SummaryRidge Racer makes its debut on the PlayStation Vita with this installment of the racing series.
Rated E +10for Everyone +10
Developer:Namco Bandai Games, Cellius
Ridge Racer (2012)
PlayStation Vita
Released On:
Mar 13, 2012
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
44
User score
Generally Unfavorable
4.1
My Score
Drag or tap to give a rating
Hover and click to give a rating
All Platforms
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
44
0% Positive
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
49% Mixed
19 Reviews
19 Reviews
51% Negative
20 Reviews
20 Reviews
Feb 16, 2012
71
It's decent, yet I'm somewhat disappointed. It doesn't really use the PS Vita features, might as well have been a PSP game. That, and why does only online play really count?
Mar 29, 2012
55
It would have been wise to delay the game for some months in order to create enough content, as what is included in the game is just too limited. Requiring permanent connection to make the most of the game is also a poor decision.
User score
Generally Unfavorable
4.1
28% Positive
19 Ratings
19 Ratings
10% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
62% Negative
42 Ratings
42 Ratings
Apr 12, 2014
10
I've played PSP RR, RR4 and PSP RR and will say that Vita RR is far superior. Why? Because it's the first RR I've played where you actually RACE against other cars. In previous RR games, the AI cars were simply lame place holders--like checkpoints you blow by until the final lap. Yawn. Here in Vita RR, you RACE against 7 AI cars from the start. Think powersliding sideways at insane speed into a corner with 3 nasty AI forming a barrier impossible to pass. Think using nitro to thread the needle through 4 AI in the final stretch after constantly trading paint & places for the entire race. This is the most intense racing I have ever experienced--the AI in this game will break you at times. I am now only level 8 and play mostly offline spot races--I'm grinding to get max upgrades then I will compete online against even tougher world ghosts and real time online racers. This game is very deep and so rewarding with all the trophies to earn + secret devil and angel cars to unlock. I paid $24.99 + about $15 for Gold and Silver Passes--that's very cheap for all the content you get imo. The 84 tracks of original RR music is great. My only explanation for why this game gets such low review scores is simply this: The reviewers got their a$$es handed to them. They are used to winning without skills. They never raced against 7 mean AI and cannot buy or grind out an unfairly overpowered car to "succeed". Nope; not here--you have to work to learn the tracks and have skills. If you love Ridge Racer, don't let all the whining lazy reviewers fool you. This is the best RR. Buy it. Namco deserves GoTY for releasing this masterpiece.
Mar 6, 2012
50
Ridge Racer is devoid of content and modes as standard. It plays well, handles as you'd want it to and is as fun an arcade racer as ever, but there's just not enough here to hold interest for more than a few hours – unless you want to wait for all the downloadable content to arrive and reluctantly tip more money into it.
Feb 22, 2012
48
Released for free, this would have been an interesting experiment – if still backed up with a boring, chugging racing game. As it stands it's the latter point mixed in with a £20-shaped slap in the face. Absolutely pointless.
Mar 27, 2012
40
It has a criminally low number of courses that have all appeared in previous Ridge Racer games, no interesting career structure whatsoever, a new car customizing feature that somehow manages to make the "machines" feel less unique, and a bunch of music that also appeared in the old games. You'd have to be extremely hard up for any form of ridge racing for this to add up to something worth purchasing.
Feb 22, 2012
30
The gameplay alone is overfamilar enough but the appalling value for money and dearth of content makes this the worst Ridge Racer for years.
Mar 14, 2012
15
Ridge Racer is a disappointment on all fronts, and feels more like a horrible car wreck. While the racing itself is decent, it crashes dead smack into a brick wall of poor planning, lazy development, and a complete lack of content.
Mar 29, 2012
10
Look, I'm not going to pretend it's the fullest, best racer ever released...
BUT
For me, it's the best racing experience on the Vita (not inc. Wipeout - different style)
For your £17 - you have on your memory card at all times (very handy) 12 tracks (6 back and forward) a host of cars and more downloadable tunes that you can shake a stick at..
Arcade racing is fun, but the real drive here(!) is going against real opponent ghosts and online lobbies...
I've played people across the globe with zero lag and tried to best people's ghosts and not to mention the surprise you get when you received the devil's gift!
Honestly, it plays a million times better than asphalt and all the dross that lingers in the 40s / 50s on metacritic... it's cheap, it handles perfectly the graphics are pretty damned good too...
Sometimes reviews are wrong - this is one of those times... worth every penny...
Apr 14, 2026
5
Ridge Racer on the Vita fails to live up to the expectations of its predecessors due to its severe lack of content and poor monetization. The amount of courses, machines available is absolutely pathetic, even with DLC. While the soundtrack is as good as ever, particularly for those who love the EDM genre, the selection of music composed specifically for this game is frankly too small. There are clearly some good ideas here and there, but for the most part, the negatives vastly outweigh the positives.
May 13, 2023
5
I played this with all the DLC, so I have a different outlook on this game. With that said, the game is still barebones. There is no race varieties and the online lobbies are dead. If this game had more game modes, then this game would have been better.
Feb 2, 2025
3
Graphics are nice and cars handle well but with dead online servers and minimal single player content it's difficult to play for 20 minutes without being bored.
