Hands-on: Ridge Racer V

TOKYO - The first game I played today was Ridge Racer V, and I'm glad I did. Right after the doors opened to the public this morning, the crowds started to build around the game. And they grew longer and longer by the minute.

Although my time with the game wasn't as long as I'd hoped it would be (I only got in one race), it was enough to get a good feel for it. And from initial impressions, it seems as though Namco has returned to the older feel of the series for this game – it seemed a lot more akin to the original Ridge Racer rather than the more recent installments.

Graphically, the game is pretty amazing. While it's not quite as good as GT2000, it's very close. The game allows you to choose to race during the day, dawn, or night, and all three look great.

In terms of music, RRV sports some cool tunes. Even though I only heard one or two tracks, I'd have to say I liked them a lot more than the songs in R4's soundtrack.

While Ridge Racer V didn't exactly blow me away, the bottom line is that if you're a fan of the Ridge Racer games, you're likely going to enjoy this one. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on it again once the PlayStation2 is released.