It seems like you can’t have a console launch these days without Namco’s premier arcade racing series making an appearance. The Ridge Racer series has accompanied many of the most successful consoles to date at launch, including the Playstation and more recently the PSP. This time, Ridge Racer 6 joins the race for the 360 Cup alongside Project Gotham Racing 3 and Need for Speed: Most Wanted.

Can Namco’s arcade racer keep up with the competition? Let’s find out.

Gameplay
I guess Namco follows the old saying of; “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” because Ridge Racer 6 has the same arcade gameplay that has been a stable of the series for years. RR6 seems to play more like the Ridge Racer title released on the PSP at launch. If you are at all familiar with the previous titles in the series or know anything about import racing, drifting is all the rage, hitting corners at break neck speeds and hitting the breaks to slide through those corners while you tail other racers on the street has become a cultural phenomenon in both Japan and the U.S.

The meat of Ridge Racer 6 is the World Xplorer mode which works like a campaign, you will choose your place on a map and by completing all the races in a circle you will unlock a new vehicle. The bottom of the map is the easier races and the higher you go up on the map the harder the races become.

Of course Ridge Racer 6 wouldn’t be a modern day racing title if it didn’t offer multiplayer both on and offline. You are able to compete in races, time attacks, and multi-battle both online and off. Online races are smooth and virtually lag free, and a whole lot of fun.

Control
This is an arcade racer, so it isn’t something that is very difficult to pick up and play, the basic racing controls that we all know and love from the original Xbox return with the R trigger working as your gas, L trigger being the break, and the left analog stick controlling the steering wheel.

Some people will enjoy the simple arcade controls of Ridge Racer; they are responsive and not the least bit realistic. Wrecking your car is also impossible, so if you are looking for realism you will be severely disappointed in Ridge Racer 6.

Sound
The actual soundtrack in Ridge Racer 6 is that of the cheesy techno kind and it’s rather annoying, but thankfully every 360 title has the custom soundtrack option and you can cruise to whatever you want; I prefer my mix of Nine Inch Nails, In Flames, and Pantera.

The sound effects used for the cars while probably not accurate are still nice, the engines roar and the screeching sounds of burning rubber while you drift around tight corners is simply awesome.



Graphics
The car models are absolutely gorgeous, shiny and highly detailed, every single car looks fantastic and cool effects such as light reflecting off the cars is simply cool, not to mention the blur effect you will see once you hit the nitrous. Unfortunately the tracks aren’t quite as detailed and pretty, but they don’t look bad by any means, the tracks just lack detail and polish.

Final Verdict
Ridge Racer 6 is graphically impressive and a lot of fun to play, but has stiff competition from the system’s more glorified racers like Project Gotham Racing 3 and Need for Speed: Most Wanted. Basically, Ridge Racer 6 comes in third place. If you are the type of person that wants more realism in your racing games, then by all means steer clear of Ridge Racer 6. However, if you are a fan of arcade racing and already own PGR3, then give Ridge Racer 6 a test run because it may very well be one of the finest arcade racers ever released on a console.