Ridge Racers PSP site gets green flag

TOKYO--Namco today took the official site for its PlayStation Portable version of Ridge Racer live. The upcoming game will be released under the title Ridge Racers.

As the name suggests, Ridge Racers will be a game that takes players on a tour of tracks from past releases in the series--this time, with a fairly massive overhaul of the graphics.

Gamers will get to drive through the game with popular cars that appeared in the series' past: the Himmel E.O. from Ridge Racer V, for example. Two additional cars have also been disclosed by Namco: the Soldat Raggio and Assoluto Fatarita.

Ridge Racers will feature a total of 24 tracks, a new record for the series. There will be tracks dating back to the first installment of Ridge Racer from the arcades (circa 1993). The game will also include tracks from Rave Racer.

Three additional tracks have been unveiled by Namco: the beginner/intermediate course from the original Ridge Racer (known as Seaside Route 765 in Ridge Racers); the Heaven & Hell course from R4: Ridge Racer Type 4, now renamed to Crimsonrock Pass; and the Mountain course from Rave Racer, which will be called Greenpeak Highlands in the new PSP update.

Ridge Racers will also feature a new mode called “World Tours” where you get to continuously drive through two to six different tracks in one race. By finishing a race and earning a rank, you’ll be able to obtain different bonuses, such as new machines and access to additional racing courses.

Ridge Racers is currently slated as a PSP launch title. The game will be priced at 4,800 yen ($45).