Review #818: Rage Racer

 Get mad.

 There are three things I've been complaining about since I played the first Ridge Racer: No analog stick, No multiplayer and no content. We've still got no analog support, no multiplayer but at least we've got content now! Rage Racer is the third console iteration of the Ridge Racer, gaming was still quite young as it seems Namco didn't discover the importance of brand recognition yet!

 The set-up has changed a lot. Upon entering the main menu you can either play in Grand Prix or Time Trial mode, eventually unlocking the Extra GP, which are the Grand Prix but in mirror mode. As soon as the Grand Prix loads up you'll notice something... you've only got one car you can race with. There's now a very simple customization element to the game, not only must you now purchase other cars from the shop but you can also change their colors(Finally!), their transmission(A few cars only have Manual Transmission, which sucks!!), how their Drift works(You must change the balance between Grip and Drift) and the logo your car brandishes on its hood. I like the new customization feature, but I hate how now you must purchase cars, so it's neither a step forward nor a step backward, more like a sidestep.

 The game has a grand total of four tracks, the first three tracks share the initial and final sections, but the rest of the tracks are completely different, so I'd say 85% of every track is unique, which is about time. The fourth track is an Oval that shares very few assets with the other tracks. So far, so good... Except the game can be a bit of a grind. Let's start with progression, as now the Grand Prix is divided into classes, 5 classes in all. Each "class" refers to the strength of the vehicles. Your starting car is a Class 1, so after you finish 3rd or higher on every track you'll unlock Class 2. While I was pretty close to winning a few class 2 races with my class 1 vehicle I was clearly outmatched. Why did I try that? Because winning Class 1 didn't reward me with enough money to purchase a class 2 car or upgrade my car into a class 2. The same happened after I unlocked class 3, but this time around my car just didn't cut it. The only solution? Replaying lower class Grand Prixes in order to make money in order to stand a chance against my new opponents. In other words, you are expected to play the same four tracks over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. This isn't my idea of fun, and this isn't what I wanted when I complained about Ridge Racer lacking content.

 The game also feels different. I don't think I ever managed to get the hang of how drifting really worked in the game, sometimes I'd get perfect drifts, other times I'd slide all over and other times I couldn't even initiate the drift. The camera is uncomfortably close to the back of the car which took me a bit of getting used to. The soundtrack is still pretty good, although a tiny bit harsher sounding to go along the theme of "rage". The graphics have been completely overhauled, so much so that I also had an adjustment period with it, since at first everything looked so busy and grey, but there's no denying that it looks better than the previous games. 

 It kinda sucks, but I think I didn't like this one as much as the previous ones. It's a better product, that's for sure, there are only 4 tracks but they are very different from one another and look quite pretty to boot. I think car customization was a sidestep in the right direction, but making the game such a grindfest was not. While I had fun with the game I just think the previous games played better. But, hey! At least now we've got content!
 3.5 out of 10