Namco's 2000 launch title stripped the series back to one fictional city, a new mascot and drift racing built for speed.
Ridge Racer V is a 2000 racing game from Namco for the PlayStation 2, released as a launch title on 4 March 2000. It was the fifth main Ridge Racer game and the only main entry on that console. It set its racing in the fictional Ridge City and introduced the mascot Ai Fukami.
Ridge Racer V dropped the story mode of its predecessor and returned to a simple racing format built around one city. It arrived as a PlayStation 2 launch title, later spawned an arcade version and brought outside musicians into its soundtrack. Critics were divided at the time, but later reviewers ranked it among the great arcade racers.
Why did the game return to a single city?
Namco went back to the basics of the original Ridge Racer, Ridge Racer 2 and Rave Racer. The single-city setting was chosen early in development, because the team wanted players to feel they were buying into the city itself. The design leaned on the city rather than on a story, which kept the focus on racing.
Ridge City was built from road tunnels, overpasses, monorail crossings, intersections and sea views beyond the buildings. Dusk, a setting sun, reflecting night lights and forested districts all contributed to the atmosphere. Aircraft and seagull sounds were added to give the city a human-scale feel.
The starting camera drew its inspiration from the 1959 film Jazz on a Summer's Day, which also pointed the way toward the fictional Ridge City FM station. The city's engine sounds were recorded on a real circuit, including some of the staff's own cars.
Fourteen courses, 14 rivals and a drift-first design made Ridge Racer V a benchmark launch title for the PlayStation 2.
How did the racing work?
Racing was built on accessible drift handling, where a tap of the brake sets up a powerslide through most corners. The fourteen courses in Ridge City could be shown with visual filters, and the Grand Prix pitted the player against 14 rivals over three laps on each track.
The Grand Prix ran as a series of structured championships, and finishing one unlocked new cars. Time Attack, free runs on unlocked courses and split-screen racing for two players rounded out the modes.
The 99 Trial asked players to complete ninety-nine laps on the Sunny Beach course, a long endurance race that tested stamina as much as speed. Winning special races unlocked duel-class cars for other modes.
Duel mode offered duel-class cars won by defeating four bosses. Once all four were beaten, Battle Royale unlocked, letting players pick any duel-class car and take on the bosses in a boss rush race.
A special race featured Pac-Man in a roadster and the ghosts on scooters, and winning it unlocked more duel-class cars. Ridge City also had a fictitious radio station that supplied music and commentary during play.
How did players set up their races?
Races could be run at different times of day on most courses outside the Grand Prix, and visual filters changed how each course looked. Two players could also race against each other in split-screen mode. Those options let players vary the feel of the single city without changing the courses themselves.
Who was Ai Fukami and what did the opening movie do?
Ai Fukami replaced Reiko Nagase as the series' race queen mascot. The opening intro movie featuring her was generated in real time, a change from the pre-rendered footage of earlier titles, and it was designed to have a wild, edgy tone. Her development happened alongside that movie, which is why the two are closely linked.
Ridge City FM broadcast from 76.5 MHz, with music and commentary voiced by Ken Ayugai in English. The station gave the city a broadcast identity that players heard throughout their races.
How were the courses and manufacturers named?
Sunny Beach and Green Field were the new names for Seaside Route 765 and Ridge City Highway from the first Ridge Racer. Five new fictional manufacturers appeared in the game: Kamata, Danver, Rivelta, Himmel and Soldat. The renamed courses kept the spirit of the original city while giving the sequel its own identity.
How was the game made?
The game was conceived in 1999 with the aim of launching alongside Sony's next system. Core development started around May 1999, and because the PlayStation 2 release date was uncertain, the schedule changed several times. Names such as Ridge Racer 2000 and R5 were proposed before the title settled.
It became the first home series entry to run at 60 frames per second. The lead programmer wished the team could use anti-aliasing, but constraints prevented it, and Sony's development tools were unfinished while the game was in production.
Namco revealed the game at the Tokyo Game Show in September 1999 without making it playable. It said the game would arrive between mid and late 2000, but a month later it confirmed a launch on 4 March 2000 for PlayStation 2.
By the end of development 55 people had worked on the game, and the team faced constant bugs and high pressure to finish on time. The project leader later said he was satisfied with the result, given how long it had taken.
What did the soundtrack bring to the series?
Kohta Takahashi served as sound director and lead composer. Among the outside contributors were the duo Boom Boom Satellites, the musician Takeshi Ueda from The Mad Capsule Markets and the DJ Mijk van Dijk. Namco composers covered the rest, and the soundtrack spans trance, death metal and breakbeat.
Fogbound by Boom Boom Satellites is the intro track, while On the Painted Desert plays during the ending. The official CD came out in March 2000 in Japan and was released in Europe by Epic Records.
What was the arcade version like?
Arcade Battle was the first game on Namco's PlayStation 2 based System 246 arcade platform, announced in September 2000. It removed Duel, Free Run and Pac-Man GP, and it was the last Ridge Racer arcade game until Pachislot Ridge Racer seven years later.
Game Machine listed the arcade version as the second most successful dedicated arcade game in its 1 February 2001 issue, a sign that the cabinet had found an audience.
How did critics and players receive the game?
The PlayStation 2 version received generally favourable reviews on Metacritic. It was the best-selling PlayStation 2 game in Japan during its first year, with 611,507 copies sold, and the 10th best-selling video game of 2000 on all platforms. Sales in Japan were the headline result for the launch.
IGN's David Zdyrko admired the return to a basic feeling of control and named the game one of the most visually impressive racers, though he noted aliasing and flickering. NextGen was less impressed and argued there was not much substance beneath the flashy visuals.
Famitsu awarded a total of 36 out of 40. Edge used Ridge Racer V and Tekken Tag Tournament as examples of derivative launch games in a 2002 article about the PlayStation 2.
Kotaku Australia named it the best game in the series in 2023, calling it possibly the greatest pure arcade racer ever made.
What awards did the game receive?
The PlayStation 2 version was a runner-up for Racing Game of 2000 in both the Editors' Choice and Readers' Choice categories at IGN's Best of 2000 Awards, which went to Midnight Club: Street Racing. The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences also nominated the game for Console Racing at its 4th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards.
What was the Reiko Nagase controversy?
Reiko Nagase had been the series mascot and had many devoted fans, so her replacement by Ai Fukami caused strong reactions. One Australian poll reported that 90 percent of PlayStation owners preferred Reiko, and IGN readers strongly agreed she was the true Ridge Racer icon.
Reiko returned in Ridge Racer 6 and later in the PSP game, and 1UP.com's James Mielke wrote in 2006 that she was almost as popular as the games she appeared in.
Australian Station reported that fans were up in arms about the change, and New Zealand Station described uproar among Ridge Racer fans around the world. Hyper went as far as calling for Reiko's return outright.
What came after Ridge Racer V?
Ridge Racer V was the final main entry before the series adopted nitrous boosts. Its successor, Ridge Racer 6, arrived in 2005 for Xbox 360, carrying the arcade feel to a new platform. Reiko Nagase returned in later titles, reversing the change that had caused such a stir.
Ridge Racer V was also the highlight of the PlayStation 2's original March 2000 launch, a showcase title that many players associated with the console's first year.
