Ridge Racers 2

A radiant Reiko Nagase returns as race queen for the Ridge series and looks more realistic than ever. Check her out in the stylish intro of the game where she's decked out in a frilly white dress and feathery hair. It's her eyes and smile that give her a semblance of humanity...

Before the proper action starts, players may enjoy a game of Rally X where a car runs into flags to collect them while avoiding a rampaging racer. Once in RR2, the first track is called "Seaside Route 765" which is a perfect course to practice drift mechanics and get a feel for the game. The action is smooth with responsive controls and a jive talking announcer who states the obvious when certain events are achieved. There's a point in the Seaside track where a plane passes directly overhead and the whine of the jet engine sounds exactly like the planes that pass over us when we're approaching JFK airport in NYC. Nice.

Ridge Racers 2 features 62 cars, tune-ups, 42 courses, and new modes in ARCADE, DUEL, and SURVIVAL. Up to 8 players may link up in wireless mode for racing tourneys where drift kings and conventional racers battle for top rank. To provide audio pleasure, 42 songs are featured in the game for a variety of driving music - 12 of the songs are new. To please the Furious crowd, nitro boosters (tap the R-trigger) may be used to rocket a vehicle up to 200km/h in an instant.

Some early preorders will include a bonus Ridge Racers 2 Special Megamix CD which contains thumping tracks from the game. «NCS Game Notes»