Despite some frustrating control issues, Ridge Racer Unbounded is a surprisingly fresh Ridge Racer experience.
Ridge Racer Unbounded doesn't follow the template of past Ridge Racer games. Instead of smooth drifting being the star attraction, Ridge Racer Unbounded takes its trappings from intense destructive elements and aggressive driving, a la Burnout and Need for Speed. Typical races allow a number of cars to compete for 1st place, but not without plenty of utilizable environments to take out rivals. The tracks normally offer destructible "targets" which when driven through with enough nitrous boost, can offer shortcuts and more nitrous to spend on bursts of speed. Nitrous can also be earned by boosting into enemies (dubbed "fragging"), destroying lighter environmental elements like pillars or parked traffic, or through the atypical Ridge Racer drifting. This all comes together to make a remarkably refined racing setup, one that doesn't feel forced or out of place in the Ridge Racer franchise. These new gameplay mechanics offer a frantic and aggressive vibe for Ridge Racer. Unbounded takes some risks in competing with its arcade racing peers, but the end result is an exciting change of pace for the venerable series and even sets some examples that its fellow arcade racers could take a hint from.
However, Ridge Racer stumbles when it comes to nailing the controls. Though its arcade roots show that it specializes in the drift mechanic, Unbounded takes some serious practice to nail the drift controls. Different cars have different handling stats, but finding that perfect drift control setup never seems to stick. There demands a very gentle mix of braking, hand-braking, and accelerating when coming along a curve, but it never feels intuitive in the way that Burnout or Need for Speed does. Even Mario Kart's drift mechanics are more fluid than those seen in Ridge Racer Unbounded. This critical flaw is made even more discouraging during the Drift events, which are some of the most unintuitive sequences in the entire game. The lack of a significant tutorial in terms of nailing drift mechanics is also a harsh blow to an otherwise exciting racing game. It has been proven in the past that Ridge Racer has capitalized on fluid drifting and slick controls, but the destructive diversions of Unbounded have overshadowed some dangerously simple equations for the franchise. Prepare for a ton of retry commands before making it to first place.
Ridge Racer Unbounded does hold a surprisingly high amount of content under its hood. Aside from the typical race stages, there are stages that focus on rushing to the finish line under a time limit, along with stages that focus entirely on how many cars you can frag. The stage design is good and is bound to satisfy your destructive urges, but feels unoriginal. We've all seen the time attacks, the destruction stages and the typical "race to the finish" challenges, but Ridge Racer Unbounded holds a "me too" attitude, one that takes plenty of liberties from its peers, but doesn't expand upon them. The targets during races can introduce shortcuts, however, so there is a bit of strategy when deciding to use that nitrous at the right time. But if you can overcome these issues, Ridge Racer Unbounded holds a strong and intricate multiplayer competition and content sharing emphasis. It even allows for editing tracks for showing off online. While the control problems and unoriginal game types may discourage some, the content will keep racing fans on board, especially with the adrenaline-pumped destructive elements taking center stage.
Ridge Racer's premium graphic style has always been a shining star for console racers, offering smooth animations and slick race design and Unbounded is no exception. The immense sense of speed may not reach the levels of some of its peers, but there is an undeniable rush when tearing around a turn or taking an airborne leap. The lighting is pristine and the cars look fantastic when shimmering in the twilight. The destructive crashes and frags are also presented extremely well, with crushed car designs running riot among the pandemonium and shortcut-laden buildings bursting with shrapnel and debris. The soundtrack is a mix of techno, house, and dubstep, featuring the likes of The Crystal Method, Noisia, and Skrillex to name a few. For better or for worse, the soundtrack is a consistent collection of adrenaline-pumping bleeps and bloops. While some may yearn for a slightly larger, more diverse soundtrack, Ridge Racer Unbounded still keeps the moves going with gusto.
Ridge Racer Unbounded takes plenty of liberties from other, much more ambitious racing series, but it's taken the right liberties. The slick graphic design and intense amount of destructibility in the different tracks are fantastically presented, delivering a great amount of adrenaline-pumped action for racing fans. While Unbounded has the style, though, the control issues are all the more disappointing. Drifting never feels intuitive; it takes an annoyingly high amount of practice and skill refinement to nail that perfect turn. The lack of anything particularly new for the series is also a big issue, keeping Ridge Racer Unbounded from triumphing over its many, many peers. If you can overcome these problems, however, Ridge Racer Unbounded is a remarkably intense installment in this otherwise straightforward racing franchise. Namco Bandai and Bugbear have definitely given Ridge Racer an overhaul when it comes to what racing's about, and though it's not perfect, there's still a solid amount of fun on board. Turn up the dubstep and enjoy this pleasant racing surprise.