Ridge Racer Unbounded

 PC
User Score
5.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 94 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 94
  2. Mixed: 27 out of 94
  3. Negative: 31 out of 94

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  1. Turbobutts
    Apr 15, 2012
    2
    Imagine the silly explosions of Michael Bay movies mixed with the terrible lens flare and bloom visual effects of J.J. Abrams movies slapped on top of a really bad Burnout ripoff. This is what Ridge Racer Unbounded feels like. On the plus side it seems to be well optimized, and keyboard controls seem to work just "fine". At least I assume it wouldn't get any better with a game pad. AndImagine the silly explosions of Michael Bay movies mixed with the terrible lens flare and bloom visual effects of J.J. Abrams movies slapped on top of a really bad Burnout ripoff. This is what Ridge Racer Unbounded feels like. On the plus side it seems to be well optimized, and keyboard controls seem to work just "fine". At least I assume it wouldn't get any better with a game pad. And that's where the downsides begin. The cars all control like bricks, when you try to go around corners without drifting you go straight into a wall, when you try to go around corners drifting you go sidewalls into a wall, the "smash through things, big explosions" features do almost nothing about the actual race progression, and the races are either super frustrating (when you get stuck on a wall you thought you could smash though because there's no visual distinction between destructible objects and indestructible ones) or easy as cake (when you manage to take the corners in some way and you run kilometres in front of the competition) to the point where the last races in the game feel exactly like the first ones (including the difficulty level), only in a different district. The relative shortness doesn't help either, and the track editor is so unimaginative that you start assuming that the actual game race tracks were built in it. The icing on this bitter cake is a soundtrack that consists mostly of repetitive techno. If you want to see a game that does pretty much every single thing much better go and get Burnout Paradise.

    P.S.: As I long time Destruction Derby and FlatOut fan I can assure that it's absolutely NOTHING like these games (pretending that FlatOut Ultimate Carnage doesn't exist because it was almost as awful as this game).    … Expand
  2. Darkin20
    Aug 2, 2013
    4
    I just can't like this game. The graphics are good, the idea is interesting, the explosive objects are fun, the building destruction is enjoyable but the controls are horrible, and the way the implement everything is horrible.

    You need to destroy things or tailgate to boost your nitro which you can only use when it is full. But if there is nothing to destroy, no one near you and no big    I just can't like this game. The graphics are good, the idea is interesting, the explosive objects are fun, the building destruction is enjoyable but the controls are horrible, and the way the implement everything is horrible.

    You need to destroy things or tailgate to boost your nitro which you can only use when it is full. But if there is nothing to destroy, no one near you and no big turns to drift, you have nothing you can do.

    And then there is the frag detection on you and the other guys. It seems to just decide randomly it seems. I can be going full speed into something that would get destroyed if my nitro was on but a millisecond after it runs out and I crash into it instead of drive through? How is this fair? It should be based on speed not if my nitro is still running. Also, when I ram into another car and they have nitro on but I am the one doing the ramming, why do I get destroyed?

    On top of all that, the drifting is horrible. This is a staple of the Ridge Racer games, is it supposed to be arcade style drifting? I don't get it. I tried really hard to understand it but if I can take a turn without drifting a lot better than if I did drift, or if the other cars can turn on a dime while I have to drift directly into a wall to make the turn every time, that just isn't good.

    Maybe I am missing something but that drifting problem alone kills the enjoyment for me. Top it off with those dead zones where there is no possible way to get boost... Forget it.    … Expand
  3. MadJaples
    Feb 1, 2014
    1
    I wouldn't even begin to associate this....game (not the word I'd use for it)..with anything remotely 'flatout' related. Instead I see it as being Namco/Bugbear's horrible attempt at trying so hard to be another Burnout that they thought they'd include the buildings and everything else almost within some kind of twisted logic or reason - Burnout didn't do half as much to promote badI wouldn't even begin to associate this....game (not the word I'd use for it)..with anything remotely 'flatout' related. Instead I see it as being Namco/Bugbear's horrible attempt at trying so hard to be another Burnout that they thought they'd include the buildings and everything else almost within some kind of twisted logic or reason - Burnout didn't do half as much to promote bad driving as this game does though, smash into everything you like when you like but for some odd reason, you will hit a wall and come to a stop. Yet you can destroy pretty large targets - like stationary lorries, or even an entire petrol station, which completely negates any comment about logic.

    Not the best Ridge Racer I've ever seen. In fact, I would not even begin to think about recommending it.
    Tries to be a lot of fun, but I didn't think it was a lot of fun, not least because I thought it perhaps wasn't intended for gamers of my spritely age (no I'm not telling you, yes I'm probably old enough to be your dad or your grandad).
    Graphically, it was okay, I wouldn't say it was the best I've ever seen, but it was presentable.
    In terms of control, well.....keyboard control always seems to be a...bugbear ?...with what look to be obvious console ports, and this is no exception, you either ARE hitting space to drift, or you are NOT. And then what ensues is a maddeningly horrible display of skidpan chicanery. I would really not buy this game if you are too seriously into the 'grown up' version of racing (NFS Shift 2 / F1 Twothousandandwhatever) but if you really do like just having fun and don't mind losing an immense number of races to get anywhere because you don't have a gamepad, or simply because you aren't that great at it, then 'Shatter Bay' (hardly imaginative title), is probably a good place to be, but I wouldn't bank on it.    … Expand
  4. Critical-Hit
    Jan 22, 2018
    0
    Drift Racer: No winning required

    Enjoy terrible drifting experience, which makes you to loose your position, but don't worry, it doesn't matter, you just need to destroy enough environment and opponents to earn points to unlock new stages. So drift to earn power, then use the power to kill yourself or somebody else to earn some points. Or do an instadead combo by using power during drifting.
  5. The_D4RknesS
    Jun 5, 2022
    0
    Gameplay is not fun, controls cannot be changed to your liking, drift is difficult, difficulty cannot be changed And the game starts on hard, Only cool thing in the entire game is its vehicular and scenery destruction
  6. Fxplayer
    Jan 6, 2023
    1
    The game that killed a franchise.

    The music, tracks, cars; everything looks and feels dull and lifeless. I tried to like it so bad but just couldn't.. At leat bugbear came back to life with Wreckfest and didnt end their career with this mess.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. PC Master (Greece)
    May 16, 2012
    68
    If you love demanding arcade racing games, heavy on OCD, give it a chance, as soon as its price is lowered. Otherwise, you can find much better games of the genre out there. [May 2012]
  2. CD-Action
    May 10, 2012
    85
    Unbounded is a part of a franchise strongly associated with consoles but somehow turns out to be average on X360 and one of the best arcade racing games in years on PC. On PC it just plays better (even with a keyboard!) and is extremely rewarding. [June 2012, p.66]
  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    May 9, 2012
    70
    A significant shift from previous installments towards a greater show and extreme drifting. If you prefer Split/Second type of racing the new Ridge Racer won't disappoint you. [May 2012]
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