Ridge Racer Unbounded

Ridge Racer Unbounded
Official North American box art
Developer(s)	Bugbear Entertainment
Publisher(s)	Namco Bandai Games
Series	Ridge Racer
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows PlayStation 3 Xbox 360
Release date(s)	JP TBA NA March 27, 2012[1] EU March 30, 2012 AUS March 29, 2012
Genre(s)	Racing
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Ridge Racer Unbounded (リッジレーサー アンバウンデッド, Rijji Rẽsā Anbaundeddo) is a racing video game for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Part of the long-running Ridge Racer franchise, the game is published by Namco Bandai Games and developed by Bugbear Entertainment. Unbounded is the first game in the series (not including R: Racing Evolution) to receive a "Teen" rating by the ESRB. It is also the first game in the series (not including Rave Racer, whose Windows version was cancelled) to feature a Microsoft Windows version. A free-to-play version called Ridge Racer Driftopia was announced on April 12, 2013.^[2][3] A beta version was released for Windows and PlayStation 3 on August 2013.^[4][5]

Development

Ridge Racer Unbounded will offer a number of changes from the traditional Ridge Racer game. Announced additions to the game include the ability to design and share tracks and a new emphasis on crashing into opponents or through the environment to find shortcuts.

While Ridge Racer Unbounded was originally scheduled for release in North America and Europe in early March 2012,^[6] Namco announced a delay just before the planned release, stating that they wanted to allow more time "to pack the disc with features that will truly make the game sing."^[1] The game was released on March 27, 2012 in North America and March 30, 2012 in Europe on all platforms. However, the Japanese release is so far unconfirmed. Despite not being released in Japan, the game borrows inspiration from Critical Velocity (クリティカルベロシティ, Kuritikaruberoshiti), a Japan-exclusive game released in 2005 and has not released overseas.

Plot

Set in a fictional city called Shatter Bay, racers gather to compete in no rules all out street races. Competing for money and superiority in fast paced blasts through the streets dodging traffic and tearing through any obstacles that get in their way. A mysterious team led by a Japanese Hashiriya master, called "The Unbounded", appears playing a major role in the racing activity throughout Shatter Bay.

Reception

Ridge Racer Unbounded received mixed to positive reviews, where Edge Magazine gave it a 9/10, calling it "one of the most subversive, sublime street-racing games ever made",^[7] while others criticized the car physics, track design and gameplay balancing. The included track editor was generally well-received, with the Official Xbox Magazine UK saying "The problem is that such a brilliant editor just makes you wish it resided in a better racing game".^[8] The PC version currently has a Metacritic rating of 72/100^[9] while the PS3 version has 75/100^[10] and the Xbox 360 version 70/100.^[11]

References

External links

• Official website