Ridge Racer 3D

Ridge Racer 3D brought to Nintendo 3DS the series' classic arcade racing formula based on drifting - cars slide sideways through corners, and the player uses this controlled slide to maintain speed while it also fills the nitro boost gauge. This principle remains the core of the gameplay just as in previous entries, and it works precisely and satisfyingly even on a handheld - exaggerated physics and easily readable tracks make every drive an adrenaline-filled affair without requiring simulation-level precision. There is a fairly wide range of cars divided into performance classes, gradually unlocked by completing tournaments and time trials, and the game also supports local multiplayer over wireless connection for multiple players racing on the same track at once.

As a launch title, the game was meant to show off the possibilities of the new 3D display, and visually it succeeded to some extent - the track's depth and the sense of speed were above average for handhelds at the time. The audio is carried by the series' typically energetic electronic music, which suits the arcade approach well. The problem lay elsewhere: the game offered only a very limited number of tracks and cars, so players quickly found themselves repeating the same content across different difficulties and classes, which created an impression of incompleteness, compounded by the absence of a full-fledged online mode - which meant the game was quickly exhausted even for players who otherwise love the series' drift mechanics.

Contemporary reviews were largely critical precisely because of the thin content, and the game became one of the examples of problematic 3DS launch titles, where the technology showcase outweighed the playable substance. Even so, it remains an interesting reminder of how well Ridge Racer's arcade drift formula worked even on a small screen, and fans of the series still regard it today as a minor, if incomplete, entry in the collection.