When it comes to enjoying Ridge Racer, there are two types of people.  There are those who get drift-happy with the racing game and love every minute of it, and there are those who think it's a little too arcade-y for its own good.  No matter which side you're on, though, you have to admit that when Ridge Racer 7 debuted on the PS3 years ago, it was a technically proficient game, and more challenging than most entries in the series.  Now the game gets a major push with tomorrow's PlayStation Network update, with not only a free 3D upgrade, but also a digital release.  Is it too late to improve on the game now, though?

After all, Ridge Racer 7 did come out YEARS ago, back when the PlayStation 3 was fresh from its release and players were looking for a high-tech racer to enjoy.  Since that time, many racing games have eclipsed it, including Gran Turismo 5, Blur, Split/Second and more.  Namco Bandai, however, believes that there's still a freshness to the game, thus probably what led to its decision to push it into the 3D realm and make it a digital re-release, for those of you that don't own it quite yet.

Looking back on Ridge Racer 7, I can honestly say I enjoyed it.  Did it offer up anything amazingly new over the Xbox 360's Ridge Racer 6?  Not really, aside from a bump up in difficulty and better slipstreaming.  But in its defense, it is an arcade racer at heart, and there are those who thoroughly enjoy hopping in a car and just driving around without worrying about long-term goals.  (And Daytona USA will easily fulfill that fix when it arrives later this month on PSN as well.)

The game does have beautiful visuals, even years after its release, and seeing those move into a 3D arena isn't a bad thing, really.  It just depends how Namco processes that 3D.  If we're talking a cheesy, half-assed attempt at conversion like, say, Clash of the Titans, then we might as well forget about it.  However, if we're talking an experience that really engulfs you and makes you feel the thrill of racing, like, perhaps, Ridge Racer on 3DS, then we'll be getting somewhere.

The only real question here is how much the digital release will run.  We've heard rumors that it will go for $59.99, which is a HUGE mistake.  The 3D will hardly make the game worth that price, especially when you can go and snag it for $15 used at Gamestop and just download the free update and play it from there.  Chances are Namco will probably price it between $15-$20, just to be fair.  At $20, it might even be asking a bit much.  But it's certainly better than the whopping $60 price.  Jeez.

And we do have to credit Namco Bandai with timing -- it wants to keep interest in the Ridge Racer franchise going, especially with its Bugbear-produced sequel Ridge Racer Unbounded coming next year for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.  From what we've seen, this game shows a huge amount of promise, with its destructible tracks (think Split/Second but without the game show gimmick), its slick gameplay and its beautiful visuals.  It has the Ridge Racer concept in check, but shakes things up tremendously.  Namco's starting to get more into this rhythm as of late -- just take a look at the recently released Ace Combat: Assault Horizon and you'll notice that.

We'll definitely see how Ridge Racer 7 fares when the game releases tomorrow, along with the update.  3D gaming fans should love it, while racing fans who got over their RR fix long ago...well, they've got plenty else to play.  But this is just proof that an old franchise can get some new life with just a few changes.  And while they may not be drastically awesome ones like the upcoming Unbounded will have, you still can't help but take a little notice.

One thing though, Namco -- can we shut that announcer up?  Please?

About the Author

Robert Workman

Senior Writer/Editor

Robert has years of experience in the video game industry, writing for such sites as AOL GameDaily, PlanetXbox360 and Comic Book Resources.  He can also outdrink you any day of the week.  And twice on Sunday.  Follow him at www.twitter.com/thedcd.