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Good Graphics, Bad Gameplay

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 25, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game LOOKS good, but the gameplay doesn't come close to the graphics. This game has only 7 tracks, and they all look EXACTLY the same. Same tunnel, same water run, same highway stretch. The Gran Prix mode is boring because you race the same tracks over and over again. This game does not keep you playing. I played it for about an hour, and I haven't played it since. Don't get this game unless your a true fan of the Ridge Racer Series. I would wait for Gran Turismo 3.

Not for casual race fans

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 06, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I got this with my PS2 Action Gamers Pack, otherwise I would likely never have bought a racing game. The last racing game I actually purchased was Test Drive I for the Commodore 64, so suffice it to say that I'm not an expert at this genre.

This game is sort of fun, but _hard_! Frustratingly so. On the first Grand Prix, I've managed to pass the first three of four races, but I'm so far from passing the fourth that it's not going to happen soon. I'll probably have to play the game for 10-20 hours before I have the skills and reflexes down to be able to do this.

And, until you pass the first Grand Prix, the game [is not good]. You _have_ to keep racing the same cycle of four tracks. If you fail 3 times on a track, you have to start the cycle over. You don't get your own car until you win the first Grand Prix, so you can't tune your car, race in time trials, or even do the freestyle races with no cars on the track. There's nothing I can do but keep trying this same, really hard for me, progression of tracks.

I'm sure this game is fun for fans of the racing genre, or people with really good video game reflexes. But don't give this to someone who is a more casual gamer - I'm going to have to invite over one of my insane friends to unlock the game enough for me to play around with it, and I'll still probably never be competitive.

Can I have my money back?

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: April 04, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This game was just a reminder to me why I switched from Ridge Racer to Gran Turismo. The graphics are decent especially in the replay but thats it. The controls are horrible and if the announcer would show himself on the track I would gladly run over him. The game itself has 14 courses (that includes the reverse)and 18 different cars. But there are only 2 different views to choose from. When I bought this I was excited and thought it was the racing game that was going to hold me over till Gran Turismo 3 comes out but I was wrong.

Could have been sooo much better

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 14, 2000
Author: Amazon User

While Namco usually does a great job when it comes to it's franchises, but RR5 seems to have gotten through quality control with ease. Although some people are saying that Namco chose to "not fix the game", the truth is that Namco could not incorporate the same anti-aliasing techniques they used for Tekken Tag. This however does not take away from the game's overall appearance.

Namco has, as usual, put together one of the nicest presentations in any game. Menu's transfer smoothly and feature amazing background music which help to get you pumped up for the race. The into movie, although short and not up to R4 quality, is an amazing glimpse at only a small fraction of the emotion engine's (graphic chip for the Playstation2). THe new Ridge Racer chick has made a stunning debut. Hair moves freely as she walks down the track with an outfit that barely covers her body. Textures, as usual, are Namco quality and will make your draw drop to the floor.

But the most important part of the game is of course the racing itself and all that goes along with it.

To put it simply: If you've played Ridge Racer Type 4, this game will do little to entertain you. Track design is not even close to the level of excellence the R4 featured. And with only 7, all easy, the game is easily mastered.

Racing is a trip back in time. The game feels like the original Ridge Racer which launched the Playstation without all the problems like collision detection. If you like arcade racing Ridge Racer 5 is a good game to buy, but I would suggest you rent before you buy and that you consider R4,a lower priced, better made Namco racer. THe graphics may not be up to RR5 level, but you can't beat R4's variety in features and track design.

For all you graphic junkies, let me tell you that if your picky, stay away from this game. It suffers from some of the worst flickering I have ever seen and a severe case of the "jaggies". Although they don't hurt the games already amazing visuals, they don't help the game either.

BUY THIS GAME JUST TO SHOW PEOPLE WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR THE Playstation2. IT'S A PRETTY GOOD RACER.

Ridge Racer V = Ridge Racer 1

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 17, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I haven't played the original Ridge Racer game since I bought my first Playstation back when it was first released. However, after making one lap of the track in RRV, I already knew how to take every corner, because it was exactly the same as the first one! What a pile of crap. I blew through all of the Grand Prix's in a day, and I am now thoroughly bored with this game. If you have never played a RR game before, then this might be a lot of fun (I know I enjoyed the original). However, if you've ever played any of the other RR's, you're wasting your time and money with this one.

Same old racing, with TERRIBLE plot

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: November 28, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I'm new to the ridge racer series. Some of my complaints may be due to this, and I apologize in advance to RR veterans. The games starts with detailed images of a scantilly clad japanese girl. The intruction booklet is also full of these images. This is great and all.. but WHAT does it have to do with the game? The idea that the plot revolves around a RADIO staion is ridiculous too.. On to the announcer... The announcer is completely ludicrous. It is very hard to get into the racing spirit when [someone] is screaming at you the whole time. The worst part is that he is even putting in plugs for the ficticious radio station. We all hate advertisement on REAL radio.. it is even more stupid to have FAKE advertisements for FAKE radio. On to gameplay. The game is somehwat fun once you can figure out how to get started. It is too easy, though, to hit the front buttons on the controller by accident, which shows a rear-facing view (very confusing at 200mph). On to multiplayer. I tried this with my wife - she likes racing games. For starters, the car-view camera angle, usually invoked via the top button, is now gone... Why would controls change with multiplayer? The brakes also seem to no longer work. It turns out they DO work... but they no longer lock up - another CHANGE from single player.. I don't understand that. You must change driving style entirely to play multiplayer. Overall, this is about 50% less fun than "Diddy Kong Racing," and takes about 5 times as long to begin playing. The whole CD/DVD game cartridge idea is NOT ready for prime time, until Sony puts a minimal hard drive inside to copy the game to upon loading. Waiting for the cdrom to spin up right now is grueling (and MUCH slower than my NINTENDO (not 64)). Overall, I'm pretty let-down with the game. It is too.... "unfun" to compete in the silly racing game category, and too... "gay" to compete in the serious racing game category.

If Only One Could Rate This Game Les Than One Star!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: January 14, 2001
Author: Amazon User

For ... I feel cheated. If only there was some way to get my money back from NAMCO. This game is the worst racing game I have ever had the misfortune to experience on any game console. I am talking way back to the Atari 2600 here folks!

The announcer should be shot. Than Goodness I finally figured out how to shut him off. If I had heard "WOW" or "What's Up with this!" one more time, I would have taken the disk out and used it for traget practice. Then to top it all off, he can't even pronounce "Rookie" correctly. Can you say "RUEKEY"? As it is I may find a way to make a new fishing lure out of it yet!

Good grief, I would recommend anyone looking for a top quality race game to wait for Grand Turismo 3 to arrive. Judging by that games past track record, it will be worth the wait.

I salute NAMCO for making darn sure that the average consumer won't waste their money on their games again. I know I won't!!

To Paraphrase the Game:

"Too Bad! Better Luck NEXT TIME!" (Yeah Right!)

THis game is BAD ...

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: November 08, 2000
Author: Amazon User

It takes too long to load and sometimes it freezes and i have to turn off the playstation to start over. Stick with Madden or SSX.

Mindnumbingly awful.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: November 19, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Any game that rewards you by letting you race the SAME TRACKS over and over clearly is suffering from a creativity drought. I realize this has been the norm for the entire series, but society has moved on (IE: Gran Turismo, Driver, Mario Kart, and the list goes on).

Add to the repetition some truly terrible music and a grammatically impaired announcer, and you've got one miserable game. Just getting to a race requires digging through menu after menu...it's a hassle and it's not worth my time.

A sad launch game for the PS2. Just sad.

Nice Sequel to the Ridge Racer Series but.....

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: November 21, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I purchased Ridge Racer V on the launch day of the Playstation 2. Although this is a nice game, it is not groundbreaking as was the original Ridge Racer when it was introduced on the Playstation 5 years ago.

Graphically, Ricge Racer V blows away any racing game you have ever seen. The levels are well designed, but are not a far stretch from the original series. The frame rate is easily 60 Frames per second. The sheer sense of speed is uncanny in this game.

As far as gameplay goes, I thought this game was unusually hard. I have not won in the Grand Prix mode yet after several hours of play, and I am a more experienced game player in this series of games as I have owned all of the Ridge Racer games in this series so far. This may appeal to some, but after playing this game in two hour stints and not winning, I tend to get burnt out. There are many reasons to keep playing though, such as unlocking cars and tracks. (There are supposed to be 7 tracks in all.....I have only seen 4)

As far as the music goes, its you standard Techno fare. Some of it works well, some of it is so bad that you want to hit the Mute button on your TV.

Bottomline, Ridge Racer V is a good game. Its pleasing to the eye and the frame rate is very fast. The gameplay is hard and is not for the average gamer. If you are looking for a great racing experience, you may be better off waiting for Gran Turismo 3 which should arrive in January.

If you are a fan of the Ridge Racer series, you may want to get this, others may want to wait for a better game.

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