A game that can be fun, but is still way too arcade style based and poorly represents next-gen game play and graphics...
Bad: Game play and graphics are lacking, especially for next-gen; the game still leans too much to arcade; main interface is very confusing, especially the first time through; drift based game play gets old; race tracks are poorly designed are are mediocre looking.
Ridge Racer 7 is the first racing game for the Ps3. Unfortunately its not a very good first impression for next-generation racing. As you may know, Ridge Racer travels all the way back from the arcade days. It was a hit then, but is a dying series. The game just seems to try too hard to cling on to whats left of the classic game play that is quickly gaining age. All you do is drift all around some poorly designed maps, which is a fun, classic method of scaling the large tracks, but doesn't feel as fresh and as exciting as it used to. Theres not one racing game that doesn't have one insane feature. Burnout has bad ass car wreckage, Motorstorm has intense desert car races, F1 has beautifully sounding and looking race cars that handle extremely well, and Ridge Racer has worn-out drift frenzy game play. Another sad thing is that all the cars are imaginary. They are also bland rip-offs of real cars, they look unrealistic and too space age. You can really tell they haven't let go of the past when you hear the Japanese girl yelling phrases as you play. They cant seem to get up to future times and drop the whole arcade theme. While it may be a classic theme, its also a weak theme to base a game around. When its next-gen the last thing people want to play on their 600 dollar machine is a game that is wandering in the past and holds many arcade features. The environment is noticeably bland and unattractive. The vehicles are also pretty dim looking, no real great aspect of the graphics are present.
The sound... Where can I start? Its just repetitive techno that loops around and around just like the classic. It gets real old and annoying, you'll find your self shutting it off after around 3 minutes. A huge let down is that the cars don't sound very good. The engines hum at a low, unattractive volume that makes you feel like your driving a van, rather than a race car. There are no real good points of the sound that redeems its other downfalls and constantly feels mediocre.
Overall, Ridge Racer 7 is a game that should only be considered checking out if you are a long fan of the series or someone who is desperately craving a racing game and cant wait a lousy week for Motorstorm. Its definitely worth your money if your one of those two mentioned above, with all the game play options its well worth the small price, let alone the fact that online will add some game play hours. If your just a casual gamer, this is a waste of time, it may have many features, but that wont mean it will keep your attention for the entire length of it.