Ridge Racer Unbounded Review [XBox 360]

rating:4.5

Let's get this out of the way. There is something wrong with that title. Unbounded is hardly a natural word, and its use feels oddly clumsy, despite the appropriateness of its meaning. But then, this isn't a semantics lesson, and a video game is a damn sight more than the words on its cover. And thank Heavens for that mercy, because Unbounded is actually a very good racer. It isn't particularly like what we might expect from a Ridge Racer game, but in a period that has seen the cruel over-extension of certain gaming franchises (Silent Hill, Resident Evil), perhaps innovation isn't exactly a misguided thing. When brand strength begins to wane, it should be adapt or die, and Namco Bandai have certainly done that. There is far more of Bugbear's Flatout and urban competitor Burnout here than traditional Ridge Racer fans might have expected, and the handling system in particular will be as alien to existing fans of the genre as if Modern Warfare suddenly dropped the guns for swords. Yes it achieves essentially the same ends, but the occasionally heavy, uneven system takes some serious getting used to, and it is perhaps best to come to Unbounded with absolutely no expectations of brand appropriateness. After all, Bugbear have taken the Ridge Racer model, smashed it like one of the game's road-side destructible buildings and rebuilt it from the ground up - new ethos, new spirit, new rules. Unbounded feels like a remastered greatest hits compilation: not of the formative Ridge Racer titles, but of every gaming franchise that modern race fans have spent their money on over the past few years. There are certainly elements of Ridge Racer remaining, with the drifting we's usually see accompanied by sweeping panoramics (and some actual ridges at times) ported into a grittier, urban setting, but there are also elements of Burnout in the vehicular violence, Flatout in the aesthetic and even Split/Second's environmental destruction. But, no messy Frankenstein's monster is this. Because Namco have effectively taken everything they like from other racing franchises, and decided to knit them together seamlessly to create something new. And thanks to Bugbear's race game experience, the components blend very well, making something new that feels familiar but completely reinvigorated. That feeling continues into the games control mechanics, and especially in the new drift system. At first it lulls you into a false sense of security, that you've been here before, and that pressing the drift button will make the car behave in a way you're familiar with - the same way conventional hand-brake drifting works, perhaps. But you soon learn it's best to drop that preconception very quickly, because in Unbounded, drift is an entirely new animal, and thinking of it as a braking function will only lead to you eating wall to a frustrating frequency (trust me). Instead, drift has to be relearned, in conjunction with other controls to really master the system and get the most out of the unrealistic, but ultimately fun handling. Realism isn't exactly high on the agenda for that handling system, which takes some getting used to, but then Bugbear have cast aside caution to create a hyperreal driving experience that is big on destruction, both in terms of opponents and environmentals, the bludgeoning removal of which will reveal shortcuts. The power gauge rewards impressive drifting, opponent take-downs and environmental destruction, and the game consequently encourages the player to chain those behaviours together, rather than concentrating simply on racing. Just as Bugbear have seamlessly knitted together those aspects of other racing games they clearly enjoyed, their game encourages the player to knit them together in their own races to feel the full effect of the game. Best of all, especially for the harder gaming element who despise tutorials, Bugbear have resisted the urge to over-teach the player, so you're effectively left to learn the game's idiosyncracies and wild nuances for yourself. And in that experiential curve, the developers have cleverly transcended the usual limitations of the racing genre, to encourage a far more strategic approach to racing, taking in environmental analysis and the potential for chain boosts. The rewards for players who stick with the game to the point of expertise are massive, because of the lack of tutorial aid, but there will be some who find the learning curve too steep, and the lack of assistance frustrating, and Bugbear will probably have to accept that they have alienated a certain amount of the casual gaming demographic. But then, why should every game treat everyone like a moron? Accessibility is one thing, but Unbounded's experience teaches us that experiential gaming is vastly more rewarding than wading through endless tutorials. And Bugbear and Namco Bandai should be roundly applauded for the achievement. They should also be lauded for the courage to make the opponent AI devilishly difficult at times: there are no weaklings in Unbounded's races, and for the first time out in most cases, it is the player who takes the runt position. And in all honesty, it is refreshing to be dropped into a game that challenges you to move from loser to winner, instead of perpetuating the tradition of the player as God. Race experience is what counts here, and excelling will take time - but the reward system is huge, in terms of personal achievement and tangible rankings, as each race finished contributed points to your overall rank. Rounding out the game, aside from the excellent solo mode is a smart track editor that allows construction of pre-fab sections of track with simplicity, with a nice level of customisation thanks to the ability to drop in as many ramps and smaller features as you like. Players can then share those personalised tracks online, as well as competing in multiplayer races, which can be gleefully fun. If there is to be any DLC, or patches, it would be nice to see an online leaderboard brought in, but the fact that there isn't one included with release is more of a frustration than a fatal error. It would have been nice, but there is more than enough in Bugbear's excellent remodelling of Ridge Racer to distract from that. It's not really a Ridge Racer title any more than Super Mario Bros 2 was a real Super Mario Bros game, but like with that game, you get the feeling that the brand has been employed in a very clever way to give something new - which might not otherwise garner the deserved attention - a boost. And as cynical as that sounds, you can't really fault Namco Bandai for doing it, given how successful their new game is, even if it might dupe some die-hard Ridge Racer fans into buying something that isn't for them. But don't let that put you off, even if you are a Ridge Racer fan just looking to see how Bugbear have treated your favourite franchise, Unbounded is so good it deserves to be judged on its own merits. It has completely reinvented the Ridge Racer franchise, and while it isn't necessarily one for the RR purists, it's remarkably good fun to spend time on the chaotic, explosive tracks of Unbounded. Ridge Racer Unbounded is available to buy now on XBox 360, PS3 and PC.