Rave Racer

Rave Racer (レイブレーサー, Reibu Rēsā) is an arcade racing game that was released by Namco on 16 July 1995. It runs on Namco System 22 hardware,[3] and could be played by two people per cabinet for up to eight players total when up to four of them were linked together.[4] It is the third (and last, until Ridge Racer V: Arcade Battle in 2000) arcade title in the Ridge Racer series and the follow-up to Ridge Racer and Ridge Racer 2.

Rave Racer
Developer(s)Namco
Publisher(s)Namco
Composer(s)Shinji Hosoe
Ayako Saso
Nobuyoshi Sano
Takayuki Aihara
SeriesRidge Racer
Platform(s)Arcade
Release
  • JP: 16 July 1995
  • NA: 16 August 1995[1]
  • EU: 18 September 1995[2]
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer
CabinetUpright, sitdown
Arcade systemNamco System 22

Compared to Ridge Racer 2, Rave Racer adds two new tracks as well as the ability to play the original two, various handling changes, force feedback steering, and improved car and racetrack graphics.[5] Like Ridge Racer 2, Rave Racer featured a new soundtrack. The new tracks contain various side roads, but some of them take more time than others to complete a full lap of the track.

A Microsoft Windows version was originally under development for NEC's PowerVR graphics processor,[6] and was demonstrated in early 1996. However the game was cancelled, thus no games in the Ridge Racer series were released for PCs until Unbounded in 2012. A PlayStation version was announced later in 1996,[7] but it too was cancelled.

Reception

A critic for Next Generation remarked that while the game makes few changes from its predecessors, those changes are important enough to make it a dramatic improvement. He found the more accurate and responsive control particularly pleasing, saying it allows players to pull off more impressive maneuvers and race without having to compensate for the controls. He also praised the fast-paced music and graphical touches. Concluding that "despite only four courses, one of which is a rehash, this racer kicks", he gave it four out of five stars.[8]

In 1996, Next Generation listed the game at number 94 in their "Top 100 Games of All Time", citing "a force-feedback steering wheel, loud speakers, a huge monitor, and a link to up to seven other units".[9]

References
  1. The Arcade Flyer Archive: Rave Racer (Namco)
  2. The Arcade Flyer Archive: Rave Racer (Namco)
  3. "Arcade Race Restarts". Next Generation. Imagine Media (10): 20. October 1995.
  4. Rave Racer Twin Upgrade Kit Manual. Namco. p. 4.
  5. "Rave Racer". The International Arcade Museum. Retrieved 2012-12-25.
  6. "Rave Racer". Next Generation. No. 19. Imagine Media. July 1996. pp. 54–55.
  7. "Rave Racer". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 88. Ziff Davis. November 1996. p. 42.
  8. "Rave Racer". Next Generation. No. 10. Imagine Media. October 1995. p. 130.
  9. "Top 100 Games of All Time". Next Generation. No. 21. Imagine Media. September 1996. p. 38.
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