Ridge Racer 3D

Ridge Racer 3D
Developer(s)	Namco Bandai Games
Publisher(s)	Namco Bandai Games
Series	Ridge Racer
Platform(s)	Nintendo 3DS
Release date(s)	JP: 26 February 2011 NA: 22 March 2011[1] EU: 25 March 2011 AUS: 31 March 2011
Genre(s)	Racing
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Ridge Racer 3D (リッジレーサー3D, Rijji Rẽsā Surī Dī) is a racing video game for the Nintendo 3DS which is published and developed by Namco Bandai Games. First images of the game were leaked in early November 2010, and Namco confirmed that the video game was going to be released later on in 2011.^[2][3] However, it was later revealed to be a launch title, and was released in Japan on 26 February 2011^[4] and in North America on 22 March 2011, five days prior to the launch of the Nintendo 3DS itself in that region. Ridge Racer 3D was also released in Europe on 25 March and in Australia on 31 March.

Gameplay

Ridge Racer 3D is an arcade racing game revolving around cars racing around high speed tracks while drifting. There are two main gameplay types: Single Player and Versus. Versus is a multi-player mode which allows the ability to play against other players via a wireless connection in Standard Race, One-Make Race and Team Battle by either hosting or joining a race using Nintendo 3DS local play.

Other minor gameplay types include: Records (allowing the player to view their records achieved in Single Player and check local rankings based on records acquired from friends or via StreetPass), AV player (allowing to watch replays of past races while listening to music of choice), Options, and Garage (allowing you to view and modify cars the player has acquired).

Single player game modes:

• Grand Prix: Compete in a series of races in order to win new cars and nitrous kits or to make them available for purchase.
• Quick Tour: Play in a series of races automatically generated from the player's preferences:
• Play Time: Race with the time limit of 3 to 30 mins, multiply by 3 mins.
• Course Type: Recommended, Drift or High Speed
• Race Category: Choose from four different categories to race on.
• Standard Race: Select a car and track in order to race against 7 opponents.
• One-Make Race: Select a track and race against 7 opponents all using the same machine.
• Time Attack: Race around a track as fast as possible for 3 laps in order to achieve the fastest time or beat a ghost.
• StreetPass Duel: Race against the ghosts of other players acquired via StreetPass.

Drifting

There are three types of drift in Ridge Racer 3D, they are as follows:

• Mild: Mild machines are easier than the other categories and are much quicker to recover from a drift but they cannot maintain longer drifts very well.
• Dynamic: Dynamic machines are good at maintaining long drifts and are much more capable of controlling more adventurous drifts, but they are harder to recover from drifts and are harder to control than the other categories.
• Standard: This drift type is a nice combination of both mild and dynamic drift types. They are good at both controlling longer drifts but also recovering from them.

StreetPass

In Ridge Race 3D, the StreetPass feature can be used for 1-on-1 duels. These races are done in the form of Duel Ghosts, which are downloaded to the players' 3DS via StreetPass and then allowed to be used in-race.

Racing

Rules and regulations for races differ from one to another but the overall feel of the races are the same. The number of opponents can be as high 7 or even as low as 1 (Duel Modes), although the usual number of opponents is 7 for most races. Before starting an event or race one may choose if they would like any support items, such as the auto-rocket start, over-limit start and variable nitrous charges. Also, when choosing a car, the player can change its appearance and drift settings, these include:

• Nitrous Type: How one's nitrous gauges are charged, used and set out
• Body Design: This changes the decals and colour schemes on one's car
• Finish: The type of paint the car has
• Body Colour:The colour of the car's paint

Trivia

When the Basic Grand Prix is finished, category 2 mode is unlocked. On Design B, this paint scheme looks like Pac Man, just like Pac Racing Club in R4: Ridge Racer Type 4, Ridge Racer 64 and Ridge Racer DS. It can change the colors on a car.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score Aggregator Score Metacritic 75[5] Review scores Publication Score GameSpot 7/10[6] IGN 8/10[7] Joystiq [8]

Ridge Racer 3D received generally positive reviews with a 75 on Metacritic. Joystiq gave the title a rating of 4.5/5. Stating that "With the exception of omitting online multiplayer, it really put together a solid entry in the series for the 3DS launch, one that's easily high on the list of best titles available for the new system." GameSpot gave it a rating of 7/10. Stating that "Ultimately, there's little in Ridge Race 3D that fans won't have seen before, and while the 3D is nice to look at, it's hardly enough to justify a purchase if you're looking for something different from the series. The idiosyncratic handling of the cars isn't for everybody either, but if you enjoy the unique style of racing and can live without online features, Ridge Race 3D is a fun drive." Martin Robinson at IGN was more positive towards the title by giving it an 8/10. Stating that "It doesn't add anything new to Ridge Race's well-worn formula, nor does it do anything particularly daring with it, but the 3D overhaul combined with a surplus of content are enough to blow away the dust that's settled on the series over the years. Ridge Race 3D's a welcome reminder of the thrills of bright skies and violent understeer, and while it's no classic it's as good a way as any to break in Nintendo's bold new console." GameZone gave the game an 8/10, stating "If you want a full Ridge Race experience that makes one of the best uses of 3D so far and just so happens to fit in your pocket, then Ridge Race 3D is a launch game that deserves your attention and immediate purchase."^[9]

Freeze bug on System Version 2.0.0-2

Users who updated the 3DS to version 2.0.0-2, which was released early on 6 June 2011, had problems while playing Ridge Racer 3D because the game froze. On 15 June 2011, Nintendo released the 3DS version 2.1.0-3 which fixed the freeze bug to allow players to play normally.

References

External links

• Official website (Japanese)
• Official teaser (English)