R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 1998

Is it still worth playing?

Namco's 1998 arcade style racing game for the PlayStation, the fourth Ridge Racer, built around powersliding through corners. Drift cars slide when you tap the brake while turning, and grip cars alternate brake and gas through the corner. In Grand Prix mode you join one of four teams, each with its own difficulty and a story told by a manager who talks to you through the season. Your finishing position decides whether you get a new car or an upgrade, and each race sets a qualifying position that rises in later stages. There are 321 cars to unlock, and the modes include Time Attack, a two player split screen Vs Battle and Extra Trials against prototype cars. The Grand Prix takes under an hour. Two ways of taking a corner, and cars earned race by race, still give a short championship a reason to be run again today.