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Ridge Racer Unbounded

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Ridge Racer Unbounded
North American PlayStation 3 cover art
Developer(s)Bugbear Entertainment
Publisher(s)Namco Bandai Games[a]
Producer(s)Joonas Laakso, Kimmo Kari
Designer(s)Karri Kiviluoma
Programmer(s)Fred Sundvik
Composer(s)Hiroshi Okubo, Akitaka Tohyama, Rio Hamamoto, Shinji Hosoe, Ayako Saso, Nobuyoshi Sano
SeriesRidge Racer
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 3
Xbox 360
Release
  • NA: 27 March 2012[1]
  • NA: 29 March 2012 (PC)
  • EU: 30 March 2012
  • AU: 5 April 2012
  • JP: 31 July 2012
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Ridge Racer Unbounded[b] is a 2012 racing video game developed by Bugbear Entertainment and published by Namco Bandai Games (under the Namco brand) for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is the eighth installment of the Ridge Racer franchise following Ridge Racer 7, the first mainline title not to be developed by Namco, and the first in the series overall to be released on Windows. Unbounded is also the most recent game in the series to be released on home consoles as its successors only focused on handheld devices.

Unbounded marks a departure from the traditional Ridge Racer drifting style, and moved to a more combat-oriented and destructive style, similar to the Burnout series and Split/Second, as well as implementing customizations.[2] The game received average reviews.

Gameplay

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Plot

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Set in a fictional city called Shatter Bay, racers gather to compete in no-rules, all-out street races. Competing for money and superiority in fast-paced blasts through the streets dodging traffic and tearing through any obstacles that get in their way. A mysterious team led by a Japanese Hashiriya master, called "The Unbounded", appears playing a major role in the racing activity throughout Shatter Bay.

Development

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Ridge Racer Unbounded offers a number of changes that depart from traditional Ridge Racer gameplay. Additions to the game include the ability to design and share tracks and a new emphasis on vehicular combat.

While Unbounded was originally scheduled for release in North America and Europe in early March 2012,[3] it was delayed just before the planned release, as Namco Bandai wanted to allow more time "to pack the disc with features that will truly make the game sing".[1] The game was released in March the same year in North America and Europe and later in April in Australia on all platforms. The game was never released in Japan. Despite this, it seems to borrow inspiration from an earlier Namco game, Critical Velocity (クリティカルベロシティ, Kuritikaruberoshiti), also a vehicular combat video game, released in 2005 only in Japan.

Ridge Racer Driftopia

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A free-to-play version called Ridge Racer Driftopia was made.[4][citation needed] A beta version was released for Windows and PlayStation 3 in August 2013.[5][6] Driftopia was later cancelled, with the beta servers shut down on 15 August 2014.[7]

Reception

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Ridge Racer Unbounded received "average" reviews on all platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[23][24][25]

411Mania gave the PlayStation 3 version a score of eight out of ten, calling it a welcome addition in the series.[26] The Digital Fix gave the Xbox 360 version a score of eight out of ten, considering the game as reinvention in the franchise.[27] The Guardian gave the same console version a similar score of four stars out of five, criticizing some elements as frustrating.[28] The Daily Telegraph likewise gave the same console version four stars out of five, but considered the game and its handling too similar to Burnout series.[21]

In contrast, Digital Spy gave the same console version three stars out of five, criticizing the lack of tutorial material, sometimes problematic cars to control, the rubberband AI and weak destruction elements.[22] Destructoid gave the Xbox 360 version 5.5 out of ten, praising its "surprisingly good map editor", but criticizing the level design and the poor lighting conditions during sunset scenes, also suggesting players to play the 2010 Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit game instead.

References

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  1. ^ a b GameSpot staff (6 March 2012). "Ridge Racer Unbounded delayed to 'later in 2012'". GameSpot. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  2. ^ Charles Webb (2 April 2012). "Review: 'Ridge Racer Unbounded', or When 'Burnout' and 'Split/Second' Make a Baby". MTV. Archived from the original on March 30, 2016.
  3. ^ Brendan Sinclair (3 November 2011). "Ridge Racer Unbounded on March 6". GameSpot. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  4. ^ Eddie Makusch (12 April 2013). "Free-to-play Ridge Racer revealed". GameSpot. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  5. ^ Katie Williams (7 August 2013). "Get in on Ridge Racer Driftopia's PC beta". PC Gamer UK. Future plc. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  6. ^ David Scammell (27 August 2013). "Ridge Racer Driftopia beta starts today on PS3". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  7. ^ Wesley Yin-Poole (19 June 2014). "Bandai Namco to shut down F2P Ridge Racer Driftopia servers". Eurogamer. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  8. ^ Alasdair Duncan (3 April 2012). "Review: Ridge Racer Unbounded (X360)". Destructoid. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  9. ^ Edge staff (May 2012). "Ridge Racer Unbounded review (X360)". Edge. No. 240. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  10. ^ Tom Bramwell (29 March 2002). "Ridge Racer Unbounded Review (Xbox 360)". Eurogamer. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  11. ^ a b Kyle Hilliard (16 May 2012). "Ridge Racer Unbounded (PS3, X360): Driving Into A Wall At Full Speed". Game Informer. Archived from the original on April 11, 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  12. ^ Daniel R. Bischoff (13 April 2012). "Ridge Racer Unbounded Review (X360)". Game Revolution. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  13. ^ Mark Walton (11 April 2012). "Ridge Racer Unbounded Review (PC)". GameSpot. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  14. ^ a b Mark Walton (29 March 2012). "Ridge Racer Unbounded Review (PS3, X360)". GameSpot. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  15. ^ "Ridge Racer Unbounded Review (X360)". GameTrailers. 4 April 2012. Archived from the original on 25 July 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  16. ^ Robert Workman (4 April 2012). "Ridge Racer Unbounded review (PS3)". GameZone. Archived from the original on 18 April 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  17. ^ a b c Cam Shea (30 March 2012). "Ridge Racer Unbounded Review". IGN. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  18. ^ Cameron Lewis (2 April 2012). "Ridge Racer Unbounded review". Official Xbox Magazine. Archived from the original on 7 April 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  19. ^ Graham Smith (1 May 2012). "Ridge Racer Unbounded review". PC Gamer UK. Future plc. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  20. ^ "Review: Ridge Racer Unbounded". PlayStation: The Official Magazine. July 2012. p. 79.
  21. ^ a b Tom Hoggins (2 April 2012). "Ridge Racer Unbounded review (X360)". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  22. ^ a b Andrew Laughlin (1 April 2012). "'Ridge Racer: Unbounded' review (Xbox 360)". Digital Spy. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  23. ^ a b "Ridge Racer Unbounded for PC Reviews". Metacritic.
  24. ^ a b "Ridge Racer Unbounded for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  25. ^ a b "Ridge Racer Unbounded for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  26. ^ Mark Salmela (9 May 2012). "Ridge Racer Unbounded (PS3) Review". 411Mania. Archived from the original on 11 April 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  27. ^ Kevin Luff (8 April 2012). "Ridge Racer Unbounded (X360)". The Digital Fix. Archived from the original on 11 April 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  28. ^ Steve Boxer (4 April 2012). "Ridge Racer Unbounded - review (X360)". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  1. ^ Released under the Namco brand name.
  2. ^ Japanese: リッジレーサー アンバウンデッド, Hepburn: Rijji Rēsā Anbaundeddo
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