Eventually temptation won out and I picked up the game for my PC – despite the controversy surrounding that version too and I’m not disappointed. And seeing so many mixed reviews and opinions on this game I was sceptical, I mean if something as simple as controls are being questioned then that could just be the tip of the iceberg. I watched the previews and reviews closely as I am an avid arcade racing fan. Cars tear through concrete and metal as if they were paper, a bizzare feature but a very entertaining one. This kind of thing happens regularly in Ridge Racer Unbounded and is always a joy to watch as your mind struggles to wrap around Bugbear’s idea of what a car is made of. The car finally draws to a halt in an explosion of conveniently placed explosive barrels taking a statue with it. But that’s not he end of the unfortunate cars voyage, the second, third and fourth pillars are obliterated, an innocent news stand gets demolished and two lampposts brought down. The rolled car hits the pillar but instead of its velocity being halted the vehicle causes the column to explode in a shower of concrete and metal. One of the cars gains the upper hand as the other is forced up onto two wheels, the car loses its grip on the road and rolls over and over towards a concrete pillar seemingly to its end. Out of nowhere two muscle cars come screaming around the corner, trading paint and metal. Imagine a busy city road, cars casually driving around enjoying the day and just going about their business. But maybe it should have happened sooner.Except, it’s nothing like the previous Ridge Racers. Gaming is an ever-changing beast, and I'm pleased Ridge Racer has gone in a new direction. One interesting segment of the game is a level design mode, and the ability to both tinker around with your own ideas and access the hundreds of creations online. Even the range of vehicles seemed a bit limp for a game that has pretensions of being ambitious. I wasn't delighted with the steering or drifting physics, and the overall feel of the racing was just not as polished as previous efforts. I consider myself a reasonably decent driving gamer, but this one had me struggling to finish on the podium in many of the early events. Unbounded has a much steeper difficulty curve than others of its type. Place first, second or third in events to unlock experience points, which in turn unlock new areas and vehicles. Your opponents can be "fragged" - thanks, Call of Duty - in similar fashion to takedowns in the Burnout series.
Set in a place called Shatter City, the game features a series of events that combine high-speed racing with what might loosely be termed "automobile smash-em".Īnything about your size or smaller, whether it's made of wood or concrete, can be smashed with your vehicle, with effectively no consequence other than a minor reduction in pace.īigger obstacles can be cleared, and shortcuts uncovered, when a power bar is filled. The Ridge Racer series is well established but this is a radical shift into this style of racing. But when other games have done it earlier, and better, you wonder what the point is. Open-plan, intense racing with power-ups, environmental destruction and vigorous demolition derby-style jostling. Games like Burnout Revenge and Split/Second Velocity have already done a great job refining this specific style of driving game. Ridge Racer Unbounded is honestly about five years too late.