Namco refuses to let the old-fashioned arcade racer waste away.
The events are divided by vehicle type, and you’ll have to compete with specific cars to gain entry. Cars, or “machines” in this case, are pretty basic, but they each have their own drift difficulty and power ratings.
Events are variable in World Xplorer, but you’ll have to unlock them via successful finishes. Along with ten driver, three lap events, you may be asked to go one-on-one with a skilled racer, mix it up with an without nitrous support, or beat four other cars in a mini-event. These events can be pre-selected in the useful World Xplorer navigation system which gives users the ability to create a custom route.
It’s possible to get some seat time and practice against the computer in Single Race mode. You’ll have the option of tracks, time limit, and vehicle. A split-screen mode known as Multi Battle is also free form arcade racing at its best, with user-configurable options. The Global Time Attack mode is a Live-based race against the clock. You’ll have three laps to acquire a best time, which will then be uploaded to Xbox Live. Ghost data is also available for download which may help convince you that your drift style is the suck and that you need to follow those that know a bit more. The Online Battle mode may also prove that you aren’t as good as you think you are at Ridge Racer. This globally-active racing comes at you either as a ranked affair or just a friendly get together. Handicaps, course type, car class, laps, and nitrous availability can all be tweaked for up to 14 player online contests. You can also bar gamers without the desired qualifications from your matches, or reserve spots for friends only. If you truly don’t have the driving skills to pay the bills online, you can simply watch how the pros do it. Let’s look at the complete controls (which can be custom configured) for Ridge Racer 6:
Left thumbstick – steering
Left trigger – double nitrous, triple nitrous
Right trigger – nitrous
Left bumper – downshift
Right bumper - upshift
A button - accelerate
Y button – change view
B button – look behind
X button – brake
Ridge Racer 6 is still the arcade classic you loved as a kid.