I'm Kohta Takahashi, part of the sound staff for both productions and this video is super informative and full of great details. I'm glad you were impressed with the R4 opening production, because it was really hard work. Thanks for making this video! 🏁🏎😊👍
I´d like to thank you for your great work. Move Me and Euphoria are among my personal favourite tracks, not just as a videogame soundtrack, rather music in general.
Ridge racer type 4 is one of the best games ever made. The graphics push the playstation to its absolute limits, the music is amazing , even the menus look incredible. It was a major achievement.
Ridge Racer Type 4. The soundtrack is probably the best original racing game soundtrack to this day. It's just fantastic. I have a copy of it today 17 years later because it's that good. The visuals, sound and atmosphere of RRT4 sucked me in and didn't let me go for hours. Why don't you make games like this any more? WHY DON'T YOU MAKE GAMES LIKE THIS ANY MORE NAMCO??
@@retro4fun358 yeah, and you can actually confirm this with an emulator, there are a lot of videos here showing R4 in 1080p and it looks just like a ps2 game.
@@RainerLuizFonseca not really, the Polygon jiggling is still present because of the lack of floating point math on the PS1, sure a couple emulators can mitigate this effect but not 100%
@@metallicarabbit I meant, it looks like a PS2 game with the option to eliminate polygon jiggling turned ON (yes, they eliminate it 100% now). But jiggling "effect" aside, what's impressive is the polygon count, modeling and lighting for a PS1 game, it comes very close to early PS2 titles.
There's just something so cool about old arcade racing games. Relying on a strong stylised look rather than photo-realism make the games of yesteryear exude a magic that's kinda lost today.
Indeed! When I worked on NFS 1 (PS1) the artists had, IMHO, a perfect blend between photorealism and bright cartoon colors - probably because they took heavy inspiration from Daytona USA arcade. I never got into Ridge Racer but there is indeed something magically about the early Ridge Racers and Grand Turismos. Shame that GTS and Scam Turismo 7 are such bland, soulless experiences. I switched over to Forza Horizon 4 for a FUN simcade.
R4 is still my favorite arcade racer! The unforgettable moment when you enter the final lap at the Grand-Prix finals as the "new" millennium is shot in and the sky lights up with fireworks, all while "Movin' in circles" is pumping through your speakers. So much stile and class, thank you Namco.
Oh man, I loved RRT4 so much! You've pretty much summed up eveything about the game that made me love it so much back in the day. I still listen to the soundtrack even now.
Precisely! ..It's still a dream of mine to one day see an R4 remaster made with the technology of today! Can you imagine that? I would happily settle for that instead of a completely new RR title (though that would be fab too). A PSVR compatible version of R4 would blow my brains! Lol.
Ooooooh the soundtrack. Burnin' Rubber, The Vibe, Naked Glow and many other songs. Dude, i made a compilation of fav songs from RRT4 just to listen and feel nostalgic
Ridge Racer Type 4 was the pinnacle of the RR franchise. The baked in lighting still looks so epic to this day. And the soundtrack, oh the soundtrack, just glorious.
I imported a copy of the RRT4 OST from Japan years back, and when I travelled there many years later I was amazed to see it still in stock at Tower Records. This game feels like a defining time of my childhood, combining my love of cars and racing with beautiful art design and a soundtrack that I will remember for the rest of my life. A remaster of RRT4 would be so incredible - imagining the visuals and style of this game with modern graphics + RT would be mind-blowing!
RRV seems to get quite a bit of flak, but I really like it. Sure, Type 4 might very well be the best the series have ever been and I will gladly gush all over it as it might just be my favourite too. That said, Type 4 and RRV5 are very much different games. Type 4 has this career-like mode which is very fun and interesting, but I like that RRV chooses to instead scale all that back and focus on simple arcade racing. And it does it very well. It's not perfect, cars feel a bit too wide and some have oddly floaty handling but all of this can be overcome with practice and once you get it, once you're in the zone of this game, it is great fun. In order to balance out the "hate", here's some RRV gushing from yours truly: Some cars are more difficult to control but once you get to grips with them, they will reward you with even faster and thrilling races. And then there's the Duel battles and 99 lap challenge (I still haven't managed that one T_T). Simply put, if you're willing to invest in understanding RRV there is a lot of hardcore, down to the roots arcade racing to be had. And let me just say that the visuals represents another personal high point of this game. It is jaggy, sure, but the aesthetics, architecture and color are just something else. I love how it, to me at least, actually reminds me of a real city - Ridge City has got some character and I like it. In one of the tracks, you start inside the city center, gradually make you way towards the green outskirts and down to the beach only to turn back and, before you enter the classic left turning tunnel, you can see the shimmer of the glass skyscrapers above the finish line in the distance. Sometimes there is just this sensation of "place" in RRV and I find the replays to be very enjoyable. Maybe especially at night, the lightning is to me very convincing. So sum up, RRV is not Type 4. It doesn't have it's depth and diversity, it doesn't have it's fantastic soundtrack and it doesn't have it's career mode. RRV is more of a modern version of the original Ridge Racer, and it just goes to prove you don't need lots of licensed (yawn) tracks to have fun.
I think over time I have now, today, realized that RR5 is actually the better game. I played them both back to back and wowww I am enjoying RR5 a lot more right now on my pS2 than I have when I first got the game. That's pretty amazing to me. This game has lasting appeal. I sold it back in the day and got it back for $4. I NEVER bought a game back before. That's a first for me! The gameplay and control in RR5 is the best in the series for me. It took R4 and improved upon it with the 60fps control which adds greatly to the feel and fun factor. What an incredible driving experience.
I enjoyed how each car felt distinct and different from each other. Each playthrough through the campaign felt fresh since you had to relearn how to drive each track in each car.
One of my lifelong dreams is to see a remake/remaster of R4; which is my favorite game of all time. The closest thing to it is playing on an emulator with all graphics enhancements. One can only dream...
You guys should do an episode on Ridge Racer 7 for the PS3. Mainly because that game was a rare example of a 3D game on PS3 (not counting PS2 remasters) that actually ran at 1080p 60fps (albeit with occasional slowdown whenever a lot of particle effects were on screen).
PS3 is a joke judging by its generation and technical specs... some games can't even reach 25fps while running at 720p. And that's where Ridge Racer 7 and Gran Turismo 5 & 6 stands out.
Unfortunately GT4 doesn't render at 1080i, it just supports upscaling, which is much easier. But that said, it's still impressive that Polyphony found the system resources to do even that with how beautiful and fast GT4 was.
Probably the most beloved game series ever for me. I remember purchasing my Japanese Playstation on import just to play Ridge Racer. Cost me a small fortune but I never once regretted it.
I barely remember how much I paid. I had a guy come deliver it to me personally. He drove up from London and handed over a wodge of cash. I have a feeling including the game it was like £700.
That homage to the Ridge Racer V intro at the beginning made me grin. Yet another great episode! Really makes me want to revisit V, along with finally giving 4 a try.
I'm still playing Ridge Racer Type 4 on my epsxe. What i really love about RRT4 is there's a car brand that had a drift handling like Assoluto & Lizard and the Grip handling car like Terazzi & Age Solo. I remember choosing PRC & Terrazi car
If you ever want the original hardware, a 5501 ps1 model, an Xstation and a ps1digital are perfect. Cant upscale to 4k though, I wish it did. Gonna try to get three of the ps1digitals when back in stock someday.
You're a man after my own heart, Mr. Linneman! R4 is a technical marvel and one of my most adored arcade racers for all the reasons you state. Another wonderful retrospective under the belt.
I still vividly remember October 26, 2000. I was in 6th grade and couldn't wait for my last class of the day, health, to end. Finally school let out and I practically ran to my mom's car. I think she had the PS2 box in the car, but can't remember for sure. What I can remember is taking it upstairs with Ridge Racer V, Tekken Tag Tournament, and Timesplitters. When Ridge Racer V's real time intro started playing, I was convinced this was it, there was no way graphics could ever look better than this. Funny to look back on, but the leap from PS1/Saturn/N64 to PS2/Xbox/GameCube was the largest perceptual leap in graphic quality between one console generation and the next, in my opinion (leaving out Dreamcast because it was sort of in between, and I didn't one until after it went on fire sale in 2001 after it was discontinued). Only the Xbox 360 had a similar impact on me with PGR3. It might have been a bigger leap if you also switched to an HDTV at the same time, but most people were still using CRTs for several years after, so most people could only notice the improvement in shader effects, lighting, shadows, etc. Even still it was an obvious leap forward. Everything since has felt like an evolution rather than a revolution.
RR Type 4 brings back so many nostalgic memories... the all-orange menus, the team logo editor, the weird little story line, the vibey late 90s music, and how you'd only get a modified version of your previous car for the final race if you sucked :D Such a blast.
"…Over time, arcade racers have faded away, but the memory remains strong. So join me as we journey back once more, to Ridge City…the city is yours…" listening to those words with U's HydroPrism playing in the background almost brought tears of sadness to my eyes. Ridge Racer: the once legendary ruler of racing games built on foundations of high performance and quirky gameplay has now become an obscure relic of the past, so much so that even the creators seem bent on burying the name with terrible game after terrible game with no goal other than to make a quick buck off of the nostalgia and the great heretage it holds
DF Retro is the best thing currently on RUclips. By far my favorite playlist. Please continue these as it reminds us of what actually transpired back when we were younger. And the technical milestones that were set. Thanks a bunch for making me love my old console collection even more. And form now on, everytime I boot one up I'll remember these videos. Good show!
I was quite the RR connoisseur back in the day. Rage Racer was another great PS1 Namco racer. Quite a few people were turned off by the different color scheme. I really enjoyed the custom decal maker though. And, the racing was on point. RRT4 was still the best though. I really liked the track intro's. Names like "Edge of The Earth" and "Helter Skelter" were really awesome.
Are you really going to do that comparison? Driveclub is a beautiful looking game and if it was an arcade style game that required twitchy controls then sure 60FPS should be the goal, but it's not. And while RR was a good looking game for it's time if they tried to sell that now, it would be laughed at. BTW I think the RR games are great overall, and I still play R4 and Vita version regularly.
Great analysis. Ridge Racer Type 4 is undoubtedly my personal favourite game on the PS1 and to this day, still has the greatest intro cinematic of all time. It was great to learn a bit more about it.
On Ridge Racer Type 4 - one thing no-one ever mentions is the small racing story line with Shinji Yazaki for Pac Racing Club (remember that time when Reiko writes you a note?), or when Robert Chrisman from Dig Racing Team casually says he wants to replace you... even at the time these card stories were basic, it was a pretty immersive touch adding a narrative into an arcade racer. That game is pure gold.
Actually, Robert Chrisman doesn't want to replace you. It's the manager who wants to do so. Chrisman even takes the risk of losing his job when he says he doesn't want to replace you
The Ridge Racer Type 4 intro is just magical! I dunno why but it was simple and yet undeniably attractive. Watched it all the time before playing the game. I think its what defined the Ridge Racer series.
How I wish that Namco would bring a return to form with a new Ridge Racer. Prior to joining Bandai, they were a superb developer-publisher, but they seemed to have gone the way of westernisation and sloppiness ever since the merger. There's still signs of that excellence in the Tekken and Tales games, but their output really doesn't reflect their identity anymore, which I find is a shame. As John said, Namco was a mark of quality back in the PS1 and PS2 eras. The value of that brand was diminished from the middle of the PS3 era.
Thank you for making this video. Ridge racer type 4 was the first game I played on ps1 back in 2000. I loved how the music synchronises with each and every turn of the map with addition of screeching drift of the tyres. The tracks varied from slow and soothing music on wonder hill to a funky tune on helter skelter to a very fast paced chase music on phantomile. It was truly a memorable experience.
R4 was a stunning game for its time. Dare I say it, as good as the racers Sega put out. I'd love to see Namco produce a compilation disc of RR remasters for the PS5. 1 all the way to 7 in 4k/60fps, would be incredible!
R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 is one of my favorite games of all time. I fell in love with its overall aesthetic, the feel of the driving/drifting, and Grand Prix mode. Just bought a physical copy to go back through the other manufacturer routes. Thanks for putting up this excellent video!
+Stoop the graphical imperfections don't effect the gameplay so for me personally I would lovingly accept the game ported to ps4 in its original entirety. Sometimes the slightest change to a game can ruin it's authenticity and Feel, and I hope namco do a classic collection as that would be the Dream Buy of the century.
+what? for real but that his opinion which i respect but honestly i hate v for the music and race tracks they trade Good Old club banging night time city cruising vibe music for beach boy crap
The Tekken comparison looked more like they muddied the image on the US release with something akin to FXAA. It did not look sharper, even the textures on the mountain were extremely muddy/blurry compared to the Japanese release.
I prefer Rage Racer over every other Ridge Racer game. The Soundtrack was nuts, the graphics great (though not as refined as in RRt4) and the challenge was awesome. My biggest complaint concerning Ridge Racer type 4 and RR5 is that both were waaaay too easy. Streets were so wide you could easily drive an 18 wheeler blindfold, especially in RR type 4.
Kudos to you. Your analisys are always the best and cover not only the technical point of view but also from the design ( menu / gameplay / history of the desv. exc.). You are one of few reviewer with a deep and true knowledge of how to perform the work in a professional way.
This is, without a doubt, one of my favorite arcade racers in the new age. It has everything, and one of the best series' of soundtracks ever made. R4 is also one of the inspirations behind my rebuilding of project Rise Again. The game is just fantastic.
Old Namco man. I miss them. They were KILLING the game industry with EVERY release from that time till the end of PS2. Then they had to merge with Bandai and fuck it up. Man, great video DF, brought me back man. Wanna buy a PS2 and some old Namco games now.
Loved this episode... Just tought you should have talked more about Type 4... Like the ending of the championship, with the fireworks, at new years eve...
God, the nostalgia... R4 defined a big part of my childhood. I was 12 when it was originally released and bought it a few weeks after its launch. One of my best purchases of that era and the best racing game of the late nineties alongside MSR. I still like to play it today, either on my Vita or on the PC. It looks great on ePSXe with a custom shader for extra smoothness. Digital Foundry, I love you guys. I think I enjoy your retro videos even more than your comparisons of recent games nowadays. You understand what made classics of the time stand out, what made them special not only from a technical, but also from a gameplay perspective. Keep up the great work!
Love that R4 soundtrack. I had the digitized copies of R4's soundtrack and saved it on my PS3 and that became my customised BGM for GT5 because they allowed you to select your own playlist when racing. Not bad drifting in Toscana and hearing "....step back it's Ridge Racer, it's Ridge Racer, I feel the need for for speed..." I know GT5 had a lot of flak for those PS2-ish standard cars, but R4's soundtrack made me enjoy that game a lot, that's for sure.
I'd love a remake of RR4. Not sure if it would be full price these days though, unless they had all the old tracks with newer ones. Namco did a poll on twitter for which RIdge Racer they'd want remade and 4 won by a pretty large margin. I really do miss Arcade Racers in general. Sucks that Ridge Racer died with a bad Vita game and a Burnout rip-off.
Lazy and they what to take our money, specially they kill silent the Sony and MS. Look what happend to game citizen, they switched into PC just for hi end, and this is why Neo and Scorpio exist.
and 30fps.. just use higher resolution to fake the gamers.. most people are not aware of the 60fps.. so lets push higher resolution and people will see enough stuff to buy the hardware. But for experienced gamers.. 30fps is just no. It's cluncky and it's not smooth. Tales of Symphonia on PC for example is a good one. When you walk in town or do battle. You can see the clunky animation.. even the steps doesn't work well. you can hear the sound but that is also off. When I play a 30fps and hearing the footsteps with some little lag or loudness I know it's 30fps games. Try to experiment and move to 60fps. You will never want to go back to 30fps
Great video, however it is a shame that R4's strongest element (and most unique for the franchise) was glossed over...The story. I really wish that the career story game play in R4 would have been carried over to future titles. It is why I feel in some ways that, although future RR titles were prettier, the series in many ways hit it's peak with R4.
This review came out 6 years ago and I still watch it from time to time. I owned every single Playstation console at their height and I just love this review. Those who lived through it will know. 07/27/2023
Hands down my two absolute all-time favourite racers.. I can't even begin to count the time I've spent on these, and they respond *awesomely* to emulation upres'ing and trickery too.
I was a huge fan of R4 back in the PS1 days, and was super excited to play R5 when the PS2 was first revealed. Ironically enough, I've never played it and watching this has got me sort of antsy to try it! Great job on the retro videos guys!
i really,really love Ridge Racer Type 4, so intense, so fast, so beautiful, and that soundtrack...man that soundtrack is amazing. Still in my top 10 best racing game ever created
Thanks for this DF. I used to have a lot of demo discs for the PS1 and PS2 all those years ago but for one reason or another, I never got round to buying some of the amazing games they had. Seeing this footage, I did not realise that two of the games I played were Ridge Racer 4 and 5. These two games, along with SSX Tricky along with old games I have lost over the years such as Spyro, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark and more are the reason I am glad my 60GB PS3 still works great. Time to pick these up and play them on my backwards compatible PS3. Thank you, this series is one of the best on youtube and I appreciate the effort gone into these videos.
What is 'automated drifting' in PSP version? I haven't played RR5 so i can't compare it but I liked PSP version handling, and the performance was great too, having this on a portable device felt like the future has come today.
I love the PSP games as well, no doubt, but going around corners is simply a lot easier. The handling in RRV is more challenging to master and is easy to mess up until you've grasped it. It just feels somewhat more rewarding.
I was thinking before watching this video that Ridge Racer 2 for the PSP should be considered the best of the series simply because it basically has all the courses and soundtracks from 1 to Rave Racer, but the video was right about the handling. It's a lot easier on the PSP and the drifting does feel like it is on rails unlike 5.
napaceHbIK it's really distracting when in the new ridge racers you are drifting and somehow your car automatically turns sharper without pressing any buttons
Thanks so much for talking about how great all the aspects of Ridge Racer V were, er are! For me, RRV was a return to what Ridge Racer was all about, something I thought R4 totally missed. So I am very grateful for your kind comments and praise of Ridge Racer V! If you ever revisit Ridge City I hope you look at Rage Racer and Ridge Race V Arcade Battle!
bloxyman22 6 was 720p, 7 was 1080p, AND both ran at a locked 60fps. Also 7 had a bit more content than 6, and I really preferred the female announcer in 7 over 6's male announcer. I also really enjoyed the difficult challenges of the downloadable UFRA Challenges in 7.
I recently got Ridge Racer Type 4 working on my PlayStation, and using my brand-new Sony KV-21X5U Trinitron CRT, it’s absolutely beautiful and looks and plays mindblowingly well! I love it! It’s a brilliant game and I look forward to playing the rest of the series.
I thought that track sounded rather Ridge Racer-y and the composer worked on most of the old RR games too. I was curious to see if anyone would spot it. Well done! :D
I fondly remember this game from 1999 - moreso Demo Disc 45 of Official UK Playstation Magazine. Ridge 4 emblazoned the page & the cover for the crystal cover alike. It was during a difficult time for the family - my sister was in hospital after an accident & to be closer, I was staying with my Grandparents. I cannot tell you how much that demo helped me pull through that time & how many hours I spent replaying the one timed race of the demo. Of course not to mention other gems like R-Type Delta, T'AI FU, Gex: Deep Cover Gecko & the wicked Tekken 3 Iron First Tournament video included.
This dude just nailed it and totally understand what makes Ridge Racer awesome. There's something about these games....the "feeling" of it. No other developer is able to deliver that sensation and feeling that you get except with Ridge Racer. The first person view is the greatest - I NEVER play in third. I guess only one other game truly captures this incredible first person feel and that is of course WipEout(s) on PS1 and the new HD collection. But yeah, the current racing games may sport better tech and graphics but I still think Ridge racer looks better and it has everything to do with the feels and sense of speed I get with it. And the art style, like they stated, the subtle beauty.....it's not over done and it looks fantastic in 60fps. Ridge racer, forever baby! (FINALLY I've been able to play the PSP games through emulator and my god, they may be the best games in the series yet...tracks from all games combined into one. Heck, even Rave Racer, a game that was only available to arcades and a game I have wanted to play for 25 years or so.)
R4 had the better menu screens and I dare to say it was the first game ever to have such flashy menu options. RRV was a difficult game but other than amazing graphics for its time, it fell short following R4. Too bad the franchise hit the crapper with the last console RR game and oddly the last good RR game was the iPhone version (RR Slipstream). I hope Namco decides to bring RR back to its roots. I want to drive in Ridge City again!
Back then: Good games that pushed the hardware to its limits, many of which were *console exclusive* games. Now: Mediocre games that only look pretty, many of which are *also on PC*. Really makes you think, huh?
I agree, in 80's - 2005 games were run at full 30-60 FPS cap, nowadays games are pretty sick, even on console which I have a PS4, and litterally it'll be a waste if I build a PC just for that........RIP GENERATION.....all AAA games on console, they can't even capped at full 30 FPS.
Back then gaming on PC was more complicated. You had to know what you were doing with the hardware and the software. This without the internet until early 2000's. And monitors sucked compared to a nice and big TV. The first time I booted a game on PC, it didn't work. I had to get a graphics card ... because the PC didn't have a "3D accelerator". Now things are way simpler, and PC is everywhere and can do anything. Arcade machines are powered by PCs (Taito Type X etc ...) and consoles are basically becoming cheaper PCs (OG Xbox, Xbox One, PS4).
+John Doe many of the exclusives in the PS2 days were also lazy ass devs. It didn't take much back then to convince the devs not to port their games to PC or another console, nowadays you either need a 1st party developer or a really large sum of money to keep something exclusive. Nowadays porting is much easier because of similar architectures so you see more multiplats. Back then porting was too much work so even a smaller payment could guarantee exclusivity. And a lot of the exclusives didn't even have a signed exclusivity deal, the devs were just too lazy to port their games.
DigitalFoundry! HOW CAN YOU NOT discuss the R4 menu! Its even more beautiful than the ridge racer 5 menu! Seriously amazing and timeless design which is completely ignored by this video.... A true disappointment to me, a ps1 collector.
I'm Kohta Takahashi, part of the sound staff for both productions and this video is super informative and full of great details. I'm glad you were impressed with the R4 opening production, because it was really hard work. Thanks for making this video! 🏁🏎😊👍
yoooo
🏎👍@AlexMitchell-sj4sb
🏎@AlexMitchell-sj4sb
I´d like to thank you for your great work. Move Me and Euphoria are among my personal favourite tracks, not just as a videogame soundtrack, rather music in general.
Ridge racer type 4 is one of the best games ever made. The graphics push the playstation to its absolute limits, the music is amazing , even the menus look incredible. It was a major achievement.
Ridge Racer Type 4. The soundtrack is probably the best original racing game soundtrack to this day. It's just fantastic. I have a copy of it today 17 years later because it's that good. The visuals, sound and atmosphere of RRT4 sucked me in and didn't let me go for hours. Why don't you make games like this any more? WHY DON'T YOU MAKE GAMES LIKE THIS ANY MORE NAMCO??
if the resolution was a bit higher in Ridge Racer Type 4 you could think its a PS2 game
@@retro4fun358 yeah, and you can actually confirm this with an emulator, there are a lot of videos here showing R4 in 1080p and it looks just like a ps2 game.
@@RainerLuizFonseca not really, the Polygon jiggling is still present because of the lack of floating point math on the PS1, sure a couple emulators can mitigate this effect but not 100%
@@metallicarabbit I meant, it looks like a PS2 game with the option to eliminate polygon jiggling turned ON (yes, they eliminate it 100% now). But jiggling "effect" aside, what's impressive is the polygon count, modeling and lighting for a PS1 game, it comes very close to early PS2 titles.
love how they took away the trance dance techno and replace it with Acid jazz etc that soundtrack is the best that have ever bin
There's just something so cool about old arcade racing games. Relying on a strong stylised look rather than photo-realism make the games of yesteryear exude a magic that's kinda lost today.
Couldn’t agree more. Plus the eclectic soundtracks and fast paced gameplay add to that special arcade magic
Agree 100% its what keeps shmups timeless for me 🤘
Indeed! When I worked on NFS 1 (PS1) the artists had, IMHO, a perfect blend between photorealism and bright cartoon colors - probably because they took heavy inspiration from Daytona USA arcade.
I never got into Ridge Racer but there is indeed something magically about the early Ridge Racers and Grand Turismos. Shame that GTS and Scam Turismo 7 are such bland, soulless experiences. I switched over to Forza Horizon 4 for a FUN simcade.
@@JonathanPaspula even in 2023 its still legend.
@@MichaelPohoreski even Ayumu Uehara and Rina tennoji also loved Ridge Racer Type 4. So much.
R4 is still my favorite arcade racer! The unforgettable moment when you enter the final lap at the Grand-Prix finals as the "new" millennium is shot in and the sky lights up with fireworks, all while "Movin' in circles" is pumping through your speakers. So much stile and class, thank you Namco.
Oh man, I loved RRT4 so much! You've pretty much summed up eveything about the game that made me love it so much back in the day. I still listen to the soundtrack even now.
Precisely! ..It's still a dream of mine to one day see an R4 remaster made with the technology of today! Can you imagine that? I would happily settle for that instead of a completely new RR title (though that would be fab too). A PSVR compatible version of R4 would blow my brains! Lol.
Ooooooh the soundtrack. Burnin' Rubber, The Vibe, Naked Glow and many other songs. Dude, i made a compilation of fav songs from RRT4 just to listen and feel nostalgic
Play it in epsxe and its gorgeous
nice to see you here!!
@@heathers6508 Thanks!
Ridge Racer peaked with R4, that game was polished to perfection!
Yep. Ridge Racer Type 4 and Nijigasaki High School Idol Club anime series in my opinion are some of the alltime bests.
Ridge Racer Type 4 was the pinnacle of the RR franchise. The baked in lighting still looks so epic to this day. And the soundtrack, oh the soundtrack, just glorious.
I imported a copy of the RRT4 OST from Japan years back, and when I travelled there many years later I was amazed to see it still in stock at Tower Records. This game feels like a defining time of my childhood, combining my love of cars and racing with beautiful art design and a soundtrack that I will remember for the rest of my life. A remaster of RRT4 would be so incredible - imagining the visuals and style of this game with modern graphics + RT would be mind-blowing!
RRV seems to get quite a bit of flak, but I really like it. Sure, Type 4 might very well be the best the series have ever been and I will gladly gush all over it as it might just be my favourite too.
That said, Type 4 and RRV5 are very much different games. Type 4 has this career-like mode which is very fun and interesting, but I like that RRV chooses to instead scale all that back and focus on simple arcade racing.
And it does it very well. It's not perfect, cars feel a bit too wide and some have oddly floaty handling but all of this can be overcome with practice and once you get it, once you're in the zone of this game, it is great fun.
In order to balance out the "hate", here's some RRV gushing from yours truly:
Some cars are more difficult to control but once you get to grips with them, they will reward you with even faster and thrilling races. And then there's the Duel battles and 99 lap challenge (I still haven't managed that one T_T). Simply put, if you're willing to invest in understanding RRV there is a lot of hardcore, down to the roots arcade racing to be had.
And let me just say that the visuals represents another personal high point of this game. It is jaggy, sure, but the aesthetics, architecture and color are just something else. I love how it, to me at least, actually reminds me of a real city - Ridge City has got some character and I like it. In one of the tracks, you start inside the city center, gradually make you way towards the green outskirts and down to the beach only to turn back and, before you enter the classic left turning tunnel, you can see the shimmer of the glass skyscrapers above the finish line in the distance. Sometimes there is just this sensation of "place" in RRV and I find the replays to be very enjoyable. Maybe especially at night, the lightning is to me very convincing.
So sum up, RRV is not Type 4. It doesn't have it's depth and diversity, it doesn't have it's fantastic soundtrack and it doesn't have it's career mode. RRV is more of a modern version of the original Ridge Racer, and it just goes to prove you don't need lots of licensed (yawn) tracks to have fun.
I think over time I have now, today, realized that RR5 is actually the better game. I played them both back to back and wowww I am enjoying RR5 a lot more right now on my pS2 than I have when I first got the game. That's pretty amazing to me. This game has lasting appeal. I sold it back in the day and got it back for $4. I NEVER bought a game back before. That's a first for me!
The gameplay and control in RR5 is the best in the series for me. It took R4 and improved upon it with the 60fps control which adds greatly to the feel and fun factor. What an incredible driving experience.
I enjoyed how each car felt distinct and different from each other. Each playthrough through the campaign felt fresh since you had to relearn how to drive each track in each car.
One of my lifelong dreams is to see a remake/remaster of R4; which is my favorite game of all time. The closest thing to it is playing on an emulator with all graphics enhancements. One can only dream...
I personally love the “old” aesthetic :)
duckstation is better then any remake or remaster that could be done. it's not the 90's anymore, everything would be different.
i swear i have the best settings. i need to show proof. it looks just how it does in my memories, but in 4k
You guys should do an episode on Ridge Racer 7 for the PS3. Mainly because that game was a rare example of a 3D game on PS3 (not counting PS2 remasters) that actually ran at 1080p 60fps (albeit with occasional slowdown whenever a lot of particle effects were on screen).
PS3 is a joke judging by its generation and technical specs... some games can't even reach 25fps while running at 720p. And that's where Ridge Racer 7 and Gran Turismo 5 & 6 stands out.
@@STRIDER_503 amen 😎
Hello Dragon!
You should do Gran Turismo 4 for a DF Retro episode. It is the most technologically impressive racing gaming on the PS2, imo.
I ask for this to, 1080i was absurd.
+Panino Manino and the HD OG Xbox titles also would be cool to see
I think the only reason besides music licensing keeping it from a PS4 rerelease is that it will render GT Sport unmarketable :)
Unfortunately GT4 doesn't render at 1080i, it just supports upscaling, which is much easier. But that said, it's still impressive that Polyphony found the system resources to do even that with how beautiful and fast GT4 was.
Agreed and it was arguably the last good game in the GT series.
Probably the most beloved game series ever for me. I remember purchasing my Japanese Playstation on import just to play Ridge Racer. Cost me a small fortune but I never once regretted it.
I know. Was kinda pissed off waiting until January 2001 to receive my ps2. But, played Japanese console in a games shop. He wanted £5/600 for a PS2.
I barely remember how much I paid. I had a guy come deliver it to me personally. He drove up from London and handed over a wodge of cash. I have a feeling including the game it was like £700.
That homage to the Ridge Racer V intro at the beginning made me grin. Yet another great episode! Really makes me want to revisit V, along with finally giving 4 a try.
Chisato Nishikigi also loved Ridge Racer V. So did all 6 Hasu no Sora Characters.
DF Retro is the BEST thing on this channel!!!!
I'm still playing Ridge Racer Type 4 on my epsxe. What i really love about RRT4 is there's a car brand that had a drift handling like Assoluto & Lizard and the Grip handling car like Terazzi & Age Solo. I remember choosing PRC & Terrazi car
You should try Duckstation. It upscales better than ePSXe, and has the perspective correction for texturing.
If you ever want the original hardware, a 5501 ps1 model, an Xstation and a ps1digital are perfect. Cant upscale to 4k though, I wish it did. Gonna try to get three of the ps1digitals when back in stock someday.
@@mopeybloke Setsuna Yuki preferred Terrazi and DRT cars.
R5 might actually be the most underrated game in the series. I hear absolutely nobody talking about it.
Yeah.. Also Rage Racer
You're a man after my own heart, Mr. Linneman! R4 is a technical marvel and one of my most adored arcade racers for all the reasons you state. Another wonderful retrospective under the belt.
I still vividly remember October 26, 2000. I was in 6th grade and couldn't wait for my last class of the day, health, to end. Finally school let out and I practically ran to my mom's car. I think she had the PS2 box in the car, but can't remember for sure.
What I can remember is taking it upstairs with Ridge Racer V, Tekken Tag Tournament, and Timesplitters. When Ridge Racer V's real time intro started playing, I was convinced this was it, there was no way graphics could ever look better than this. Funny to look back on, but the leap from PS1/Saturn/N64 to PS2/Xbox/GameCube was the largest perceptual leap in graphic quality between one console generation and the next, in my opinion (leaving out Dreamcast because it was sort of in between, and I didn't one until after it went on fire sale in 2001 after it was discontinued).
Only the Xbox 360 had a similar impact on me with PGR3. It might have been a bigger leap if you also switched to an HDTV at the same time, but most people were still using CRTs for several years after, so most people could only notice the improvement in shader effects, lighting, shadows, etc. Even still it was an obvious leap forward. Everything since has felt like an evolution rather than a revolution.
So much dedication haha
RR Type 4 brings back so many nostalgic memories... the all-orange menus, the team logo editor, the weird little story line, the vibey late 90s music, and how you'd only get a modified version of your previous car for the final race if you sucked :D Such a blast.
"…Over time, arcade racers have faded away, but the memory remains strong. So join me as we journey back once more, to Ridge City…the city is yours…" listening to those words with U's HydroPrism playing in the background almost brought tears of sadness to my eyes. Ridge Racer: the once legendary ruler of racing games built on foundations of high performance and quirky gameplay has now become an obscure relic of the past, so much so that even the creators seem bent on burying the name with terrible game after terrible game with no goal other than to make a quick buck off of the nostalgia and the great heretage it holds
I rewatch this video every 5 months or so. I miss Ridge Racer so much. Love the DF Retro series, John!
Loving DF Retro, keep them coming!
DF Retro is the best thing currently on RUclips. By far my favorite playlist. Please continue these as it reminds us of what actually transpired back when we were younger. And the technical milestones that were set. Thanks a bunch for making me love my old console collection even more. And form now on, everytime I boot one up I'll remember these videos. Good show!
I was quite the RR connoisseur back in the day. Rage Racer was another great PS1 Namco racer. Quite a few people were turned off by the different color scheme. I really enjoyed the custom decal maker though. And, the racing was on point. RRT4 was still the best though. I really liked the track intro's. Names like "Edge of The Earth" and "Helter Skelter" were really awesome.
RR4 is the best racing game ever...Seriously.
f zero gx or need for speed underground for me
Not even close
Yes it is...
GAME from year 2000 in PS2 can run at locked 60fps and then Driveclub is 30fps on PS4
and yet still no Anti-aliasing.
remember driveclub has higher graphics and stuff than RR5
Remember that Ridge Racer was a great looking game at the time
+Gibus McFallenHatten RR5 is high end graphics, the developers are lazy now.
+MethadonX Shevancko for its time
i agree that devs are lazy tho
Are you really going to do that comparison? Driveclub is a beautiful looking game and if it was an arcade style game that required twitchy controls then sure 60FPS should be the goal, but it's not. And while RR was a good looking game for it's time if they tried to sell that now, it would be laughed at.
BTW I think the RR games are great overall, and I still play R4 and Vita version regularly.
Great analysis. Ridge Racer Type 4 is undoubtedly my personal favourite game on the PS1 and to this day, still has the greatest intro cinematic of all time. It was great to learn a bit more about it.
On Ridge Racer Type 4 - one thing no-one ever mentions is the small racing story line with Shinji Yazaki for Pac Racing Club (remember that time when Reiko writes you a note?), or when Robert Chrisman from Dig Racing Team casually says he wants to replace you... even at the time these card stories were basic, it was a pretty immersive touch adding a narrative into an arcade racer. That game is pure gold.
Actually, Robert Chrisman doesn't want to replace you. It's the manager who wants to do so. Chrisman even takes the risk of losing his job when he says he doesn't want to replace you
Type4 is and will always be the best racing game ever made
Great episode!
The Ridge Racer Type 4 intro is just magical! I dunno why but it was simple and yet undeniably attractive. Watched it all the time before playing the game. I think its what defined the Ridge Racer series.
How I wish that Namco would bring a return to form with a new Ridge Racer. Prior to joining Bandai, they were a superb developer-publisher, but they seemed to have gone the way of westernisation and sloppiness ever since the merger. There's still signs of that excellence in the Tekken and Tales games, but their output really doesn't reflect their identity anymore, which I find is a shame. As John said, Namco was a mark of quality back in the PS1 and PS2 eras. The value of that brand was diminished from the middle of the PS3 era.
Ace combat also reflects their former greatness...
@@milesr4609 Yeah, now, but it took ages.
@@milesr4609 Ace combat 7 was good, but somehow had less content than the FREE Ace Combat Infinity
@@frumpsterfire yes, but has a story based on Strangereal. Thats better than any free content.
@@milesr4609 It wasn't a great one im
Thank you for making this video. Ridge racer type 4 was the first game I played on ps1 back in 2000. I loved how the music synchronises with each and every turn of the map with addition of screeching drift of the tyres. The tracks varied from slow and soothing music on wonder hill to a funky tune on helter skelter to a very fast paced chase music on phantomile. It was truly a memorable experience.
R4 was a stunning game for its time. Dare I say it, as good as the racers Sega put out. I'd love to see Namco produce a compilation disc of RR remasters for the PS5. 1 all the way to 7 in 4k/60fps, would be incredible!
DF Retro is so good, and they're getting better and better. So glad you've started focusing on them :)
Aww. No time for R4's menus?
i know right those menus are amazing
R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 is one of my favorite games of all time. I fell in love with its overall aesthetic, the feel of the driving/drifting, and Grand Prix mode. Just bought a physical copy to go back through the other manufacturer routes. Thanks for putting up this excellent video!
The moment I saw this video in my subscription box I shouted: IT'S RIDGE RACER!
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDGE RACER
That Ridge Racer Type 4 intro :')
Brings back so so soo many memories. Thanks John.
Please Remake Ridge racer V - my favourite racing game of all time.
+Stoop the graphical imperfections don't effect the gameplay so for me personally I would lovingly accept the game ported to ps4 in its original entirety. Sometimes the slightest change to a game can ruin it's authenticity and Feel, and I hope namco do a classic collection as that would be the Dream Buy of the century.
+Stoop 6 was ok for me to be honest but maybe the music carried it slightly, I don't understand how we haven't had another Ridge in all these years.
5 sucked, it was a disgrace to the RR franchise.
+what? for real but that his opinion which i respect but honestly i hate v for the music and race tracks they trade Good Old club banging night time city cruising vibe music for beach boy crap
+Stoop The jaggies are fine. Makes it look pinsharp.
6 years late on this one, but I love everything about this episode. Nice work Mr. Linneman.
The Tekken comparison looked more like they muddied the image on the US release with something akin to FXAA. It did not look sharper, even the textures on the mountain were extremely muddy/blurry compared to the Japanese release.
Awesome! Seriously love me some ridge racer. So many great memories with these games! Thanks for uploading!
I prefer Rage Racer over every other Ridge Racer game. The Soundtrack was nuts, the graphics great (though not as refined as in RRt4) and the challenge was awesome. My biggest complaint concerning Ridge Racer type 4 and RR5 is that both were waaaay too easy. Streets were so wide you could easily drive an 18 wheeler blindfold, especially in RR type 4.
Kudos to you. Your analisys are always the best and cover not only the technical point of view but also from the design ( menu / gameplay / history of the desv. exc.). You are one of few reviewer with a deep and true knowledge of how to perform the work in a professional way.
Yesss, the R4 soundtrack was something fucking else! :O
This was an awesome nostalgia trip for 2 of my favorite games ever. Now you got me wishing I could re-experience that era all over again.
Bring back arcade racers! enough of the simulation crap!
No, explosive arcade racers like burnout, otherwise whats the point
Driveclub has your back.
I'll have to check that out, but its licensed cars so weak damage model if any.
Four comments above yours a guy says a new Burnout has been confirmed.
driveclub
This is, without a doubt, one of my favorite arcade racers in the new age. It has everything, and one of the best series' of soundtracks ever made. R4 is also one of the inspirations behind my rebuilding of project Rise Again. The game is just fantastic.
Old Namco man. I miss them. They were KILLING the game industry with EVERY release from that time till the end of PS2. Then they had to merge with Bandai and fuck it up. Man, great video DF, brought me back man. Wanna buy a PS2 and some old Namco games now.
Yep, both old Namco and old Square. Best technical developers of all-time!
These DF retro videos are some of the best youtube video game videos coming out recently and DF knows it. Keep it up you guys.
Love the intro. Used to love Type 4
Each time you touch those gamers treasured memories like that, I end up drowning in nostalgia with only one word to say: Thank you for your passion.
This was way back when racing games were a lot more fun and better.
they had heart, this new gen stuff is too sterile.
What a great vid. Kids today will never know the feeling of going to the arcade and then the arcade coming to the home with PS2 / PS3 titles
Loved this episode... Just tought you should have talked more about Type 4... Like the ending of the championship, with the fireworks, at new years eve...
God, the nostalgia... R4 defined a big part of my childhood. I was 12 when it was originally released and bought it a few weeks after its launch. One of my best purchases of that era and the best racing game of the late nineties alongside MSR. I still like to play it today, either on my Vita or on the PC. It looks great on ePSXe with a custom shader for extra smoothness.
Digital Foundry, I love you guys. I think I enjoy your retro videos even more than your comparisons of recent games nowadays. You understand what made classics of the time stand out, what made them special not only from a technical, but also from a gameplay perspective. Keep up the great work!
Ridge 7 is still pretty great. One of my reasons for keeping the PS3. It also has the greatest race girl model on THAT start screen.
Thank you for bringing back all those awesome R4 memories, I absolutely adored this game!
The Japanese really know their music back in the days.
Love that R4 soundtrack. I had the digitized copies of R4's soundtrack and saved it on my PS3 and that became my customised BGM for GT5 because they allowed you to select your own playlist when racing. Not bad drifting in Toscana and hearing "....step back it's Ridge Racer, it's Ridge Racer, I feel the need for for speed..." I know GT5 had a lot of flak for those PS2-ish standard cars, but R4's soundtrack made me enjoy that game a lot, that's for sure.
I'd love a remake of RR4. Not sure if it would be full price these days though, unless they had all the old tracks with newer ones. Namco did a poll on twitter for which RIdge Racer they'd want remade and 4 won by a pretty large margin. I really do miss Arcade Racers in general. Sucks that Ridge Racer died with a bad Vita game and a Burnout rip-off.
I play it on emulator from time to time. Then my PS4 controller's port for the usb connector broke.
***** How would that even look on a modern TV?
This video is such a journey
Console game from 2000-still beautiful to this day
Console game from 2016-Blurry laggy mess
What happened to console gaming?
Money happened.
Sugar Hieroglyph I'm so glad I switched to PC gaming, modern consoles are pathetic, it seems no console was good after the PS3
Lazy and they what to take our money, specially they kill silent the Sony and MS. Look what happend to game citizen, they switched into PC just for hi end, and this is why Neo and Scorpio exist.
and 30fps.. just use higher resolution to fake the gamers.. most people are not aware of the 60fps.. so lets push higher resolution and people will see enough stuff to buy the hardware. But for experienced gamers.. 30fps is just no. It's cluncky and it's not smooth. Tales of Symphonia on PC for example is a good one. When you walk in town or do battle. You can see the clunky animation.. even the steps doesn't work well. you can hear the sound but that is also off. When I play a 30fps and hearing the footsteps with some little lag or loudness I know it's 30fps games. Try to experiment and move to 60fps. You will never want to go back to 30fps
Past games were way more fun
Nice Video Love the past tech great to see past invention
Great video, however it is a shame that R4's strongest element (and most unique for the franchise) was glossed over...The story.
I really wish that the career story game play in R4 would have been carried over to future titles. It is why I feel in some ways that, although future RR titles were prettier, the series in many ways hit it's peak with R4.
I have to say this... I always waits for saturdays to watch DF retro. It's one of my favorites shows right now. Keep up the great work!
I've only played the PSP game, but using the words "realism" and "Ridge Racer" is... strange. This series revels in its arcade roots.
Ridge Racer Type 4, the most stylish racing game ever made.
Its Ridge racer! Riiiidge racer!
remember that one ?
Love these retro eps, each one is high quality and awesome. Great work.
The PAL version of Rdige Racer 5 was pretty rough, so I've finally got around to importing an NTSC copy. The way it was meant to be played!
why was the PAL version bad? I can't find any info online about this. Was it letterboxing and/or the game running slower or something else?
This review came out 6 years ago and I still watch it from time to time.
I owned every single Playstation console at their height and I just love this review.
Those who lived through it will know.
07/27/2023
Anyone know the music in the background at 3:30 ???
Hands down my two absolute all-time favourite racers.. I can't even begin to count the time I've spent on these, and they respond *awesomely* to emulation upres'ing and trickery too.
I've really enjoyed RR on PSP. Both of them.
I was a huge fan of R4 back in the PS1 days, and was super excited to play R5 when the PS2 was first revealed. Ironically enough, I've never played it and watching this has got me sort of antsy to try it! Great job on the retro videos guys!
Love DF Retro :)
Please do a max payne 1 episode, such a great game and tons of ports to discuss. Would make for another great episode.
i really,really love Ridge Racer Type 4, so intense, so fast, so beautiful, and that soundtrack...man that soundtrack is amazing. Still in my top 10 best racing game ever created
RRT4 has the best music!
Thanks for this DF. I used to have a lot of demo discs for the PS1 and PS2 all those years ago but for one reason or another, I never got round to buying some of the amazing games they had. Seeing this footage, I did not realise that two of the games I played were Ridge Racer 4 and 5.
These two games, along with SSX Tricky along with old games I have lost over the years such as Spyro, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark and more are the reason I am glad my 60GB PS3 still works great. Time to pick these up and play them on my backwards compatible PS3.
Thank you, this series is one of the best on youtube and I appreciate the effort gone into these videos.
Can't edit comment - and i'm glad I still have my N64 for Goldeneye and Perfect Dark
What is 'automated drifting' in PSP version? I haven't played RR5 so i can't compare it but I liked PSP version handling, and the performance was great too, having this on a portable device felt like the future has come today.
I love the PSP games as well, no doubt, but going around corners is simply a lot easier. The handling in RRV is more challenging to master and is easy to mess up until you've grasped it. It just feels somewhat more rewarding.
I was thinking before watching this video that Ridge Racer 2 for the PSP should be considered the best of the series simply because it basically has all the courses and soundtracks from 1 to Rave Racer, but the video was right about the handling. It's a lot easier on the PSP and the drifting does feel like it is on rails unlike 5.
napaceHbIK it's really distracting when in the new ridge racers you are drifting and somehow your car automatically turns sharper without pressing any buttons
ridge racer on psp is not bad (2nd game - who's more complete). But i more prefer outrun 2006 and motorstorm - on psp. And i play RR4 on psp.
This was an awesome trip down memory lane. loved every second of this.
ACE COMBAT TRILOGY ON PS2, MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!
GRAN TURISMO QUADRILOGY!!!
Thanks so much for talking about how great all the aspects of Ridge Racer V were, er are! For me, RRV was a return to what Ridge Racer was all about, something I thought R4 totally missed. So I am very grateful for your kind comments and praise of Ridge Racer V!
If you ever revisit Ridge City I hope you look at Rage Racer and Ridge Race V Arcade Battle!
Anybody want Ridge Racer 7 for ps4?
Im OK with the ps3 edition that runs on 1080p and 60 fps.
i'd be more interested in Burnout 5 than another RR
I'd like a great Ridge Racer on PS4. RR7 was not great. 4 and 5 were great.
4 was awesome, 5 was terrible, 7 was imo even better than 4.
bloxyman22
6 was 720p, 7 was 1080p, AND both ran at a locked 60fps. Also 7 had a bit more content than 6, and I really preferred the female announcer in 7 over 6's male announcer. I also really enjoyed the difficult challenges of the downloadable UFRA Challenges in 7.
I recently got Ridge Racer Type 4 working on my PlayStation, and using my brand-new Sony KV-21X5U Trinitron CRT, it’s absolutely beautiful and looks and plays mindblowingly well! I love it! It’s a brilliant game and I look forward to playing the rest of the series.
wow i love DF retro, please resident evil on next time :D
Thank you so much for doing this vid, DF!! Ridge Racer is one of my favorite series next to Sega Rally!
why you put music from tekken 7?
I thought that track sounded rather Ridge Racer-y and the composer worked on most of the old RR games too. I was curious to see if anyone would spot it. Well done! :D
John Linneman cuz Ridge Racer/Tekken series OSTs is one of my favorites. Hope you can make the video about Ace Combat 3
Moo.
I think that music is Ridge Racer's. Probably the same composer
what's the specific track name?
I fondly remember this game from 1999 - moreso Demo Disc 45 of Official UK Playstation Magazine. Ridge 4 emblazoned the page & the cover for the crystal cover alike. It was during a difficult time for the family - my sister was in hospital after an accident & to be closer, I was staying with my Grandparents. I cannot tell you how much that demo helped me pull through that time & how many hours I spent replaying the one timed race of the demo.
Of course not to mention other gems like R-Type Delta, T'AI FU, Gex: Deep Cover Gecko & the wicked Tekken 3 Iron First Tournament video included.
amazing looking game,
This dude just nailed it and totally understand what makes Ridge Racer awesome. There's something about these games....the "feeling" of it. No other developer is able to deliver that sensation and feeling that you get except with Ridge Racer. The first person view is the greatest - I NEVER play in third. I guess only one other game truly captures this incredible first person feel and that is of course WipEout(s) on PS1 and the new HD collection.
But yeah, the current racing games may sport better tech and graphics but I still think Ridge racer looks better and it has everything to do with the feels and sense of speed I get with it. And the art style, like they stated, the subtle beauty.....it's not over done and it looks fantastic in 60fps.
Ridge racer, forever baby!
(FINALLY I've been able to play the PSP games through emulator and my god, they may be the best games in the series yet...tracks from all games combined into one. Heck, even Rave Racer, a game that was only available to arcades and a game I have wanted to play for 25 years or so.)
I would really like to see an episode on Need for Speed: Most Wanted
ME2
Ooh yes it would be interesting to see the differences between the PC, PS2, Xbox and Xbox 360 ports
Yep and the GameCube Port too ^^ Some info i gathered over time: the PS2 version runs at 512x444
+CHAOSHACKER In my opinion the 360 edition is the best but I want to learn more about the differences.
I agree it has the best textures & lighting effects even compared to the PC version
R4 had the better menu screens and I dare to say it was the first game ever to have such flashy menu options. RRV was a difficult game but other than amazing graphics for its time, it fell short following R4. Too bad the franchise hit the crapper with the last console RR game and oddly the last good RR game was the iPhone version (RR Slipstream). I hope Namco decides to bring RR back to its roots. I want to drive in Ridge City again!
Back then: Good games that pushed the hardware to its limits, many of which were *console exclusive* games.
Now: Mediocre games that only look pretty, many of which are *also on PC*.
Really makes you think, huh?
I agree, in 80's - 2005 games were run at full 30-60 FPS cap, nowadays games are pretty sick, even on console which I have a PS4, and litterally it'll be a waste if I build a PC just for that........RIP GENERATION.....all AAA games on console, they can't even capped at full 30 FPS.
Back then gaming on PC was more complicated. You had to know what you were doing with the hardware and the software. This without the internet until early 2000's. And monitors sucked compared to a nice and big TV.
The first time I booted a game on PC, it didn't work. I had to get a graphics card ... because the PC didn't have a "3D accelerator".
Now things are way simpler, and PC is everywhere and can do anything. Arcade machines are powered by PCs (Taito Type X etc ...) and consoles are basically becoming cheaper PCs (OG Xbox, Xbox One, PS4).
It's just lazy ass devs.
Annoyed Armos naughty dog and kojima always strive to push the consoles to their limits
+John Doe many of the exclusives in the PS2 days were also lazy ass devs. It didn't take much back then to convince the devs not to port their games to PC or another console, nowadays you either need a 1st party developer or a really large sum of money to keep something exclusive.
Nowadays porting is much easier because of similar architectures so you see more multiplats. Back then porting was too much work so even a smaller payment could guarantee exclusivity. And a lot of the exclusives didn't even have a signed exclusivity deal, the devs were just too lazy to port their games.
Thx DF for doing a retro on some of my favourite games of all time, OF ALL TIME!
DigitalFoundry! HOW CAN YOU NOT discuss the R4 menu! Its even more beautiful than the ridge racer 5 menu! Seriously amazing and timeless design which is completely ignored by this video.... A true disappointment to me, a ps1 collector.
Awesome intro to your video John! Keep these Retro videos coming.