4/5 ★ – Mason_D's review of Ridge Racer Type 4.

“It’s good to be here. It’s good to be back.” Classic arcade-style racing goodness through and through. The controls are tight but not too technical, the courses are strict but not so unforgiving that you need a perfect run to win, there’s a tangible sense of speed and intensity and the less technical style makes for a perfect antithesis to something like Gran Turismo. It’s a pick up and play arcade racer and it’s fun as hell. No time is wasted on tuning up your car, big story beats or loads of menus, the game weaves you in and out of races fast and never keeps you far away from the good stuff. What really works about Ridge Racer Type 4, though, is its artistic approach. It’s the way that the game presents its fun arcade racer fixings that’s really distinguishes it from other similar games. For the PS1 this is a pretty fantastic looking game, the models are fairly detailed and the courses in particular look great. The early Ridge Racer franchise always had a certain way with lighting but this entry has a particularly elegant quality about it. It doesn’t just look good for a PS1 game, there’s something legitimately enchanting about the low poly environments and the complimentary ways they work with the lighting effects, it’s dazzling. The music is also a total vibe, the usage of acid jazz/fusion and late 90’s electronic music is uniquely Japanese and gives the game a further atmosphere that’s bound to make anyone nostalgic for a certain era in gaming that much more engaged. Between the responsive controls, bite sized nature of the races, kick ass music and the genuine fun factor at play, Ridge Racer Type 4 is probably the best arcade racer on the PS1 and certainly the best Ridge Racer, even if it’s the kind of game that feels like its over almost as soon as you get into it. Any arcade racer fan is going to groove with this one I think and if you’re as stuck in the late 90’s as me, this might scratch an itch. It’s worth playing in 2021 but I don’t know if it’s going to totally rock your world the way it might’ve in 1999.