Ridge Racer 3D

The lack of any online features is a crying shame, but for 3D racing it's fantastic. [Apr 2011, p.86]

Gorgeous, detailed, super-fast and loveably mad. [Apr 2011, p.58]

a great launch game that offers fun gameplay and an awesome use of 3D.

It doesn't add anything new to Ridge Racer's well-worn formula, nor does it do anything particularly daring with it, but the 3D overhaul combined with a surplus of content are enough to blow away the dust that's settled on the series over the years.

It would be a terrible tragedy to forget to mention the game's soundtrack. While I usually am not a fan of techno, I must admit that the wide selection of tracks included in Ridge Racer 3D is a surprisingly dynamic collection of well produced tunes that fit the game's sensibilities quite well.

When all is said and done, Ridge Racer 3D is a good game to pick up with your launch system. It's fun to play, surprisingly enduring, and it shows off the system well.

Arcade-racing fans should take a look at Ridge Racer 3D. The game is funny, challenging and a real arcade-racing game with the good old Ridge Racer features & sounds.

Minor issues aside, Ridge Racer 3DS proves to be a solid arcade racer with plenty of content to justify the price tag.

RR3D is the most convincing handheld iteration of the series to date, and an encouraging illustration of how 3DS's flagship feature can be more than a pretty visual twist. [May 2011, p.104]

One of the better launch titles for the 3DS, Ridge Racer 3D delivers a boatload of content, solid arcade gameplay and great 3D effects.

Despite its shortcomings, Ridge Racer 3D is one of the Nintendo 3DS system's meatiest launch titles, and by far the series's best showing on a Nintendo platform. [April 2011, p.78]

With no online multiplayer and poor graphics, Ridge Racer 3D is a game with close to no ambition, but one that entertains with an ideal gameplay, many hours of content and a nice use of the 3D effect. Definitely one of the best games the 3DS launch has to offer.

Even though one could argue that Namco played the recycling card for most of the content of this new Ridge Racer and probably didn't push the hardware that much in terms of visuals, the game remains fun to play and true to its promise. With its 100% arcade gameplay, a steady and fast frame rate, and the 3D effect that really pushes the immersion further, and a lot of content, those who like the series can't miss this iteration, even though it remains a little repetitive in the long run.

When it comes down to it, Ridge Racer 3D is a familiar comfort that new 3DS owners can turn to if they want a safe launch game that they're likely to enjoy.

Ridge Racer hasn't changed much over the last few years, but if you're not looking for the next evolution in racing, its arcade drifting will keep you coming back for more.

While some features make Ridge Racer 3D feel like it was produced on auto-pilot, they don't stop the game from being one of the marquee titles of the 3DS' launch-up. Its refined use of the 3D effect makes it worth showcasing to friends who have been on the fence in purchasing the handheld. And it has more than enough content to satisfy the Ridge Racer devout, even it will take a while to feel truly tested against the A.I.

The absence of online multiplayer knocks Ridge Racer 3D down a peg, a ton of recycled content overshadows the new stuff and occasionally, the action slows down when too much happens on screen. Those nitpicky complaints aside, this is one of the best games the young 3DS has to offer.

If you want a full Ridge Racer experience that makes one of the best uses of 3D so far and just so happens to fit in your pocket, then Ridge Racer 3D is a launch game that deserves your attention and immediate purchase.

At launch, in the here and now, it's a satisfying celebration of Ridge Racer's breezy ubiquity at getting the best out of shiny, new hardware.

Nicely executed over-the-top racing equals one of the best release titles for the 3DS.

Ridge Racer 3D is easily one of the safest options when choosing your first few Nintendo 3DS titles.

No launch game benefits more from the 3DS's stereoscopic 3D than this almost illicitly addictive return to Ridge City.

An excellent arcade racing experience that has literally hundreds of races while giving gamers the wondrous new experience of 3D gaming.

Once you penetrate beyond the first few hours of torpid "Basic" races and start earning the praise continually heaped on you regardless by the game's obsequious announcer lady, this is a Ridge Racer experience that could be unlike any other. It has the pace, it has a solid structure and it has a new edge thanks to that magic 3D slider.

It's basically a fan service, where you'll find the traditional gameplay of the series. The 3D effect works very well, so if you love the brand, this might be your deal. Some new content, cars and tracks could've made it way better, and not just an average porting.

Ridge Racer 3D is a fast and relaxed arcade racer, but the cars and tracks are much prettier on big consoles. [May 2011]

Heck, even I was able to place bets on my single-player experience would heighten the competitiveness of even the most mundane courses and then I might even forgive all those darn menus I have to wade through to get to the racing.

A fun game that feels good to control, looks impressive and delivers some classic arcade racing that's perfect for quick bursts of portable play.

It's lacking in a few areas but it all comes down to gameplay, where Ridge Racer shines. [May 2011, p.69]

A Jekyll and Hyde of a game.

The racing is solid, to be sure, but for a game that puts so much stock in its three-dimensional presentation, it's a surprisingly flat experience.

Ridge Racer 3D is nice to play, and contains a lot of content. Unfortunately the game isn't really perfect. But the 3D looks good!

The reason to put 'Ridge Racer 3D' into the "win" category is the implementation of the 3D. The 3D works and better, it enriching the gameplay.

Ridge Racer 3DS is a perfectly competent racer, it's just one that doesn't do anything new. If you prefer an old-school arcade racing experience (like Daytona 500 or Sega Rally) over more realistic alternatives (Forza, GT), then this should satisfy early 3DS adopters.

It's a full Ridge Racer experience for 3DS. It's not perfect, but it's Ridge Racer.

There's fun to be had with Ridge Racer 3D, and it's a decent showcase of what the 3DS can do. There's room for improvement but there's nothing fundamentally wrong with it. We'd definitely recommend it to fans of the series and newcomers alike.

Nothing new to the series but it's still a lot of fun to drift through the corners with great control.

Ridge Racer 3D borrows from the best entries in the series and adds some decent visual depth, a perfectly reasonable racing game... while it lasts.

Ridge Racer turns out to be a good game, but hardly more than that. It's what we expect from a game in the series. Features are few, if any, and some of its attributes have already been shown up in other games more effectively.

It's Ridge Racer racing as usual with a couple of improvements. The lack of online play and Download Play game sharing is disappointing, but the steroscopic 3D is impressive. Perhaps not the strongest 3DS launch title, but well worth your while if you're after arcade racing.

Ridge Racer 3D does not bring anything new to the genre, except 3D. It does, however, follow a well-tested recipe; and it succeeds in doing so. All in all, this is a good racing game, and the added three-dimensional effect literally brings a new dimension to handheld racing.

Though there's a lot of recycled content in Ridge Racer 3D, its drift-based driving is as addictive and fun as ever.

A good arcade driving game, although it reuses too much content from prior entries in the Ridge Racer series, lacks online multiplayer and has dissapointing graphics.

Ridge Racer 3D brings new "depth" to a lot of old-school elements of this series and represents another solid and entertaining entry in the series.

Ridge Racer is all about a couple of things: fast cars, pretty environments and especially well timed powerslides. This First trip to the 3DS doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it doesn't try to, which is why it turned out great for the fans of the series. Those fans won't be bothered by the lack of racetracks. Hopefully that'll be rectified in a sequel, just like a much needed online-mode.

Although it doesn't offer many new features in the series, those who have been fans of Ridge Racer will find a good experience in this 3DS launch title.

I'd rather play this than any other game currently available for the system, but that doesn't forgive the many signs that Namco rather rushed this out of the door.

Ridge Racer 3D plays it safe by offering the same irresistible power-sliding gameplay we've come to know and love over the past few years, but the impressive 3D effect can't compensate entirely for the crude visuals and lack of online play.

Namco Bandai has played it very safe with its 3DS debut, picking an established series and creating a game which feels like a celebration of previous efforts rather than an entirely new chapter.

The omission of online features is a shame, however, as the system is made for communications with others. Still, if you're in for a solid racer this launch-season, Ridge Racer 3D is worth the price of admission.

Ridge Racer has enough content to keep you busy, but despite the visual depth, the gameplay is too shallow to hold your attention for long.

I love this franchise, and playing it in 3D was enough to keep me entertained for hours. I just wish a new Ridge Racer game was more of an event like it used to be.

Ridge Racer 3D doesn't offer anything new. It's the same race and drift experience, with a nice support from graphics and 3D. Only for those in dire need of an arcade racing.

But as a full game in its own right, Ridge Racer 3D feels like a cold shell that is part of a larger, ageing franchise.

But if you expect forward movement and new ideas from sequels, it's hard not to look at Ridge Racer 3D as a stubborn relic from a bygone era.

Ridge Racer 3D offers a fundamentally solid, entertaining arcade driving experience. Its 3D effect is well done and benefits the player, but it does little to mask the simple core and bare bones presentation.

This isn't necessarily a bad game and there is a decent amount of old fashioned fun dressed up with new technology available in it. It is an oddly out-of-step game even among the lackluster 3DS launch lineup, if only because it doesn't look or feel current and could almost be accused of being a lazy, rushed port of any of the previous Ridge Racer titles.