Ridge Racer 6 as You've Never Seen It

Despite only being unveiled relatively recently, Namco's newest Ridge Racer will soon hit the Xbox 360 and we have the High Definition screen onslaught to prove it. You have to see these!

Namco's Ridge Racer series, a fruit of the company earlier flirtations with the arcade industry, has long been a regular attendee at console launches, and it's looking likely that it will be no different for the Xbox 360. But for its next-gen debut in Ridge Racer 6, the developer has gone back to tinker with the series' trademark drift-heavy gameplay.

The most obvious difference - apart from boosted aesthetics courtesy of the Xbox 360's extra horsepower, which you can ogle in the reams of screens below - is the revamped nitrous system. Where previous entries in the series let you flip the switch to surge ahead of the pack, Ridge Racer 6 doubles and triples your pleasure, allowing you to go harder and faster for longer. You'll no longer be limited to a max speed dictated by a single boost, and instead you'll be able to go faster and faster with each successive nitrous injection.

Another big addition is online play. Ridge Racer 6 includes several new online modes, the core of which is the Multiplayer Vs Battle mode, where up to 10 people will be able to duke it out over Xbox Live. The press material has made a point of saying "at least" 10 people, so there's every chance that the company is hoping to get that bumped up before release day. As with most Xbox 360 launch games, Ridge Racer 6 will likely be prodded and poked until it's forced out the door to the manufacturing stage.

And you won't have to worry about being outclassed by kids with nothing better to do than sit practising all day - Ridge Racer 6 includes a world ranking system to that you'll always be going up against people of similar skill - or lack thereof.

But is there a singleplayer mode, you may sheepishly be asking? Yes, yes there is, and it's expansive to boot. There are multiple singleplayer modes, such as the World Xplorer mode, which sees you take part in a gruelling 230-race trek across the planet. You'll also be able to play through single races, natch.

With Namco's self-publishing hopes still just that, the company has yet to finalize plans for the game's debut in Europe. But EA has stepped in to publish Ridge Racer 6 in the territory. The game has already confirmed to be in stores on the Xbox 360 launch day in both North America and Japan, making an equivalent European announcement all but made.

Not planning on getting an Xbox 360? No problem. Namco is part of the growing pool of publishers that is hedging its bets in the early stages of the next-gen war and it will be releasing Ridge Racer 6 on PlayStation 3 as well. Don't hold your breath for a 120 fps mode though.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games