Ridge Racer 8

[mr_woo]

Yeah BugBears games punish the fuck out of you until you master it. They aren't for anyone who wants to just easily drive along and win races easily. Flatout was difficult but really satisfying when you were winning. The hilarious thing was that the AI drivers fucked with each other as well, you weren't being especially picked on plus you could take out cars of the race completely. Now obviously I don't expect RR Unbounded to be exactly like that but I certainly expect the AI to give me a tough time.

[The Mighty Ash]

Keep playing - you will level up even if you don't win, unlocking faster cars.

It seems challenging to me but still fair.

[Hello Goaty ♥]

To those who have played Unbounded - and i see a few up there!

Benchmark tester - Is it as good as Race Driver Grid?

[Dimahoo]

That.....thats your benchmark Goaty?

Yeah BugBears games punish the fuck out of you until you master it. They aren't for anyone who wants to just easily drive along and win races easily. Flatout was difficult but really satisfying when you were winning. The hilarious thing was that the AI drivers fucked with each other as well, you weren't being especially picked on plus you could take out cars of the race completely. Now obviously I don't expect RR Unbounded to be exactly like that but I certainly expect the AI to give me a tough time.

I totally agree. The random elements of each track in Flatout made - for me - failure a non issue and the racing was really exciting.

The AI wasn't really ever an issue for me because it was also affected by the random elements. You could see things weren't going well when your at the "back of a 12 car pack" and saw an explosion kicking off ahead because some car had been rammed into a pump. Just the fact the AI did that was great. And boost ramming the AI was a fantastic feeling too.

It just did that fun thing really well.

[Hello Goaty ♥]

Yeah, because its a decent enough racer.. and anything that surpasses it is worth buying.

wait.. youll say everything is better. Right?

Im in the paddock here, with the big boys

[Dimahoo]

Well i wouldn't compare them really. Not GRID anyway. Theres been a lot of solid arcade racers since then is all (which i'd assumed you had).

(what i'm saying is i didn't mean to come across like a know it all).

[Hello Goaty ♥]

Alright then erm.... What about Need For Speed Hot Pursuit then?

I mean to say the actual racey crashey parts of the game. - how do they compare to the racey and crashey bits in Unbounded?

[Yewone]

Properly getting into this now... won the first set of events and had a dabble with the rather excellent Track Creator.

Ive published a quick Time Attack event.. just search for Rllmuk City. It's nothing special at all, barely touched the eadvanced editor but the scope for what you can do is immense!

I did make an effort to make full use of the drift mechanic, but holding it down in the manner described in the Eurogamer review simply spun me 360 degrees, and given the unforgiving AI and the lack of either a rewind or automatic car reset option, messing a drift up can end your chances of finishing in the top three.

Ive tried it again too and Im almost positive that you dont have to keep the drift button held. It actually works just like a handbreak, apply a bit of pressure going into the corner and then just control the drift with the throttle.

There is definitely a lot of fun to be had with this.. but I cant say Im sold on the 9/10 Edge status yet either. (but I am getting there).

[Yewone]

Alright then erm.... What about Need For Speed Hot Pursuit then?

I mean to say the actual racey crashey parts of the game. - how do they compare to the racey and crashey bits in Unbounded?

For me it doesnt touch NFS: Hot Pursuit.. but it is quite a different beast.

Its basically the bastard offspring of all the recent arcade racers. There are evident influences from Split Second, Flatout, Burnout (from Revenge onwards) & Blur.. with a tad of RR drifting thrown in for good measure.

Not sure if that helps

[Karzee]

Can anyone tell me if user designed tracks can be played online against other players, or are they just downloaded and played in single player?

[Yewone]

Can anyone tell me if user designed tracks can be played online against other players, or are they just downloaded and played in single player?

Just checked and you can indeed add your own creations

[Paulando]

I'm in at £17.99.

[mr_woo]

This thing finally unlocked on Steam so got to have a go at it. It is, without a doubt, a BugBear game. Straight away you have to really go for it, there's no dilly dallying like an asshole, you have to get used to the controls NOW and start winning. It asks a lot from the player straight away. The AI are definitely as aggressive as they are in Flatout but, just like in that game, I saw the AI fuck with each other too. I was in something like 4th place coming into a corner and the car in 3rd place rammed 2nd place and took both of themselves out So I managed to speed up and then overtake to get 1st place. This was on something like my 4th or 5th go at trying the very first track, yep it's hard But I also noticed straight away, it does the same thing as other BugBear games. For example I used the cars I had and did pretty terribly but slowly climbed the ranks on retrying the race. It unlocked a new car which made going back to that race much easier to handle as well.

As for the handling well I quite like it. It's like BugBears other games and it also reminds me of the heavy controls from Split Second too. I can see actually how the 'drift' button does make a difference because the handling is quite heavy and when you hold down that button it's like 'wooooahhh it turns light as a feather and the car just spins round easily' You certainly have to know when to use the drift as well, like on approaching a corner it's usually best to start drifting a bit further back than you'd think so as you can get round the corner and then straighten and take off super quick.

So first impressions are very good. If you like BugBears games or Split Second then I'd definitely say give it a go but for other racers then I don't know, depends on the player. It's definitely not really like Burnout, the handling's too heavy to be like Burnout IMO. The game's also got a steep learning curve as I was expecting, but it might be a bit of a shock to other players.

As for the PC version itself well it seems like a pretty basic port, when you start the game you get a box to set resolution, aspect ratio and Anisotropy levels (along with other options like windowed mode and language). The only benefit really is the faster framerate as I seemed to get a constant 60fps but I did notice a few visual glitches but I don't know if that's hardware related or not (or my drivers as they're bloody ancient).

Haven't tried online or the track editor yet, these are just quick and dirty impressions. The 360 version should hopefully arrive tomorrow as well for a go if anyone wants to play multiplayer etc.

[Karzee]

Cheers for the impressions, guys, good to hear things aren't as slow as those initial videos - probably using the slowest car - made out. Even better to hear is that the AI is on the tougher side of things, plus that it's a challenge to control drifts well.

So, with most of my initial misgivings over the videos addressed and that several people on here are willing to stake their very reputation on this game, I think I'll pick this up this weekend.

[Meh]

Same. I'll kill you all if it's shit-house.

[Dimahoo]

I don't recall Flatout UC having any visual glitches on the PC and they're using the same engine (because it can handle thosands of objects).

It also looked very nice for its time. Still does now actually.

[Karzee]

Gamespot's video review

They like it.

[mr_woo]

Same. I'll kill you all if it's shit-house.

You could just rent it you know first to see if you like it or not Those are just quick impressions after a few tracks but I'm definitely looking forward to digging into it more.

[Hoodedclaw]

i had some great moments on this last night. Making the wrong decision on when to hit that boost can be key. I still hate drift levels altho i have nailed em

[df0]

I am getting tonight for PS3. Feel free to add me for Track Making and Sharing fun!

[Yewone]

i had some great moments on this last night. Making the wrong decision on when to hit that boost can be key. I still hate drift levels altho i have nailed em

It can be a proper risk/reward thing with the boost.. expecially when your guage is almost full and you gamble on hurtling towards a brick wall in the hope it will fully charge before you hit it!

Someone mentioned it earlier that although the triggered explosions dont quite have the impact of Split Seconds, they do feel more immediate and under your control.

Dont have an issue with the Drift events... its the Frag Attack ones I dislike (and not just because of its name), thankfully these seem few and far between.

The game is also seriously lacking some form of Friends leaderboard.. having been spoilt by the likes of Autolog recently.

[The Mighty Ash]

I agree on the Frag attack and the lack of an autolog style leaderboard - it does feel like quite a solitary experience.

My only other complaint is that the music selection is very small.

[Dimahoo]

You can see why Namco chose it.

The drifting isn't quite as smooth as Namcos though with constant alterations needed usually and its not as garish sadly.

But it offers a more liberal driving feeling then Split Second - more like Burnout - but with more destruction and you can skip the cut scenes although their good to watch as they're slow motion - like Burnouts.

Your slam into the wall a bit but i think the corners are "nailable" if you approach them wide. Theres usually stuff to destroy to give you room too.

The city is quite well realised too. Very detailed. Not sure if i like that oily colour pallet though. Its effected alright and its steady as a rock on the PC.

I may upload a movie.

[Yewone]

Your slam into the wall a bit but i think the corners are "nailable" if you approach them wide. Theres usually stuff to destroy to give you room too.

Think this is the key to improving at the game, you almost have to condition yourself and forget all the things youve learnt in previous arcade racers. Where as normally you do all you can to avoid roadside obstacles, walls, pillars etc. In this its expected that you smash through them to help improve your racing line (and gain boost). Corner cutting is where it has an immediate benefit, although its not always clear which can or cant be cut.

Oh and instant restarts are another welcome addition.

[Dimahoo]

The other events are great as well. Smah racing, time based drifti ng, Bohemoth (good fun), etc, etc.

All Burnout inspired but the cities are stunning to look at. And there's a shitload of game in here.

8 or 9 districts with about 7 events in each district plus that editor. And they appear to use different colour pallets so area 2 is more darker but with yellow lighting glows everywhere and the effects are top notch. And yeah, you'll be restarting each event and you may even get wiped out towards the end lap but it doesnt' feel unfair. If you keep the power for the last lap section it'll get you out the shit.

You can just blast your way out and go home.

Online will rock i reckon.

Also the city is divded up, and theres little repeating. I mean, there is but you'd never know.

You'd certainly never know an editor was at work.

Its a real feat. Edge are only a point off the mark in my book. I think Blur is a better arcade game but its different mechanics here and it feels fairly fresh.

[Christopher]

My copy just arrived

[Meh]

Keep us updated!

[NickyDrinks]

is the pc version out this week?

Yes, I'm waiting to see if the retail copy can be registered on Steam (I'm right in thinking it's on Steam aren't I?) before I decide where to get it.

Edit : It is on Steam

[Rev]

I've read it can be, pretty sure someone it was in the Steam thread here but it might be elsewhere.

[dvdx2]

ok - all the ridge fans held their head in sorrow, when it was announced that the next installment of ridge racer wasnt continuing the tried and tested format and was also not being developed by Namco japan (even though it was endorsed by them). As time when on, it looked like a cross between burnout and split second, but i was curious to see how it turned out (even though it wasnt RR8 and i like those two games). We knew all along that 'unbounded' was not really anything to do with the original franchise, other than a few cars and music tracks, but how has it turned out and is it any good? and can a track editor save it or is it just an add on to supplement a poor game?

I'm afraid not, infact i'd go as far to say its awful....

The cars handle like motorhomes,and all handle very similiarly, the 'power' up mode in which you can 'frag' (oh dear) other players and get Full auto type replays gets boring very quickly. The presentation is very basic too, with a basic progression ladder, no car add on or customization beyond changing the colour; ther are different race modes and some are alittle better than others.

I'll be honest - i didnt try the track editor; but i cant see it changing the gameplay or drastically improving the overall feel of the game.

the lighting and graphics are decent though and its nice to hear old ridge tunes popping up. However the edge crackpipe is filled up once again with the most potent mind altering substances know to man - scoring this a 9, is as bad as giving something like super mario galaxy or Halo a 2; I can only guess what sort relationship they have with the developer to give the game this much praise....

Its actually the first game i have bought in a long time were i got this - 'i cant belive I paid full price for this'

I think bugbear have been having a right old jolly with namcos money, when they really should have been producing a game. That japanese namco representative that i remember came over to view early stages of the game, must have been drugged to the eyeballs to give this endorsment and the go ahead. I also very suprised at bugbear, as the flatout games were great.

I dont think its anywhere as good as split second or any of the burnout games either.