R: Racing Evolution Review

Introduction
One day back in 1997, on a whim, I decided to buy a new gaming system. Until that time, I had still been heavily into my Commodore 64, and was beginning to tire of it’s 1980’s graphics and limited playability. My girlfriend at the time thought it was a good idea, so we made a trip to Wal-Mart at 2 am. Knowing nothing about the three systems that were available (PlayStation, N-64 and Sega), I asked the clerk which system was the best. After all was said and done, the selling point for me was the available gaming library. The PlayStation had more titles than any of the other two, and it had the most racing games. I went home with my newest, bestest buddy and three sparkling games: Twisted Metal 2, Jumping Flash! 2 and Namco’s Rage Racer. The last was the first for me to experience, and I fell immediately in love. I learned early that when Namco puts a racing game together, you need to treat it as if E. F. Hutton had just given financial tips; pay attention and rush out to experience it for yourself.

The Ridge Racer series has been a landmark in PlayStation evolution. Being one of the few franchises to have launch games on both generations, Namco has been the king of arcade-styled racers since 1995. Nevertheless, Namco has taken a huge step outside of their comfort zone and ventured into a new territory with their latest speed king, R: Racing Evolution. Mostly because of the influence of Gran Turismo, arcade racers have been converting their lineups more to mirror that which the legendary racer has offered players in the past and have, in effect, created a new medium. No longer pure, this half-breed requires players of both to relearn how to bring these metal beasts under control and make them heel upon command. Since this game was not in the Ridge Racer series, Namco felt it was their opportunity to try something completely different. Does the game succeed? Read on and become enlightened.

Gameplay
R: Racing Evolution has five defined modes of play: Racing Life, Event Challenge, Arcade, vs. and Time Attack. The Racing Life, or story mode, is a unique attempt by Namco to expound on something that was done in R4: Ridge Racer Type 4, a PSOne title released in 1999. Players who have experienced this title, are knowledgeable of the limited storyline that accompanied the gameplay. This time, you will have excellently crafted, full motion videos that help to bring the player into the action, and help to give your character a personality. You assume the personage of Rena Hayami, an ambulance driver discovered by a racing team’s manager, and begin your new life of high-speed thrills. There are 14 separate chapters to complete, and you will experience the full range of racing the game has to offer. You will compete on drag strips, road courses, oval tracks and rally events. All of your cars are upgradeable and customizable. The available adjustments that can be done to your car are not as detailed as those found in Gran Turismo, but you have a healthy selection that makes a difference in the performance of the vehicles. Traction control (TCS), steering response, shock and spring rates, drive ratios and break bias are just some of the changeable parts that make the experience customizable for the player.

Car handling takes a bit of getting used to in the game. Being a hybrid between arcade and simulation racing, neither adopted style works and the player is forced to create a completely new way of navigating around the tracks. Cars usually will not start off in a straight line, and seem to constantly ‘pull’ to the right when applying initial acceleration. Braking after entering a corner will usually result in an uncontrollable spin. Although this may be a direct reflection on how cars handle in the real world, it can be rather annoying in the game and seems to be exaggerated. The paved tracks radiate a slightly loose feel to the cars, no matter how much you attempt to tighten them up. Once you have a workable knowledge of the track layout, this can easily be overcome with advance driving. However, the gravel rally tracks are extremely slick and require precise handling to complete the courses. You never have 100% control over the car, and only good fortune coupled with restrained driving will allow you to finish high up in the pecking order. Luckily, your in-car navigator is adept in his job and gives you enough time to prepare for the upcoming twist and turns.

In fact, all of the over the air communications between your pit chief and the other drivers is very clear and helpful. Drivers will berate you and even express hopelessness if you get a big enough lead on them. The pit boss will offer you encouragement when you do something correct on the track, and helpful advice when you have done something wrong. R: Racing Evolution definitely brings you into the action and gives the appearance that the Non-Playable Characters (NPC’s) are almost living, breathing beings. The rest of the audio selections are just as impressive. The background music (BGM), sound effects and radio communications all have selectable volume levels. Also, you have the option for mono, stereo or Dolby Pro-Logic II surround sound. Cars have individual engine noises, whether these are actually reproduced recordings is unknown, but they all do sound quite lifelike. Your musical selection is classic Namco, which means it’s a new age mix with the ability to have random tracks or a specified one for your racing pleasure.

A first in a Namco racing title, there are licensed vehicles in the game. You have a choice of 32 different models, some with multiple paint schemes, which brings the total up to 79. Each one of these must be unlocked, either by winning specified races or by purchasing them with your racing points (RP) that are awarded. Racing Points are very important to the furthering of your progress. They can be used for unlocking all of the 166 different challenges in the Racing Event section, or purchasing engine and weight reduction upgrades. Each of these different challenges can have up to three different difficulty levels, which add up to over 400 challenges. This definitely is not a game short on shelf life or replay-ability. The racing event section offers one-on-one races, tour races (multiple tracks) tournaments, single races, time trials and single make races. These last are the most challenging, as all of the cars are exactly the same and it all depends on the driver’s ability to pull out the win.

The one new option the game offers is a ‘pressure meter’ for your opponents. The longer you ride closely behind them, the more it grows, until finally they make a mistake and slip-slide out of your way. Sometimes they enter a corner too hot and run smack into a wall, while other times they spin out of control in a corner and loop out of contention. Each opponent has a different level of stress they can handle before they crumble, and if they can open enough room between you and their car, it will reset back down to the original level. This definitely adds some flavor to the game, and makes things interesting.

The arcade mode lets the player get into the mix, without all the deep story or the high pressure of the racing points. Time trial gives a player the chance to flesh out the track in a solo mode, and the vs. section lets you take on a friend to prove who the king of the track really is. None of these three sections require a very in-depth overview to explain their being. They are merely appetizers to the main course.

Visually, R: Racing Evolution stacks up well with other titles in the genre. All of the cut-scenes have that excellent Namco touch, and the characters are highly desirable. The track layouts are impressive and filled with small touches, like flocks of flying birds and a giant Michelin man who waves at you. Your field of vision is clear and you have no popup or draw-in to distract you from the race. The tracks, based on real-life places, are done to the detail. In fact, I was able to use my racing line from Gran Turismo 3 for the Monaco track to much success, and it quickly became my favorite from all of the 11 (and three reverse courses) in the game. Tire smoke, skid marks and red-hot brakes all are included with the game, and the detail they provide can all be witnessed in the television-styled replays. The only visual downfall is that when your car slides off of a track, the cars appear not quite right, and makes the luster of the game dim. This is rather hard to explain, but once you see it for yourself, I’m sure that the light bulb will go off and the picture will become clear.

Extras
Extras for the game are rather limited. The vs. mode lets players run either single races or a complete series. You have the option of running between two to ten lap races, and racing for either points or positions. The position race is the simple option of being the first across the finish line. Racing for points is much more challenging. Here, you see who can acquire the most points for correct braking, perfect cornering, overtaking and drafting. All of these can also win you points in any other race that you run. There is also a replay theater, where you can watch all of your favorite races that have been saved to your memory card. The game supports wide-screen televisions (16:9 aspect) and use of the Logitech GT Force steering wheel.

 

Conclusion
All in all, Namco delivers a solid racing experience. The learning curve is gentle for beginners, and the computer AI offers a serious challenge in the later races. Two and three-wide racing is commonplace, and the computer cars do not simply snake around the track following in each other’s tire tracks. The shelf life of the game is exceptional, and the challenges vary enough to keep the player interested long after the story mode has been completed. R: Racing Evolution deserves more respect than it has received from other game media sources, and should be tried by every racing fan. Once you step into Namco’s world, I’m sure that you will agree with me.

Final Score: 8.5