R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 is a very pretty game. While the cars themselves come in a close second to
Gran Turismo in appearance, the racetracks are very detailed and beautiful. Also, they hold together perfectly as fast as you can go. I didn't see any pop-in at all. The music is very uptempo... and very Namco. Everywhere you look, you'll see reference to Namco games of years gone by. I think one of the funniest things I noticed, however, was the line 'I feel the need for speed' in the intro video's song. A stab at EA, I suppose?
The interface that carries the 'story' along is an interesting feature, and has a nice, fresh presentation. Namco also has a lot of original 'blur' effects which enhance the realism of R4. There's also a second disc included in the package which has some Namco demos and (get this...) a 'Turbo Mode' of the original Ridge Racer, with faster gameplay and enhanced graphics. It is the product of an experiment in development of the Ridge Racer series. The 'Turbo Mode' version was eventually abandoned in exchange for a complete makeover, but is included in a playable form as a bonus. Ah, Namco... You KNOW what I like!
