Ridge Racer

Drift or lose. Ridge Racer for the PSP, released in 2004, was one of the console's launch titles and instantly reminded everyone why this Namco brand belongs among the legends of arcade racing. The series, whose roots reach back to the arcades and to the launch of the first PlayStation, felt right at home on the handheld.

The game's philosophy is purely arcade. No worrying about realistic physics; instead, a celebration of the drift. You enter a corner, kick the back end into a stylish slide and hold it, charging nitrous for a rocket boost on the straights. The controls are instantly graspable, but mastering the tracks perfectly takes practice and feel. It is exactly this blend of accessibility and depth that makes Ridge Racer an evergreen.

The PSP version offered a rich package of content that made use of the new hardware's power: plenty of tracks, cars and game modes. For a launch title it was a surprisingly generous offering that gave players reason to return again and again. The speed and smoothness confirmed that the PSP was well suited to racing games.

Culturally, Ridge Racer is firmly tied to the history of the PlayStation brand. The tradition of accompanying Sony console launches with a new entry stretches back to 1994, and the PSP version slotted naturally into that lineage. For many players this title was the first thing they put into their new handheld.

Anyone who enjoys clean arcade racing without needless complications will find exactly that in Ridge Racer. Speed, drift and the joy of driving in their most straightforward form.

Why play: Purely arcade racing built on drifting and nitrous. A great PSP launch title that is fun from the very first slide.