Reliable. That is perhaps the best term to describe the long-running racing franchise (and perennial system launch title), Ridge Racer. 

Japanese video game developers continue the recent trend of hoping to expand their market by employing Western developers to handle their storied intellectual properties. This approach affords a fresh take on an old IP, allowing for a possible revitalization of the brand. This time around, Namco Bandai is handing off developing duties of Ridge Racer Unbounded to Bugbear Entertainment, a Finnish developer whose bread and butter is the racing genre. Whether it is stunt, arcade, or rally racing, Bugbear Entertainment has the experience necessary to respectfully handle the Ridge Racer name.

Games in the racing genre tend to separate themselves into two camps: dedicatedly hardcore recreation and simulation, like Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport, and ludicrous action-filled arcade, like MotorStorm or Midnight Club. Ridge Racer certainly has elements of each type, but it generally settles itself firmly in the latter camp.

Bugbear has taken this opportunity to inject verve into the drained arcade formula. In order to do this, the developer has taken inspiration from several modern games. So far, Ridge Racer Unbounded looks and seems to run fine. Similar to Ubisoft's Splinter Cell: Conviction, elements of the heads-up display (HUD) are projected onto, or are part of, the volatile environments, helping keep the main screen clear and clean so that you can stay focused on the unpredictable action.

Frankly, the only noticeable element on the screen is the Power Bar. This bar steadily builds throughout any mode you are playing as you slipstream, drift, and cause damage to the various environs and vehicles. When you or an opponent crashes, you are given a slowed-down and dynamic view of the carnage, similar to Burnout Paradise. Once the bar is completely filled, you are able to crash your way through buildings to make your own shortcuts, battle-ram opponent cars into oblivion, and give yourself a nice little speed boost.

Several events and modes in Ridge Racer Unbounded permeate the main game, keeping the action from getting repetitive. Domination has you racing for first place in order to gain respect throughout Shatter City, the game's setting. Drift Attack tasks you with keeping your drift for as long as possible, and as often as possible, in a limited amount of time to acquire a certain score. Frag Attack charges you with causing as much damage as you can, whether it is to buildings or cars (bonus points for taking out police). You can gain levels by completing events and objectives. A Create Mode allows you to build your own tracks for Domination. So far, the variety of the building blocks in this mode is limited, but each piece is incredibly detailed. The process can only take minutes at a time to craft a unique track, but the developer hints that the toolset will be exceptionally deep.

The Ridge Racer series has rarely lit up the sales charts, but it has usually posted respectable numbers. The alterations are likely to rile up series stalwarts averse to change (in terms of gameplay, it bears a stunning and welcome resemblance to the criminally over-looked Split/Second), but it is not surprising that Namco Bandai decided to go in a different direction for their newest installment. Hopefully Ridge Racer Unbounded can satisfy all comers, both old and new.

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