What's a Cardu?
The build we played allowed us to get a really good feel of the game, and considering that the game is meant to be a launch title, it actually looked quite ‘finished’. We tried one race and the experience felt like any other Ridge Racer title, it was fast, smooth and just very arcade-like. The game has a cool drift button that makes turning as sweet and smooth as always, and the nitro boost mechanic that was introduced in Ridge Racer 6 on the Xbox 360, the one where you have to fill up the nitro meter by drifting. The that classic sense of Ridge Racer speed was there, and you’ve played the PSP versions then Ridge Racer 3D will be quite familiar to you. However, in terms of the style, ambiance and feel of the mechanics, Ridge Racer 3D felt like a cross between Ridge Racer 6 and Ridge Racer Type 4.
Most of you probably know this by now, but Ridge Racer is purely fictional in terms of the cars and locations it features, and yet it has the appearance of any serious racer where Ferrari’s and Nissan Skyline’s race around. We drove a Porsche looking car and while we didn’t get much grips with the content of the game, expect the standard Ridge Racer treatment and plenty of cool 3DS exclusive multiplayer options using StreetPass.
It goes VVRRROOMMM VVRRROOMMM.
Ridge Racer 3D looked as bright and vibrant as any other Ridge Racer title, and the actual ‘3D’ effects were more profound and obvious than in other 3DS demos we tried. Not the best looking 3DS game, but it runs smooth and looks pretty enough. There were plenty of flash, smoke and dynamic lighting effects. The aliasing and frame rate were consistent and good, and enough eye candy to be a serviceable launch title showcase.
If you’re used to starting your new console experience with a Ridge Racer title, then Ridge Racer 3D will probably be one of your earliest 3DS purchases. Whether you love the franchise or not, Ridge Racer is perhaps the best in the world at what it does, and maybe the last ‘traditional’ Ridge Racer title we see before the planned reboot/reinvention that is Ridge Racer: Unbounded.
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