offers little educational value, except to teach your children how to drive fast and wild. For all the realism the graphics worked so hard to provide, the game is unable to track cumulative damage done to your car, so plowing into cement barricades, or colliding with other drivers only slows your progress. The only consequence for driving my car in reverse during a race was being called a "maniac" by the annoying announcer.

Parents should also be forewarned about the racy young girl that appears on the game's cover and during the opening animation. Looking like she needs some nutrition and warm clothes, this animated figure may be a hint of things to come with the Play Station 2. She certainly leaves room for both definitions of the term: graphic realism.

For other racing games available on alternate platforms, check our reviews of Gran Turismo 2, or F-Zero-X.

Rod Gustafson

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