Ridge Racer 7

[Scott]

Problem with all this 'power of Playstation 3' stuff is that if you want the game to look arcadey and plastic then all the power in the world isnt going to make it onto the screen. The cars look shiney. The sky is blue and the flocks of birds flap and fly like birds do. But is Ridge 7 'real' like hell it is. This is the seventh in the Ridge racer series and, by now, the formula is locked down like the ten commandments.

Drifting? check. Perfectly balanced Grand Prix structure? yep. Best Ridge graphics ever? you know it. And thanks to sharing some tracks from Xbox 360's Ridge Racer 6, you can see the difference . 360's seems gritty. Harsh. Like they couldnt decide to go sim or spoof. Ps3 looks disenfected in comparison, and while 360 faked it with some blurry textures PS3 is well consistently, well, fake. Sit behind a 14 car pack and you can't help but smile as they robotically begin their drifts at exactly the same point in a corner. Jam an opponent into the scenery and the game judders both cars to resolution rather than actualy bothering with any of that physics muff.

And the perfect-o-polish extends pretty much all over the shop. 360's sleek, minimal menus and modes turned out to be half-arsed fillers, the real deal is here on the PS3. More modes of play than you could need and a core, ever-expanding tournament mode so packed with tracks and challenge that it'll keep you busy for as long as your eyes and thumbs can endure your race to the top. And then, of course, there's some brilliant online action. So while this might be a familliar game, it's also stirring, sexy and souped-up.

The good:

- The triumph of exitement over realisim
- The absorbing ever-expanding Grand Prix mode

The bad:

- Nothing like real driving at all
- Nothing has changed gameplay wise
- Your PS3's power is coasting with this one

Graphics:

The best Ridge Graphics yet, but still oh-so-fake
80/100

Gameplay:

Nothing new. At all. But why change a winning formula?
78/100

Lifespan:

Online play and the rankings make this a year long challenge.
89/100

Overall:

PS3 Power saps realisim out of the racing - but replaces it with a slick arcade polish
81/100