For almost a decade, Namco's Ridge Racer series has been known as a seminal example of arcade racing at its best. Recently, however, the subgenre has become significantly less popular and racing simulations have taken over. More robust, feature-heavy titles such as those in the Gran Turismo series have been selling better and better while great arcade racers are becoming harder and harder to find. This holiday season though, is marked by a timely, although unexpected, inversion of this trend. Need for Speed Underground and, more importantly, Project Gotham Racing 2 have both brought exciting innovations and tons of great gameplay to table. So, in many ways Namco's latest title, R: Racing Evolution, which drops the standard arcade racing formula from the Ridge Racer series and attempts to blend many elements from both arcade racers and simulations, is puzzling and underwhelming, even if it remains entertaining.

Rather than simply developing Ridge Racer 6, Namco decided to capitalize on the trend towards more realistic racing games. Beyond the obvious decision to drop the Ridge Racer title, several changes have been made to the core gameplay and presentation to make R feel more like Gran Turismo. For the first time, Namco has used actual licensed vehicles from real-world auto manufacturers. Additionally, the game features a vehicle upgrade system. While it's nowhere near as extensive as you would find in any other racing sim, it's far more robust then any other title in the series, including Rage Racer. Similarly, of the fourteen tracks in the game, several are based on real-world locations, another first for the series.

Going for the lead.
R: Racing Evolution also features a number of new innovations that feel quite at home in an arcade racer. The most notable addition is the "pressure meter." While racing, pulling up behind another vehicle will slide you into his slipstream for increased speed. But additionally, a progress bar will appear indicating just how long you've been drafting. When the bar is filled, the opposing racer will usually slip up and miss a turn or slam into the nearest wall. It's an interesting idea, for sure, but in practice I found that the increased speed that you'll get during the draft allows you to pass drivers long before the pressure meter is full.

As you work your way through the game, you'll earn race points for winning certain races, and more interestingly, by driving skillfully. Basically, race points in R: Racing Evolution serve the same function as "kudos" in PGR2.

While racing, you'll also be submitted to various in-game radio communications, including comments from other drivers and chatter from the pit. In most cases, this additional dialogue does little to add to the gameplay and is actually pretty annoying to listen to. Thankfully, though, the technique is used usefully on occasion. I'll get to that in a moment.