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Ridge Racer's 20 Anniversary, Wow, what a start!

Ridge Racer is officially 20 years old today (7 October, the Japanese Arcade version that is), and while I know it will have aged badly, I'd love to have another shot at the original. I remember seeing it in arcades and then, amazingly on my own TV, via an import Japanese PlayStation in late 1994.

Sure, I can play the PSone's Type 4 on my Vita, a corking PSP edition, or that rather placid Vita (since the multiplayer is now die-hards only) edition. But, the only way I can enjoy the original is to:

a) run out and buy a PSone and the original disc if available anywhere, or perhaps the elusive Hi-Spec edition.

b) nuke my PSP, get custom firmware and find the ROM.

c) Namco and Sony could do the decent thing and release the original on PSN (and while they're at it, make the Vita version free to boost the online player numbers.)

Hopefully Namco will package the original somehow to mark this anniversary, perhaps even a HD version proper remake (Sega more or less managed it with OutRun over the years), with no silly bells or whistles, just the original tracks and cars that I knew and loved. feel free to chip in with your happy Ridge memories.




Currently playing on my Vita/PS4/PS5