R: Racing Evolution (GameCube) Preview

The Gamecube has had a stigma of some sort when it comes to the racing genre as of late. Sure, you have your Mario Karts, your high speed guns blazing XGRA and the blindingly fast worlds of F Zero but there really aren't that many street racers or realistic racers on the Gamecube. We aren't forgetting about the wonderful thrills from the Burnout series and if you're going to have a few racers I think you'd agree it is best to have the best but for people looking for something a bit different to Burnout there aren't really any racers worth your money so Cubed-3 thought it would be wise to look down the Gamecube incoming list and search for any racers. The cel-shaded worlds of GT Cube may not be for everybody, Lotus Challenge handles like ice on wheels and Mario Kart is just too plain childish for some, we've looked at all of these titles in depth and now we're giving the new Ridge Racer, R: Racing Evolution its chance to make the Gamecube proud.

R: Racing Evolution is attempting to do what the first Ridge Racer did all over again, innovate and master its genre. Now, Namco are not new to the racing genre, they've been here before and they know what they're doing with the series so with this knowledge in hand you shouldn't be surprised to know that this is currently one of Cubed3's most anticipated games in this genre.

Thankfully, in R: Racing Evolution you'll be pleased to find that there are licensed cars, and, quite a surprisingly big range as well. These will be mainly used for the circuit sections of the game- you see, there are 8 different types of race to take part in. These will include Circuit, Drag and Rally! These can be raced through on fantasy and realistic tracks that are all varied and unique. Possibly the most innovative part of the successor to the Ridge Racer series is the fact that there is a story mode labelled Racing Life. This involves high speed racing throughout many different types of tracks, beautiful cinematic cut scenes, rivalry building and more! All of those different aspects of the game will be incorporated into one single player mode that is sure to keep you glued to your 'Cube for hours.

Along with this, there will be many 2-4 player modes to keep you and your friends entertained in the form of the Versus. There will also be an arcade mode that will include a more retro feel bringing back the memories of the "Press start to continue 10...9...-" days. Namco are keeping a lot of information from leaking out about many of the modes but we suspect that the Arcade mode will be just a basic Race mode where you race your way through a number of races that may have rewards to be unlocked towards the end. We also hope it will be multiplayer enabled though this is highly unlikely. With all racing games comes a Time Attack mode. This is something that can be extremely tedious but if the game receives a big following from many it may be worthwhile, but it is usually there just to enlarge a small menu.

Modes of play aside though, the real question mark hanging on this game is what the core of the game will be like. We can be pretty sure it will include a simple control system that gives a reassuring nod to some of the older gamers and yet being simple enough for most people to pick up and play straight away. The main controls of the same are very basic, A being Accelerate, B initiating a Brake and C-Down causing the car reverse.

Gameplay wise this instalment, or sequel to the Ridge Racer series will benefit from what Namco are labelling "interactive driver system AI that enhances realistic racing situations," which we can only speculate as to just how this will add depth to the gameplay. This should add a much more enjoyable and competitive style of race but to what extent this will affect the game, we can only wonder.