R4: Ridge Racer Type 4

The Good
The beginning intro, some of the finest computer animation outside of Pixar TO THIS DAY, is powerful. It sucks you into a world that really has nothing to do with the game, but is powerful nonetheless. The graphics here really put to shame many, many, many intros to many, many, many other games. Reiko is too perfect . . . and that's scary! Then there's the lighting on the tracks and cars. Night looks like night. Day looks like day. Dusk looks like dusk. Morning looks like morning. Why I feel this is the most realistic game to date (outside of EA Sports and Sega's original Dreamcast sports line) is the shading and the 30 FPS video. It really helps. Hey, I've played Ridge Racers that have come after, but the 60 FPS looks fake. 30 FPS and the PERFECT lighting is breaktaking. It really adds atmoshpere to this game. Then, for the ladies, is the soap opera element during Grand Prix mode. It's rewarding to get praised from a coach, and downright bummer when yelled by one. Earn news cars and such. R4 is, perhaps, the first modern Ridge Racer game, like how FIFA 98 was the first modern FIFA game. The music will also blow you away, with real tunes that are real tunes. Use PSMplay and extract that music for your listening enjoyment! While you're using PSMplay, extract that opening intro, too! The ending is mild salsa, if you know what I mean. The cars just drive into formation of the logo (R4). Whoop-dee-[CENSORED]-do. The credits are more impressive. There's 321 cars, some from WipeOut series from Psygnosis, so enjoy. I also used the JogCon controller. Yeah, stick to the regular controller. Lastly, the Pac-Man car. Earn it. It's funny.

The Bad
As with all Ridge Racers, the cars are 100% fake. Some real cars would be nice, for a change. And the WipeOut hovercrafts are out of place (these cars also appear in Ridge Racer 64 for some reason, too). Not enough FMV cinemas (that's a first for me, because I hate FMV cinemas), and not enough Reiko. I also feel that the coaches could've been rendered better. Also, the graphics are in PlayStation's low-res mode (I suppose to save RAM or something), but as a player, I could care less if the machine can do it or not, I would've like it if the game was in high-res, like Ehergeiz or FIFA 99 were. Even Tekken 3 was high-res, so what's the deal here? I did do improvements outside of the regular PlayStation machine (like playing it in a PS2, PS3, emulators on Mac and Windows, prototype of bleem! on Dreamcast, old bleem! and VGS on Mac and Windows . . . no improvement) and the graphics are still low-res. I think Namco did it so save space. Forget that! I say make the disc on 2 to 4 99 minutes or 120 minute CDs and give us a treat! Graphically, that is. You see, sports games have to look real and sound real and feel real. Mario, Sonic and the Kombatants don't need to. It's a shame. Lastly, the drift controls are terrible. Not as bad as Goof Twitchismo from Sony, but not as easy to learn, either. Daytona USA on Saturn, Windows and arcade has the best control of any racing game, followed by those goofs in the Cruis'n series from Nintendo. Drift cars just don't cut it if a person isn't willing to learn.

The Bottom Line
Gran Turismo too fast too furious for you? Step into the ring with Sega CD. Whoops! Wrong game! (That was for Prize Fighter.) Get this game. It's a masterpiece, despite it's shortcomings. Besides, Reiko's in it.