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Ridge Racer 3DS

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A Beloved Racing Classic.... in Glorious 3D.

Mar 30, 2011

by dtruong
posted in All Things 3-D

Rating:

If you are a fan of Ridge Racer and have played previous incarnations of this game, you will definitely enjoy this New 3D Remix version of the game. This game is my first (and only one at the moment) 3DS game, so I can't really compare it to any other 3DS games. But I can tell you that I'm pretty impressed with the 3D effects of this game so far. There is definitely a wow factor and the car that you race does pop out of the screen nicely. There are only two different camera angles available... one with your car in front of you and the other in first person point of view. I would've liked more options for camera angles. During replays of your race you can change through more camera angles though. The levels are mostly ones that you'll remember from past games, but they did spice it up with some new elements. For example, one tunnel now has a cool transparent aquarium type tunnel (very similar to the one in Wipeout). Other cool new elements I noticed were things falling on/getting stuck on the windshield like confetti and leaves during the race. The textures (such as asphalt, brick, or steel frame) on the road looked really good. The thing that bothered me the most about this game was the moire patterns that were created by the straight jagged lines of the windows, buildings, fences...etc. It made the background look very low resolution & noisy at times and I wonder if they couldn't have applied some anti-aliasing filters (algorithms) to minimize this. Also, I did notice some Ghosting effects on the edges sometimes... but it was rare enough to not really detract from the gaming experience. I'm not sure if this is a hardware issue from the 3D screen, or a game programming issue. I'm guessing it is a 3D hardware thing because I get a similar effect on my 3D Plasma TV at times. Here's a Pros and Cons break-down:

Pros:
-Good 3D graphics, color, and frame-rate.
-The landscape is diverse and interesting elements are integrated like diversity of tunnels, textures, objects.
-Good variety of custom paint color and paint designs available.
-The paint and reflections (of background elements) on the car looks great.
-Beloved classic levels are there and have new interesting elements.

Cons:
-Races aren't very challenging. It's too easy to get first place in the beginning levels.
-Moire patterns in the background can be very distracting and makes it hard to see what's coming ahead.
-The comments of the girl announcer are annoying... even though she has a cute voice. But if you've played past versions of this game, you're probably used to it.
-Not enough camera angle options for use during the race.

Conclusion:

Overall, I'm happy with this game and am enjoying going through the classic favorite landscapes in 3D. If you are into racing games in general, I think you'd probably enjoy this game too. It is known for the beauty and diversity of it's landscape and fun of drifting. It is quite an experience to drive through this small scenic 3D window which you hold in your hands. It's the kind of racing game that is simple and engaging enough that anybody can just pick it up and enjoy car races without any instructions. That's what' makes this a 'classic'.

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djevoke December 21, 2011

Nice write-up!

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About the reviewer

Duc Truong (dtruong)
Ranked #66

I'm a man with many hobbies. I work a full-time job in the field of 'Lyophilization' for a small Pharmacuetical company. It's a dream job because it gives me lots of days off to pursue … more