ridge-racer-vita
Latest
Ridge Racer skids onto Vita March 13, free DLC in tow
It wouldn't be the launch of a new PlayStation device without a new Ridge Racer game, and while Ridge Racer for the Vita may have missed launch day, it'll be making making up for its zero-to-retail time with free cars, music and tracks when it launches on March 13.Initial retail copies of Ridge Racer ($29.99) will include a "Ridge Racer Gold Pass," which nets the buyer five additional cars, three bonus courses, two new songs and an extended remix of an existing song. PSN copies of the game ($24.99) also include the Gold Pass goodies, provided they're purchased before April 30. An additional "Silver Pass" DLC pack will also be available in April, albeit at an undisclosed price.Aside from free DLC, Ridge Racer's North American launch also includes a system update, which improves the game's frame rate and adds "crisper graphics." It's fitting, since the only other thing more "PlayStation" than Ridge Racer is a system update.
Ridge Racer Vita moved from launch day to 'launch window'
When a game publisher closes a door, they always open a window -- unless, of course, they're cancelling the game, in which case they always burn the whole house down. This idiom now applies directly to the release of Namco's Ridge Racer for the PS Vita which, according to the recently revealed PlayStation Blog line-up, has been pushed from the list of "launch day" releases to the list of "launch window" releases. What's that mean for the fate of the title? Well, it could still mean that it's coming to the states alongside the console on February 22, but that Namco Bandai is playing it safe with the new terminology. In all likelihood, however, it means the game's been delayed beyond the console's due date. We've contacted the publisher for a clarification.
Ridge Racer Vita's development cycle was also a race
This may or may not be a surprise to you, depending on your level of cynicism about the relative lack of content in Ridge Racer for PlayStation Vita, but it was developed at a quick pace. A Famitsu interview with director Hideo Teramoto (translated by Andriasang) notes that development started in "spring," which likely refers to March at the earliest -- giving the team about eight months to have the game ready for the Vita's Japanese launch. Teramoto said that the development schedule was "tight," as Andriasang puts it, but that the Vita hardware was easy to develop for, with the development kit in an "advanced state." The content was in an advanced state as well, on account of having already been designed for other Ridge Racer games. Oh, there we go being cynical again.
Report: Ridge Racer Vita includes only three courses and five cars
Japanese press sampling the PlayStation Vita Ridge Racer were surprised to find that the game itself is pretty sample-sized. The racer reportedly includes just three courses, Harborline 765, Highland Cliffs, and Southbay Docks, all of which come from previous games, and are playable in normal and reverse modes. The list of cars is also limited -- to five. Of course, there will be DLC, but it's kind of surprising that it took two developers (Namco Bandai and Namco/Sony joint venture Cellius) to make a game with so little material, all of which had already been made. On the upside, Famitsu reports that it looks great on the Vita's screen, and we think the "Planetary League" mode sounds neat. For Planetary League, Namco plans to send out daily team battle missions for multiplayer, playable over wi-fi, ad-hoc and asynchronously (using ghost data).%Gallery-140172%
Ridge Racer, Shinobido, and ... 'Touch My Katamari' launching alongside Vita in NA and EU
We suspect publishers were as surprised as everyone else when Sony announced the worldwide PlayStation Vita launch dates at the Web 2.0 Summit. Two days after that unexpected reveal, Namco Bandai is officially putting that February 22 date on its own launch games: Ridge Racer, Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen, and the new Katamari game, which has been given the amusing title of Touch My Katamari for its western release. Of course, all Vita games will be sold digitally, saving you from the nightmare of asking a retail clerk for Touch My Katamari. Namco announced these dates for North America, and Sony has confirmed they're accurate for Europe as well.%Gallery-137143%
More Vita games priced in Japan, cheaper on PSN than retail
Famitsu revealed the Japanese launch price for the PlayStation Vita's Uncharted: Golden Abyss, offering evidence that Vita games in general will follow the same pricing structure seen with Army Corps of Hell (and with the PSP), in which PSN versions are a bit cheaper than retail. The card version will sell for ¥5,980 ($78), with the downloadable version at ¥4,900 ($64). Namco Bandai will temporarily widen the gap between PSN and retail prices with promotional discounts on the downloadable versions of Ridge Racer and Katamari Damacy no Vita. Katamari is priced at ¥4,980 ($65) in stores and ¥4,480 ($58) on PSN, but will be ¥3,980 ($52) on PSN through March 31. Ridge Racer will be ¥2,980 ($39) on PSN for the same time period, going up to its normal PSN price of ¥3,580 ($47) afterward; retail is set for ¥3,980 ($52).
Ridge Racer Vita gets insane teaser trailer, fairly tame screens
YOU WILL GET A NEW "MACHINE," the teaser trailer for the obligatory PS Vita version of Ridge Racer promises. We have ... just, literally no idea what that means. The screenshots posted below, however, are a lot more clear-spoken.
Of course there's a Ridge Racer game for PlayStation Vita
Namco Bandai didn't have much to show at Sony's post-keynote gathering of playable games, but an interactive "trailer" running on the PlayStation Vita was expressly designed to show the publisher's commitment to the handheld. As always, Namco's courtship of new hardware begins with Ridge Racer. There's not much game to speak of at the moment, as the nondescript trailer consisted of little more than a camera swooping over an extravagant 3D car. Swiping across the screen, poking the rear touchpad and tapping the shoulder buttons introduced some visual effects and altered the soundtrack, but this served no real purpose other than to impart assurance that Namco knows exactly what the PSV can do. A Namco representative wouldn't commit to a Vita launch debut for the game, but readily acknowledged Ridge Racer's day-one traditions. After all, a new platform just doesn't seem real until Namco plays its part.
