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Ridge Racer 7
Ridge Racer 7
	North American box art
Developer(s)	Namco Bandai Games
Publisher(s)	Namco Bandai Games EU: Sony Computer Entertainment;
Director(s)	Masaya Kobayashi
Producer(s)	Isao Nakamura
Designer(s)	Kazuo Yamamoto; Kenichi Shimada
Artist(s)	Hideki Nakamura
Series	Ridge Racer
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3
Release	JP: November 11, 2006; NA: November 17, 2006; PAL: March 23, 2007;
Genre(s)	Racing
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Ridge Racer 7^[b] is a 2006 racing video game developed and published by Namco Bandai Games for the PlayStation 3. An installment in the Ridge Racer series, it is an enhanced version of Xbox 360 exclusive Ridge Racer 6 with more content, releasing as a launch title for the console

The game has around 40 cars, many of which are from Ridge Racer 6 and Ridge Racer (PSP). There are also 22 courses, available in forward, reverse and mirrored. The game runs at 1080p native resolution and 60 frames per second.^[1] It also features Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound and free online gameplay via the PlayStation Network. Like many other Ridge Racer games, it features a full motion video opening that stars mascot Reiko Nagase.

The game received positive reviews from critics. A patch was made available in October 2010 titled Ridge Racer 7 3D License Version that enables Ridge Racer 7 to be played in 3D. Following this, Bugbear developed the drastically different Ridge Racer Unbounded, released in 2012.

Gameplay

As in previous games within the Ridge Racer series, the gameplay centers on high speed circuit racing featuring "drift" handling, where the player slides the car around turns without great loss of speed.^[2] New features in this iteration include car body and engine customization which can affect the performance, handling and nitrous boost system of the car.^[3] Ridge Racer 7 also actively encourages players to slipstream other cars, whereas previous iterations did not mention that this technique increases speed.^[4]

This game sees the "unlimited restarts" return for the first time since Ridge Racer Revolution in 1996, which means the player can restart during the race (including the regular races and the duel races) at any time. The player can re-play the same race series for more points and money. A global ranking system is used to rank players. It uses a combination of FP (Fame points), CR (Credits, the game's currency) and OBP (Online Battle Points, gained in the online races) to work out an overall number of RP (Ridge Points), which are displayed on the player's Ridge State ID Card.^[5]^[6]

Game modes

Single player

Ridge State Grand Prix - the main game mode consisting of a series of races.^[7]
Manufacturer's Trials - special races where the player can earn new cars or parts to customize their car; if the players get 100 Manufacturer points, they will become a member of one manufacturer.^[6]
UFRA Single Event - special races with restrictions.^[6]
Extreme Battle - boss battles with a much higher difficulty where it is possible to win normal or special cars.
Arcade - a single player game mode where the player can choose among the unlocked tracks or cars.^[8]

Multiplayer

Global Time Attack - a time trial mode where players race their cars around the circuits as fast as possible and post their best lap times on a global leaderboard.^[8]
Standard Race - a standard race over the Internet for up to 14 players.
Pair Time Attack - similar to Global Time Attack, but instead combines the times of two racers working in tandem to achieve fast lap times.^[9]
Team Battle - players are split into red and blue teams (other colors are featured, such as yellow, green and pink), with a points system used to decide which team wins after a race.^[10]
Pair Battle - players are split into teams of two to race, and the winning team is that with the smallest total race time.^[7]
UFRA Special Event - a set of 25 extra events, downloaded for free from the PlayStation Store, which boast a much higher difficulty than any event in the Ridge State Grand Prix mode. The choice of cars is often preset or massively narrowed down.

Development and release

The game was first unveiled at the 2006 E3 event in a teaser trailer,^[11] and the first trailer of game footage was shown at the 2006 Tokyo Game Show.^[12] It was originally released as a launch title for the PlayStation 3 in all regions in 2006 and 2007, in a similar fashion to the first Ridge Racer on PlayStation, Ridge Racer V on PlayStation 2, and Ridge Racer(s) on PlayStation Portable. It has since been re-issued under Sony's "Platinum" and "The Best" budget lines.

Extras

Namco released downloadable extras and content for Ridge Racer 7 through the PlayStation Network on March 22, 2007. This content included extra events (the UFRA Special Events) and special decals for customizing the roof of the car. Players also had the option to purchase extra background music for their game. These add-ons were added to the US PlayStation Store on 1 June. A patch for the game was released in October 2010 to make the game playable in 3D.^[13]

The classic arcade game Xevious is unlockable in this game.^[14]

Reception

Critical

Reception

Aggregate score
Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	78/100^[15]

Review scores
Publication	Score
Edge	6/10^[16]
Electronic Gaming Monthly	6.83/10^[17]
Eurogamer	7/10^[4]
Famitsu	36/40^[18]
Game Informer	8/10^[19]
GamePro	^[20]
GameSpot	8/10^[14]
GameSpy	^[21]
GameTrailers	7.8/10^[22]
GameZone	8.5/10^[23]
IGN	(US) 8.3/10^[6] (UK) 7.9/10^[24]
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine	6/10^[25]
The Sydney Morning Herald	^[26]

The game received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.^[15] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of all four nines for a total of 36 out of 40.^[18]

Accolades

Ridge Racer 7 received the IGN Award for Best PlayStation 3 Racing Game of 2006.^{[citation needed]}

References

^ Editor, Richard Leadbetter Technology; Foundry, Digital (June 26, 2009). "Ridge Racer 7: The 1080p Dream". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved September 19, 2024. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
^ "Ridge Racer 7 Instruction Manual (PlayStation 3)". Bandai Namco Entertainment. Archived from the original on August 14, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
^ Rose, Alan (April 20, 2004). "Ridge Racer 7 for PS3 announced". Engadget (Joystiq). Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
^ ^a ^b Bramwell, Tom (November 23, 2006). "Ridge Racer 7 (Import)". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on March 3, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
^ "Ridge Racer 7 Preview from 1UP.com". Archived from the original on July 1, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Castro, Juan (November 14, 2006). "Ridge Racer 7 Review". IGN. Archived from the original on April 6, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
^ ^a ^b Ekberg, Brian (November 2, 2006). "Ridge Racer 7 Updated Hands-On: Going Online". GameSpot. Archived from the original on April 9, 2017. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
^ ^a ^b "Ridge Racer 7 Detailed". GameZone (Kombo). September 1, 2006. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
^ Slate, Chris (November 17, 2006). "Ridge Racer 7 Review (Page 2)". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on October 12, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
^ Nutt, Christian (November 9, 2006). "Ridge Racer 7 - online hands-on (Page 3)". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on October 12, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
^ "E3 06: Ridge Racer 7 First Look". GameSpot. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
^ "TGS 06: Ridge Racer 7 Hands-On". GameSpot. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
^ Spencer (September 17, 2010). "It's Ridge Racer 7 In 3D". Siliconera. Archived from the original on June 17, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
^ ^a ^b Gerstmann, Jeff (November 18, 2006). "Ridge Racer 7 Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on May 30, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
^ ^a ^b "Ridge Racer 7 for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on April 9, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
^ Edge staff (January 2007). "Ridge Racer 7". Edge. No. 171. p. 75.
^ EGM staff (January 2007). "Ridge Racer 7". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 211. p. 81.
^ ^a ^b Kuchera, Ben (November 1, 2006). "First PS3 game reviews come out of Japan". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on April 9, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
^ Helgeson, Matt (December 2006). "Ridge Racer 7". Game Informer. No. 164. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
^ Ouroboros (November 29, 2006). "Review: Ridge Racer 7". GamePro. Archived from the original on December 6, 2006. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
^ McGarvey, Sterling (November 20, 2006). "GameSpy: Ridge Racer 7". GameSpy. Archived from the original on April 9, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
^ "Ridge Racer 7 Review". GameTrailers. November 27, 2006. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
^ Bedigian, Louis (November 26, 2006). "Ridge Racer 7 - PS3 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
^ Simmons, Alex (March 22, 2007). "Ridge Racer 7 UK Review". IGN. Archived from the original on April 9, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
^ "Ridge Racer 7". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. January 2007. p. 68.
^ Fish, Eliot (April 2, 2007). "Ridge Racer 7". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on April 9, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2017.

^ Released under the Namco label outside North America.
^ Japanese: リッジレーサー7, Hepburn: Rijji Rēsā Sebun