Was Ridge Racer 6 a Success or Failure? The Franchise Goes a New Direction

[@nathanddrews]

Ugh... that trend of desaturated hues was a total blight on gaming, TV, and movies was so hideous. I'm glad that it's over now and we can enjoy realistic colors or even arcade-bright colors again.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It was def the generation of “color not allowed”

[@JGYoutube0]

My excitement for the 7th gen soured after seeing so many trailers showing grey, depressing, 'serious' games. It's like they wanted us to experience the most miserable aspects of real life in our games.

[@marcellosilva9286]

I've seen people wanting the return of 7th gen piss filters, and I just don't get it, to this day I've only ever played two games from that era that used them in a clever way.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

@marcellosilva9286 I want all the colors. Make everything as bright and vibrant as Astro Bot! Make my retinas hurt lol

[@marcellosilva9286]

@@VideoGameEsoterica When I played RE5, my eyes were literally tearing up because of the colour grating, it was horrendous

[@Ninthusiast]

I picked up Ridge Racer 7 recently for the PS3! Havent got around to popping it in but I admire your love for the Ridge Racer series! Long time fan as well! ...I guess you could say a fellow Ridge Racer junkie!

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It’s an iconic series. Def play 7 soon!

[@Anormal_Activity]

The BEST is Ridge Racer 2 in psp.... All musics and circuits retro... ❤❤❤❤

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Next weeks vid :)

[@tappersreviews4677]

Agreed. RR2 on PSP is god tier RR. I just got a Retroid Pocket 5 yesterday and can’t wait to load up PPSSPP for some upscaled RR2 on AMOLED.

[@MikeRox83]

Plays incredibly on Series X off the original disc. It's crazy how much stuff you can put on the Series X on disc and play. I started playing it a few months back and fell back in love again. Its crazy to think it's 20 years old next year. And omg! the Galaga based music track ❤

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I wish I’d remembered that when I RROD’d my 360

[@Xerodm]

I think the only thing I have my 360 for now is Most Wanted And JSR Future. The Series X is a nice console with the backwards compatibility.

[@c2ironfist]

Road Mauler is by far my favorite Namco track ever Especially the trailer for RR6 I absolutely lovw that trailer

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Twas a good trailer

[@c2ironfist]

@VideoGameEsoterica I can't even find the trailer with the Road Mauler track It's like it disappeared from existence 🤯

[@Japheigod]

I played Ridge Racer 6 religiously on Xbox 360 when it first came out on my 36-inch Toshiba 4:3 VGA. Then a Panasonic CRT Tau 36" in 16:9 and eventually a 50" Toshiba Projection. Also picked up the 60GB Japanese Launch PS3 and Ridge Racer 7 and although the online experience was not as great as the 360 online it was still a fun play.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Really ran the gamut of TVs there!

[@phillai]

I need to go back and play Ridge Racer 6 again. It was so good! 👍

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Def time for a replay!

[@Marcus_K]

Ridge Racer's problem by 2005 was that competition in the genre had become stronger. At the 360 launch there was also PGR 3, NFS Most Wanted and shortly after the launch Burnout Revenge and all three were stunning games for the era. Even as a RR fan, I'd take PGR 3 and Burnout Revenge, maybe even Most Wanted, over RR6. RR5 on PS2 had no competition at launch, other than the Dreamcast's arcade racers. The 2013 Xbox Model E is a reliable model, if you're looking to buy another 360. I've had it for a decade and it's still running fine. The Xbox 360 Slim from 2010 onwards is a solid alternative, if you can't find an E model.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Yes it was no longer a free ride with the competition. Pun def intended

[@robotstampede]

I’m a nitrous hater, but I still loved this game! One thing I really appreciated about this game (and by extension the PSP titles) was the menu or “front end” aesthetic. It was very futuristic and clean, and looks timeless to me.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

The UI in Ridge Racer games has always been great

[@ivanmartin5339]

Best game in the series imo. Great video

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Glad you enjoyed

[@RetroReloaded]

Gotta love that piss filter this generation had😅

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It was a vibe. Not a good one

[@shawty10ize]

One of my favorite racing games of all time. The drifting feels perfect, the music is memorable, it’s so good.I just wish it wasn’t so jagged graphically. Hopefully one day the emulation can be fixed up.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It’s a classic and I’m into the turbo

[@PopeTheRevXXVIII]

Looks really good on the Series X and one of my most played backwards compatible games. Has some of the best music in the series too.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Damn it I should have just put the disc in my Series X lol

[@PopeTheRevXXVIII]

You can still get all the DLC too.

[@adesignersperspective]

@@VideoGameEsoterica i was just about to leave the comment that FYI this is backwards compatible on current gen xbox consoles, but it seems someone else already beat me to it. ha.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

@adesignersperspective haha wish I’d thought of it

[@Dynamoth]

Something I remember when I picked this up, in the menu options, there was the ability to play your own .mp3s stored on the 360 instead of the regular BGM. However, due to a bug this functionality never worked, and there was never a patch released.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Ooh I don’t remember that one

[@845H1R]

I've recently got into ridge racer type 4 on ps1 and I think it's a fantastic game. Shame there aren't many tracks. The cars don't feel that different either unless you change teams. So it's either drift types or grip types. Not found much nuance in-between but I love the general handling and the necessity for getting the racing line correct, even if the CPU always gets in the way lol

[@papasugaros]

Absolutely amazing game, aside from one crucial aspect; there was no difficulty. Could have been an all time favourite if there was a mode that was punishingly difficult and you had to put in ace lap taps to get first, rather than automatically getting in first place after the first lap and staying there.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It is one of the easiest Ridge Racer games

[@Unikronn]

Courses developed after boost was introduced Vs before show that it can improve plus hinder some tracks but overall it's an improvement imo

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I def tend to enjoy it

[@M1XART]

I've been too busy to really get into my nearly complete XBOX 360 collection. But i've tested RR 6 few hours on 360, and it's probably best Arcade -type of racer for the system. But seriously, there barely is much of any stunning Arcade -style -racers on 360 overall. I think boots feature depends on track, rather than boots itself. I had great fun with boots at times on 3DS -Ridge Racer, that shares some of these tracks from RR 6.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Gotta find the time. Worth it!

[@Sturmdude]

I didn't even know this game existed until now. I missed out.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Now you know! Time to go play :)

[@Monacomaverick]

I always think of Phil Moore from Nick Arcade whenever I hear the announcer. This game really lacked the warmth and vibrancy I loved from the previous games. It also made drifting a bit too easy after V made it nearly impossible. As for nitrous, I could take it or leave it. It seems more like a distraction from the loss of what made the series great to begin with. The best thing about RR 6 is that it finally brought the series to an Xbox console, and that it's also playable on the One X. That said; Rage Racer and Type 4 will always be my favorites at the end of the day.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I’ll take this drift over V though

[@jamescampbell8482]

I had 4 xbox 360 units red ring on me including my Launch core unit. Its the lead free solder they used on those early systems. I was watching the HD DVD copy of Space Cowboys when I experienced my first red ring of death. It sucked. I used the towel trick to ressurect my 1st unit for about 1 week before it failed again.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

In the end they all RROD it seems

[@srvuk]

I get the comments abut the colours being rather dour but when you are in play I don't think that it matters so much when the gameplay is good.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It doesn’t make the game any less fun. Just less attractive

[@dead_Penguin254]

It was so underrated but a huge part off it for alot of people was the controls especially if your used to controls from games like need for speed i loved the music the cars and the driving the nos was a great addition the menus were clean af i honestly didn't really love ridge racer till 6 was released this was the most hated till unbound released thats not a ridge racer game in my opinion never got to play 7.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Def check 7 out. Worth it

[@atomiswave2]

One thing I don't understand about the new ridge racer is how you get nitrous through drifting... Like hitting that G-Force somehow creates more nitrous juice?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I’m gonna go with magic

[@adesignersperspective]

i like the boost feature in RR6 and don't really care for it as much in RR7 but that's because 6 remains a relatively challenging game for the majority of the main game, and an intensely challenging game once you unlock the extreme later races. boost adds some nice nuance and stacking boosts and deploying them all at once with a two-button combo is a nice addition as well, again, at least in RR6. RR7 in comparison feels massively dumbed down the entire way through the game and just way to easy as an RR game. the boost in that game makes it borderline boring to play through because the AI just feels way too easy, but 6 is more balanced. so, yeah, is the boost good? depends on which game we're talking about - but i do think it works well in 6. also i personally like the more moody times of day and weather / atmosphere 6 went with too. it feels fresh.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

7 def lessened the challenge a bit too much so that tracks

[@richardwang9315]

I First Thought of Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune : 6 RR! 😅

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Haha the pseudo successor series

[@Reprogrammed_By_SEGA]

Ridge Racer 7 basically makes RR6 redundant.

[@MikeRox83]

Less accessible now though isn't it if you don't have a PS3? Any post 360 disc based Xbox runs this i believe.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Unless you are doing a retrospective lol

[@balaam_7087]

I prefer the clarity and bonus content of RR7 to be honest, but I can play 6 in a pinch.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

7 is def the more fully realized entry

[@METR0lD]

This game was, and is, awesome. But it looks so drab with its color palette!! RR7 took the bones of RR6, and then fixed the visuals.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It’s got that 360 drab color vibe going for sure

[@Japheigod]

Just found out they added Ridge Racer 6 to Xbox Series backwards compatibility 3 years ago going to give it a go after this video.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Wish I’d checked haha

[@Japheigod]

@@VideoGameEsoterica unfortunately I needed to do a 5gb update first need to check if it finished still haven't tried.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Big update

[@neorickio]

Personally, I'd rather not have the nitrous in the game if I could decide, but it's definitely not a big issue for me.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I don’t mind it. But some people hate it. Which is fair

[@gravious]

This is a good game, but i prefer Over... i mean RR7 on PS3. Actually, really impressed with Xenia, every time i tried it in the past it was a bit crappy, but seems like its made some progress. I think you should do RR7 for the PS3 on RPCS3 in 4k ;-)

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

6 and 7 really feel like 6 and 6.5

[@Holammer]

I belong in team hate when it comes to the colours, or the lack thereof. The piss filter which was the style at the time. This was the same era and thinking that gave us Battlefield 3's orange & blue colour tone. *ew!*

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

The colors aren’t the best. But the game makes up for it

[@hikaruk.981]

The only thing I didn't like about 6 is that it doesn't have Seaside Route 765 in it.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

A small omission but one for sure

[@miguelcarneiro1192]

RR6 is a hit for sure

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I tend to think so

[@miguelcarneiro1192]

@VideoGameEsoterica :)

[@DavidMajor]

This game plays good on the Xbox one. It is only $9.99 right now.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Yes it’s quite cheap

[@BagofSchmidt]

0:24 RR64 erasure. Thats fine though lol

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Haha I already did an episode

[@MusicaFullbuster]

It’s a success game for the Xbox 360 launch title, but do you what’s EVEN more success? Ridge Racer 7 on the PS3 it’s like Ridge Racer 6, but more enhanced version kinda like saying Persona 3 Reload and Persona 5 Royal for instance. And it more cars of and tracks compared to 6.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

7 had the advantage of time. Able to expand on the formula

[@WWammyy]

Don't red ring your Emulator @ cursed game 😂 1:30. Ridge Racer 6 was good and worth a play for Arcade racer fans. But Ridge Racer 7 shit the bed and made it almost impossible to win races after a certain point due to the Drafting mechanic. You had to complete the races perfectly or lose.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Haha absolutely cursed

[@moot6794]

Better than 5 imo, but ultimately lackluster and boring. I don't remember much about it at all.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I enjoy it more than 5 too

[@simon41978]

It's like RR7 but less refined and with less content.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

7 always felt like 6.5

[@Reprogrammed_By_SEGA]

Also less resolution, 720p vs RR7 1080p

[@simon41978]

@@Reprogrammed_By_SEGA Good point. They say RR7 runs without slowdown at 720P. I usually prefer 1080P but notice some slowdown.

[@M1XART]

@@Reprogrammed_By_SEGA RR 6 is 1080i, though.

[@Ragesauce]

First!! (Iamnotabot) 😊

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Nice try T-1000

[@Ragesauce]

@@VideoGameEsoterica Show me your leadership capabilities!