Eleven years ago a small racing game was released for the original PlayStation. Now after various sequels on most home consoles since then, Ridge Racer has been released to both of the next generation of portable consoles. The game was first released on the DS as essentially a remake of the N64 version of the same game, with a few extras thrown in. Fortunately, it didn't begin a trend of just re-releasing N64 games for the DS with a couple of added features.

In Ridge Racer there are three modes to play: Quick Race, Single Player and Multiplayer. Quick Race is very simply a two lap race in a pre-chosen car. It is basically for anyone that has a couple of minutes to spare and can't be bothered with choosing a course and a car. Quick Race does seem to be quite pointless and takes up space that could have been used for a tutorial, as it only takes about 30 seconds to start up a race, making this option seem rather unnecessary. In Single Player there are three separate modes: Grand Prix, Car Attack and Time Attack. Grand Prix is obviously the main part of the game, where you try to win races to open up new tracks. In Car Attack you can unlock more cars just by beating them in a race, and in Time Attack you try to get the fastest lap times possible. The mode that is going to keep you coming back is Multiplayer. In Multiplayer you can race against up to five other opponents using only one cart in a single race to see who is the best driver. Although it may not match Mario Kart in terms of multiplayer, it still is good fun with a few friends.

When you first start up the game there is a short introductory video that you can watch. From this you can already tell that the graphics aren't going to be awful. In the actual races the graphics aren't bad. The cars do look quite blocky and could do with a great deal of improvement, but they are adequate for the DS. But there is a great deal of variation in the different car models. However, the scenery isn't nearly as good. From a distance the backgrounds in the game look quite nice, but once you get close enough to them they begin to look awful. Luckily you won't be admiring the view in this game, as for the first while at least, you will be too busy crashing into the sides.

Unfortunately for first timers to Ridge Racer, it will take them a long time to get used to the game and using the drifting techniques. The developer did not think about putting a tutorial into the game for new racers to get the hang of drifting and the various control techniques. This means that if you haven't played a Ridge Racer game before, expect a lot of your early races to involve a lot of crashing into the sides as you slowly master the brake and accelerate drifting. Those without the patience may give up on the game then because of the incredibly annoying sound it makes as you crash into the edges or a car in front of you as well as the difficulty of the controls, but they are missing out on one of the better DS racers so far. There are three control methods that supposedly have different difficulty settings. The first method is using the D-pad which obviously is the easiest to control and use. The control method that is labeled medium difficulty is anything but. Using the stylus you need to move the large wheel that fills most of the bottom screen to control what direction the car moves. This can get very difficult as it is easy to just make a small slip on the screen and end up with your car bashing into the wall. I recommend that you avoid this control method completely unless you like losing races. The final control method is using the thumb strap that comes bundled with the DS to move the driving wheel on the bottom screen to control the car. Even though it is labeled as difficult, with a little practice you should be able to control the car excellently using this method. Although it does take some practice, it is nice to see the developers have included a control method unique to the DS that is equally as good as the D-pad.

When you start racing there is a variety of tunes that you can choose from to listen to in the race. My personal favorite is Mushroom Kingdom, which you can unlock after beating the DK Racing Team in Car Attack. However, while the music does sound good on the DS's stereo speakers, it does become irritating very quickly due to its very repetitive nature. You will find that by the end of your two or three laps of racing you're almost happy it's over because of the music. Luckily in the game there is the option to turn off the music, or just play a different track at the beginning of the next race. The most annoying aspect of the sound in the game is the actual sound effects. Every time you crash you will hear a very annoying crashing noise, you will also hear this same noise when you crash into a car in front of you. At the start of the game as you are getting used to the controls, you will hear these sounds far too often, and it begins to get very annoying, along with the music. In the game there is one redeeming feature, the voice over. Although some people may find it quite silly when they hear a man shouting, "final lap", as they cross the finish line for the penultimate time, it is quite funny in its own way. At times his over-enthusiasm makes it seem as though he is enjoying the race a whole lot more than you are.

The game doesn't have a very long lifespan. Once you've completed the Grand Prix mode and unlocked all the cars in Car Attack there is very little in Ridge Racer DS that will keep you coming back to it again and again. And the Grand Prix mode itself could be completed in under a week by a veteran of the series. While you may want the occasional multiplayer race, there isn't enough in the multiplayer of the game that will keep you coming back again and again. In Time Attack the lap times aren't saved, so that if you turn off your DS and turn it back on again all your times have just disappeared, meaning that there is very little replay value in this mode.

While Ridge Racer is not the best racing game the DS has to offer, that doesn't mean that it is a bad game. And even though the control technique may take newcomers a while to get used to, once they have they'll be drifting perfectly past opponents. Considering that this was one of the first games to be released on the DS, the graphics outperform some of the more recent offerings. The thumb strap control method will offer something new to experienced racers while not overdoing the amount of innovation in the game. Ridge Racer DS is an enjoyable game, but if you want an excellent and fun racing game I suggest you look at other titles like Mario Kart DS first, which also can be played online via Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connection.

Gameplay - 8.0 - May take newcomers a while to get used to the drifting technique, but it becomes a whole lot easier after that is mastered.
Graphics - 7.0 - Although the car models look nice, the scenery looks awful up close. It isn't very noticeable most of the time.
Sound - 5.0 - There is no way that you will be able to bear more than 2 races listening to the same track in this game.
Lifespan - 7.0 - While multiplayer may keep you playing for a while; there is little else in this game to extend its life past the Grand Prix.
Tilt - 8.0 - The races are fun, especially considering the thrill of traveling at around 200 miles per hour.
Ridge Racer DS is a solid title although it could do with more extras to increase its life, as well as a bit of a touch-up both audibly and visually.