What’s a console launch without a Ridge Racer title? Granted, Namco usually reserves Ridge Racer titles for Sony console launches, but there’s always room for change. Ridge Racer 6 is up against some stiff competition on the Xbox 360, but it certainly does the job and comes out being a quality purchase. If you’ve been living in a cave, in the middle of a barren canyon on Pluto for the past decade, you may not know what Ridge Racer is all about. In the most basic sense, Ridge Racer is an arcade-style racing game. The game is all about high speed drifting, overly enthusiastic announcers, and a large array of sleek looking vehicles.
While the latest Ridge Racer title may have been dubbed with the number 6, it’s important to note that this is not the sixth game in the series since Namco does not seem to be counting the PlayStation Portable or Nintendo DS versions additions to the series. In fact, Ridge Racer 6 borrows quite a bit from the PSP title, including the all important three level Nitrous gauge.
A race to the finish.
You see, Ridge Racer 6 is all about drifting (although not quite to the extent of Initial D in the arcades). Drifting not only gets you around corners faster, but it also builds up your NOS. This is where most of the technique comes into play for Ridge Racer 6. At first glance, the game may seem like nothing compared to the technical perfection that is Project Gotham Racing 3, but rest assured, Ridge Racer 6 has its fair share of skillful driving.
The faster you go into a drift, the faster your NOS gauges will fill. One level of NOS will give you a decent boost, two levels will give you a larger, more aggressive boost, and three levels will give you the speed you need to smoke all in your path. If you time your NOS usage correctly, you can perform and special drift that kicks in just as your NOS expires and will refill your NOS gauge much faster than a standard drift. Solid NOS management coupled with skilled drifting are a requirement if you wish to complete the more difficult races featured in the game.
