Ridge Racer DS is a conversion of the Nintendo 64 title "Ridge Racer 64". It has the same sort of graphics, only they look better on the crisp, clear LCD screen of the DS running at a full on 60fps at all times.
All of the original 9 tracks are here, plus one new track, and all the tracks are playable in reverse making the 20 tracks the box boasts of.
The thing to remember here is that "Ridge Racer 64" was one of the better N64 games, and that we are talking about ELEVEN YEARS AGO. Things have changed a bit in 3D console gaming, and the limited new content added to RRDS doesn't really fill the decade gap in state of the art to um... retro handheld gaming.
The cars can be controlled quite well using the D-pad with the trademark drift physics of all the RR games. You -can- use the touch screen with stylus or thumb strap if you insist. It is doable. But it is not very rewarding, even with much practice. You don't have any finer control, and it just ends up being an awkward experience.
Think about all the games made for PDA's like Palm OS and Pocket PC. They all have 3.5 or 3.8 in TFT touchscreens like the NDS. Are there any great racing games that use the touchscreen for analog control? Hmmm... No.
Gameplay is fun and very challenging, even to longtime veterans of the RR series on other systems. After each set of 3 races are beaten you unlock 3 cars to race against in 1 on 1 duels to add to your garage. After the original 9 tracks are done you get the credit reel and see that the original game on N64 was made by THREE people. The conversion lists a small legion.
Then you get the new track. And the credits run again. Then you get the first 9 tracks in reverse with S and X class cars. Credits run again. Then the final new track reversed. Credits AGAIN. Then you can start all over again with Z class cars which are sooo fast that they fairly fly off the tracks.
Coolness - you can play 6 players with ONE cart!! Only a few cars to choose from and one track loaded at a time but it is great fun and the price is right. Uploading take very little time at the 10mps 802.11b (weird nintendo version) speed. Also, you get to look at lots of pictures of Gina Cavalli, the CGI babe from Namco's "R - Racing Evolution". She plays no role in the game, just window dressing.
Uncoolness. The reverse tracks are not fully cleaned up and finished. Turn arrow textures are backwards in some places but fixed in some places. The start/finish lines are moved but not marked in the new locations. the old one is. Reeks of must ship at launch or we all get fired. A minor quibble in such a fun game.
Also slightly uncool is the 'Nintendoness' of having so many of the cars named for their trademark characters. The Princess Peach racing team doesn't do much for me. Nor the Donkey Kong car with banana shaped cutouts on the steering wheel. Save that for Mario Kart.
Take the car ratings with a grain of salt. Many cars have great ratings but don't perfom and vice cersa. The Terazzi Terrific has a 10 speed rating but in actual racing will get waxed every time by the slower rated DK and Atomic Purple cars. The AGE Solo is so bad you should use it as a 'handicap' car when teaching noobs to play.
Good game, decent value but don't expect PSP graphics or content. Remember that you are playing on a Nintendo 64, with a GBA SP grafted on.
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