Rave Racer
| Rave Racer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Namco |
| Publisher(s) | Namco |
| Composer(s) |
Shinji Hosoe Ayako Saso Nobuyoshi Sano Takayuki Aihara |
| Series | Ridge Racer |
| Platform(s) | Arcade |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Cabinet | Upright (single-monitor), Sitdown (single-monitor and multi-monitor), Ridge Racer upgrade kit |
| Arcade system | Namco System 22 |
| CPU |
1x Motorola 68020 @ 24.576 MHz, 2x Texas Instruments TMS32025 @ 49.152 MHz |
| Sound | 1x C352 @ 16.384 MHz |
| Display | Raster, 640 x 480 resolution, 32768 palette colors |
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 added three new tracks to the original one, twelve new songs to the original five, force feedback steering and improved car and racetrack graphics.[5] The way the tracks were designed also allowed multiple routes to be chosen around the courses, but some of them took more time than others to complete a full lap of the track.
Its graphics were highly advanced for its time. It was the first game to feature high resolution 3D texture mapping, a feature which was not boasted by consoles until the Dreamcast over three years later. Rave Racer ran at a high 640x480 resolution and full 60 frames per second.
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.
There was never a home release. The game's two exclusive tracks were later included in the Ridge Racer PSP game in 2004, including some of its soundtrack in either original or remixed form.[7]
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]
References
- ↑ The Arcade Flyer Archive: Rave Racer (Namco)
- ↑ The Arcade Flyer Archive: Rave Racer (Namco)
- ↑ "Arcade Race Restarts". Next Generation. Imagine Media (10): 20. October 1995.
- ↑ Rave Racer Twin Upgrade Kit Manual. Namco. p. 4.
- ↑ "Rave Racer". The International Arcade Museum. Retrieved 2012-12-25.
- ↑ "Rave Racer Youtube Video". Retrieved 2013-09-05.
- ↑ http://www.giantbomb.com/rave-racer/3030-23244/z
- ↑ "Rave Racer". Next Generation. Imagine Media (10): 130. October 1995.