Released: 1994
Formats: PSone, Arcade

If a developer released a racing game in this day and age with only one track, we’d either expect the rest to be available as free DLC or consider them to have a screw loose. Back in 1995 though this happened.

After wowing gamers in the arcade, Namco’s Ridge Racer was to become the PSone’s poster boy – a system seller that was able to show what the console could handle. Compared to Sega’s rushed out Saturn conversion of Daytona USA it was enough to establish the PSone as the superior system right off the starting grid.

It may have only had one track, but it was an incredible piece of design work. “A great start, now go for the lead!” the narrator would yell as you pulled away and headed down the straight. Progressing from 12th to 1st place wasn’t easy – the AI would quickly pull away from the starting line, leaving you for dust. You had to get to grips with the slightly erratic drifting too, which entailed learning how to regain control of your vehicle if it started to skid.

After the opening straight – which featured a huge TV screen displaying Galaxian – came a tunnel with a bend, which then lead out to a narrow bridge and the first of a few hairpin bends. Approach the beach straight with enough speed and you could ‘catch some air’ before hitting the ground with a satisfying thud. The next bend had raised corners – it was possible to swing your vehicle along these while drifting in order to get round around it with ease. Next came another straight, complete with a low-flying helicopter and billboards for two other Namco games – CyberSled and Starblade Alpha.

The gentle twists and turns of the track’s final part – set in a more industrial-style distinct – weren’t quite as exciting as the first part of the track but gave plenty of chances to overtake, as did the final home stretch.

When Sega fans would claim that Daytona USA offered three tracks compared to Ridge Racer’s one, PlayStation owners would argue that Ridge Racer does actually have two tracks – you can race the original track backwards. Again, it’s testament to Namco’s design that when playing the track backwards it did feel rather different – downhill sections became uphill slogs, and vice versa. You could also extend the original course with an extra piece of track.

Speaking of tracks of another sort, a lot of gamers hold the ‘90s rave music in high regard. Am I about to admit that I would put the disk into my CD player and listen to it on my stereo? Yes. Yes I am. You could also use your own music CDs – once the game had loaded, the disk was no longer required to be inside the console.

Namco included a few challenges to stop gamers getting bored too quickly – finishing in front of the black car was the final challenge and known for being notoriously tough. There were a couple of hidden things to discover too, like the ability to twist the flag around on the title screen. When loading up the game arcade classic Galaxian would also appear – if you managed to shoot all the invaders within in the tight time-limit then an extra car would become available.

It’s very odd to think that for many early adopters of the PlayStation the first thing they would have played was Galaxian, isn’t it?

Ridge Racer reboot Ridge Racer: Unbounded hasn’t got off to the best of starts in this week’s UK top 40 – it makes its chart appearance at #21.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 performed the best out of last week’s other new releases, swinging in at #3.

The top three titles are now all EA titles – FIFA Street remains at the top spot, followed by Mass Effect 3 which has just had a significant price drop online.

Naruto Shippuden Ninja Storm Generations made #6, proving that there are still a lot of Naruto fans about. Kid Icarus: Uprising has left the top ten already dropping from #7 to #14.

Both Silent Hill HD Collection and Silent Hill Downpour have done quite well – they’re in at #12 and #15 respectively.

Pokepark 2: Wonders Beyond has managed to make it into the top 40 in its second week of release too in at a lowly #38.

Curiously, it appears that Okamiden on DS has received a rather late re-print. It has shot back into the DS chart at a rather impressive #6.

There’s a slight retro theme running through this week’s new releases – a new Silent Hill along with the anticipated HD collection, a Ridge Racer revamp, this year’s Tiger Woods and a load of Capcom classics on one handy disk. The emphasis is obviously on the word ‘slight’ there.

Silent Hill HD Collection angered fans the moment it was announced due to the original Silent Hill (which is on PSN) and Silent Hill 4 not being included. Reviews have also revealed that the developers have removed the fog which was not only used to mask graphical glitches but to help create an atmosphere too. Destructoid’s 3/10 review is worth a read if you’re considering it.

Silent Hill Downpour doesn’t quite restore the series to a former glory either. gamesTM sums it up quite nicely in their 6/10 review: “Silent Hill: Downpour frustrates and irritates, it confuses and confounds. It doesn’t scare as much as it should and it doesn’t impress as much as we wanted. But there’s no denying its ability to keep you playing; to push through to the end.”

Faring better with review scores is Ridge Racer Unbounded. EDGE seemingly fell in love with it, awarding it a 9. “One of the most subversive, sublime street-racing games ever made,” they said. Other reviews have been less positive such as CVG’s 6.4 and gamesTM’s 6. It certainly looks the part, you can’t argue that.

We swear the Tiger Woods games arrive earlier every year. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 still sounds like a decent package though with Kinect controls on offer for the first time. GamesRadar gave it a 7. It’s a good review – very well thought out. And remember, if you buy it from Blockbuster you can play as Wayne Rooney.

If none of these take your fancy then Capcom Digital Collection might do. It contains eight of Capcom’s Xbox Live Arcade games including Final Fight, Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 and Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix. £17.99 on Play doesn’t sound a bad deal to us.

Or if tending to crops is more of your thing then there’s always Farming Simulator 3D. I think the blurb pretty much says it all: “The “Farming Simulator” and the Nintendo 3DS console are a great match: experience a high quality 3D-graphic which supports the 3D-effect of the console perfectly. You will be able to explore an open world, play with a day-night-cycle and chose a free-to-play mode on your way to become a successful farmer. The game addresses both kids and male adults and hence makes it a great expansion of the Nintendo 3DS family.”

So female adults won’t be able to play it then? Righty ho.

Next week: Devil May Cry HD Collection (PS3, 360), Kinect Star Wars (360), Rhythm Thief & The Emperor’s Treasure (3DS), Top Gun: Hard Lock (PS3, 360, PC), Warriors Orochi 3 (PS3, 360), Alvin & the Chipmunks (360, Wii, DS) and Jewel Quest V: The Sleepless Star (DS).

Uncharted: Golden Abyss has proven to be the most popular PS Vita launch title. No surprise there, but what is surprising is that together with FIFA Football – the second most popular title – the two took 50 percent of software sales.

Uncharted: Golden Abyss took the top spot of the chart, while FIFA Football took #2. A few others out of the 23-strong line-up made the top 40 – WipEout 2048 at #11, Ridge Racer at #28, Virtua Tennis 4 at #30 and Everybody’s Golf at #32.

Rayman Origins has also shot back up the chart from #36 to #5, while F1 2011 and Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 have re-entered the chart (at #22 and #33 respectively) presumably due to the Vita versions.

Chart-Track also tells us that 79% of all PS Vitas sold were the WiFi version.

Syndicate settles for #7 while The Last Story enters at a not too shabby #15 even though GAME and Gamestation were reportedly not stocking it.

Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate falls into #17 while The Jak & Daxter Trilogy makes #27.

Sega’s Binary Domain hasn’t got off to a very good start at all entering at #35. It has already been reduced to £25 on the likes of Zavvi despite being pretty good.

The eye-ball pleasing Crysis 2 has managed to stay at the top of the chart for another week. The game at #2 may surprise you – it isn’t MotorStorm Apocalyspe (which makes its appearance at a lowly #17) or Shift 2: Unleashed (in at #4) but rather Zumba Fitness. Not wanting to blow my own trumpet or anything, but I did have a feeling it would be quite popular.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters and WWE All Stars go in at #6 and #7 respectively.

MotorStorm Apocalypse’s slightly rubbish placing is likely to be because it was delayed and Sony didn’t do a very good job at telling people the new release date (last Thursday).

Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition is the highest placed 3DS game at #16, followed by Pilotwings Resort at #21, Rayman 3D at #23, Super Monkey Ball 3D at #29, Ridge Racer 3D at #30 and Nintendogs + Cats at #32.

With so many releases out last week it would have been a miracle if Homefront managed to hold onto the top spot. It’s now at #3, making way for Crysis 2 at #1 and the apparently better than expected LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars at #2.

Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition is the best selling 3DS title entering the chart at #4. That’s followed by Pilotwings Resort at #6, the review-shy Rayman 3D at #9, Super Monkey Ball 3D at #14, Ridge Racer 3D at #15 and Nintendogs + Cats at #20.

Ghost Reckon: Shadow Wars goes in at #34 selling better than Splinter Cell 3D did which is in at #39. I am surprised that Ridge Racer 3D didn’t chart higher – reviews have been good and it’s a very well established brand. At least it sold better than Asphalt 3D did, which didn’t make the top 40.

The Sims 3 – which previewed badly – did make it into the 3DS single format chart though.

I’ve already given my two cents on the 3DS launch line-up, but if you missed it and can’t be bothered to click here, then here’s a quick run down. Super Street Fighter IV, Nintendogs + Cats, Ridge Racer 3D and Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars should be on the top of your list. PES 2011 3D: Pro Evolution Soccer scored 78% in the Official Nintendo magazine, but the roosters are out of date and there’s no online play so it might be an idea to wait for the next one. If it wasn’t for the fact that Pilotwings Resort and Super Monkey Ball 3D only take 3 hours each to finish, they would be on the list too.

The embargo for Ubisoft’s titles doesn’t lift until tomorrow (Friday) so we won’t know until then if Rayman 3D and Splinter Cell 3D are up to scratch. LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars might be worth considering, while The Sims 3, Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs, Asphalt 3D and Rabbids 3D didn’t get much love when being previewed. This leaves us with Samurai Warriors: Chronicle – which scored 5/10 on Eurogamer – and Madden NFL Football which isn’t of great interest to 97% of us Brits. It’s probably OK though.

There are a few other big name titles out this week too. Crysis 2 is apparently gorgeous but the main character is a bore and the plot is dull. Do people really play FPS games for the plot though? There was mild concern that the PlayStation 3 version was lacking behind the Xbox 360 version (EA pulled the demo after people started complaining about screen-tearing and other faults) but word has it that the final version is fine and dandy. Scores so far include an 8 from Eurogamer and a 7 from 360 Gamer Magazine. One of 360 Gamer’s writer also said on Twitter that LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars is surprisingly brilliant. That’s out on every format, including PSP and PC.

Dissidia 012: Final Fantasy and Naruto Shippuden: Kizuna Drive also arrive on PSP this week. There’s a special “Legacy Edition” of the former which Amazon is selling for no extra cost to the standard.

There hasn’t been much hype behind PlayStation Move Heroes, which stars Ratchet, Clank, Jak, Daxter and Sly Racoon. Metacritic’s average is currently 57% which perhaps tells us why. Tomb Raider Trilogy – which is another PlayStation 3-exclusive – looks like being a better purchase.

Next week: WWE All Stars, Shift 2 Unleashed, Ar Tonelico Qoga, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12, The 3rd Birthday, Dynasty Warriors 7 and movie tie-in Rio.

The 3DS launch line-up is a funny thing. There’s a lack of an easily indefinable system seller, while the likes of THQ, Take-Two and Activision don’t have a single title ready. On more positive note, however, it’s quite astonishing that Ubisoft has managed to get six games due for launch. Activision would have presumably given us DJ Hero if they hadn’t lost all faith in the franchise. It’s a little disappointing that it was axed – without the need for a peripheral and no music-based 3DS games on the cards it could have found a new audience.

EA also canned MyGarden, but that’s less of a loss – it didn’t appear to resemble a proper game, more of a tech demo or a relaxation tool at the very most. A game for pansies, even.

If you haven’t made your mind up on what to get with your 3DS yet, then maybe our guide can guide you in the right direction. That’s why it’s called a guide, see?

Pilotwings Resort
A last minute inclusion into the line-up, reviews have been sadly disappointing claiming that the whole thing can be done and dusted in three hours. NGamer were particularly miffed that the island on which it’s set had already been used in previous games – such as Wii Sports Resort – thus leaving little new to explore. With decent visuals it would appear to be a good way to show off your new handheld, but don’t coming crying to us when you’ve seen it all in an afternoon.

Super Street Fighter IV
It may not be the definitive version but it’s still one to think about taking home on launch day. Nice features are plentiful, including a demo that can be beamed to nearby 3DS owners. StreetPass analyses your save games and fighting styles and will automatically play battles for you with any 3DS owning strangers that you come across on your travels too. A good conversion of a good game it would seem.

Ridge Racer 3D
The fact that this is the first game shipped to the press to review (Eurogamer published theirs on 1st March) shows that Namco are pleased with what they’ve achieved. 3DS features are heavily used – you can take a photo with the camera for your driving license – while the tracks are a mixture of old and new. Worth considering, even though there’s no online play.

Nintendogs + Cats
Available in different flavours, a la the first Nintendogs range, NGamer awarded this glorified Tamagotchi 80%. Features are bountiful, including breeding and gift sharing via StreetPass and use of the 3D camera, pedometer and AR cards. The fur effects have been greatly improved (because that’s important, right?) as has the voice recognition system. The cats can’t be entered in contests, walked or be taught tricks, which may be disappointing for moggie lovers, but it’s likely that this is one of the few launch games you’ll come back to time and time again.

Super Monkey Ball 3D
Sega’s simian sim has the same problem as Pilotwings Resort – it’s good but too short. The core game has 80 levels compared to the original’s 310 and there are just 2 mini-games. The GameCube original had 12; Step and Roll had 21. As such, it’s probably worth waiting for the price to drop.

Splinter Cell 3D
One of two Tom Clancy ‘em ups, this isn’t a new game as the title suggests but rather a retelling of Chaos Theory. Features are thin on the ground, such as the lack of co-op and multiplayer, but there are new gadgets that make use of the 3D screen such as a hacking mini-game. There’s a whiff of a rush job about it, so wait for the reviews first.

The Sims 3
It would appear that EA’s biggest brag is that you can send your Sim to other 3DSs via StreetPass. Unimpressed? So were NGamer, who claim that the graphics are “minging” and that it suffers from slowdown even during the character creation screens. Also in their preview they mention the ability to cause an earthquake by shaking the handheld. Will this make it into the retail version? If it has already gone ‘gold’ then it might be too late to remove it.

Rayman 3D
It’s good to see a platformer in the line-up, but Rayman 2 again? It was a good game back in the day but most gamers worth their salt will have played it before. In fact, Ubisoft released a conversion of this very early in the DS’s life. And it’s available on iOS for literally pence. It would have been a real treat to have seen Rayman 3 instead; that too was a genuinely great game but Ubisoft always acts as if they’re ashamed of it. If you’re desperate for some colourful platforming it’ll probably fit the bill but you’ll only be sending the message to publishers that it’s all right to endlessly recycle old code.

Samurai Warriors: Chronicle
Content-wise, this sounds a lot slicker than some of the aforementioned titles. Weapons can be traded and battles fought with StreetPass while Spotpass will eventually allow for downloadable scenarios. The single-player mode boasts of 400 battle scenarios, RPG-style elements to spice up the hack and slashing and loads of cut-scenes with full voice-overs too. Don’t dismiss it so suddenly; there are far worse 3DS games in the line-up…

Combat of The Giants – Dinosaurs
…like this one, which gained the lowest scores in Famitsu when they reviewed the launch titles. It’s a very basic affair with a ‘paper, sissors, stone’ style combat system. The DS versions were dire; this is no different. NEXT!

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars
See: we told you there were two Tom Clancy titles. Memory fails to recall another console that was lucky enough to launch with a tactical turn-based strategy game and although the visuals may be simplistic compared to other titles it’s the only game present that’ll get your grey matter ticking. Playing a lot like Advance Wars, it has quite some heritage behind it having been created by X-COM chap Julian Gallop. Give it a go: you may be surprised.

PES 2011 3D: Pro Evolution Soccer
The Official Nintendo Magazine gave Konami’s soccer sim 78%, championing the smooth difficulty curve and its compulsiveness. But with no online play and rosters that are six months old it may be a better idea to wait until the next football game arrives on the scene.

Rabbids 3D
“Bwaaah!” indeed. Previews were far from positive and both NGamer and Official Nintendo Magazine were missing reviews of this side-scrolling platformer in their launch specials. This should tell you everything you need to know.

Asphalt 3D
Let’s face it – this was always going to be in Ridge Racer’s shadow. There are just 9 tracks compared to Ridge Racer’s 15 and reviewers have moaned about slowdown. The Official Nintendo Magazine were impressed with the visuals, pointing out that you can see the dashboards through the windows, but then went onto say it’s not worth the asking price.

Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
We’ve left this to last as you know what you’re going to get here. It might be an idea to wait for LEGO Pirates of The Caribbean instead, which despite being a few months off (ETA: May 2011) already has StreetPass battles confirmed. It’s your call – it’s very unlikely to be any less than average.

Coming soon: Madden NFL Football, Dead or Alive: Dimensions (delayed in Japan, was due 24th March), Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions, Puzzle Bobble Universe, Thor: The Videogame, James Noir’s Hollywood Crimes 3D, Driver: Renegade 3D, The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time 3D, Professor Layton And The Mask Of Miracle, Steel Diver, Paper Mario 3D, Starfox 3D and Combat of The Giants: Mutant Woodlice (maybe).