PlayStation3 late this year, as well as the 'Ridge Racer Vision 2010'
trailer that Namco will be showing at E3 -- which contains elements
that will be in RR7, as well as elements from what a future Ridge Racer
could have -- what could be possible on PS3 in 4 years when developers
are pushing PS3 to the limit.
with the RR7 screens seen so far, it's unclear what is actually from
the actual RR7 game coming out this year, and what, if any, are from
'Ridge Racer Vision 2010', the upcoming E3 trailer which may, or may
not be prerendered CG.
re: more confusion is certain!
Namco and Sony seem to want to be even trickier in 2006, than Sony was
at E3 2005!
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Ridge Racer 7 Update
The game's producer shares more comments on Namco's PS3 debut title.
by Anoop Gantayat
April 28, 2006 - Famitsu may have gotten the big scoop on Ridge Racer
7, but now the game is making its way into all the other big magazines
over in Japan. The latest coverage for Namco Bandai Games' PS3 debut
title comes from the monthly Hyper PlayStation magazine, which put the
game on its cover and features a short interview with producer Hideo
Teramoto.
The magazine first asked Teramoto to explain the differences between
the Xbox 360 Ridge Racer 6 and the PS3 Ridge Racer 7. The development
staff is for the most part the same for both games, Teramoto noted.
"When actually getting our hands on the PS3 hardware," he explained,
"as we gained a deeper understanding of what things we could realize,
it was clear that we could realize something different from 6." It was
with this realization that the team decided to make a new entry in the
series.
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Teramoto and crew believe that the Cell and RSX chips give them the
chance to achieve a "Feeling of Ridge Racer" better than they were able
to in Ridge Racer 6. This includes the feeling of speed and a
refreshing, good play feel that you instantly get when starting play.
The PS3's power could be used for realistic physics, but that wouldn't
very Ridge Racer, explained Teramoto. "The PS3's power will be used for
various effects, and things that take place both on and around the
course. If we use the Cell's computational power for these areas, we
believe we'll be able to make a Ridge Racer like never before."
Namco Bandai has given some strong hints as to what we can expect from
Ridge Racer 7's Offline play, but has been rather quiet about the
game's Online play, only stating that up to 14 players will be able to
race at once and that the game will offer some form of cooperative
play. "We, of course, want people to take note of the Online elements,"
Teramoto stated, "and we're working closely with SCE as we advance in
this area. As a personal dream, I want to make something where you feel
as though you're in a space where you're always connected to other
players without an Online connection."
It's unclear what we'll be seeing of the game at E3. Namco Bandai Games
will be showing a trailer titled Ridge Racer Vision 2010, a name that's
meant to mean that the trailer will show elements from the future of
Ridge Racer, including those elements that will be included in Ridge
Racer 7. The trailer is meant to show what can be achieved in, perhaps,
four years, when Teramoto feels the PS3 will have possibly become
ubiquitous throughout the world and both gamers and developers will be
pushing the system's capabilities. Based on his comments it's unclear
if the footage shown in the trailer, and in the high res screens pulled
from the trailer and included in our media section, are based off Ridge
Racer 7 visual assets.
One of the screens we've included has what appears to be a set of key
terms for the game. The terms suggest some of what will make the Ridge
Racer 7 experience, although Namco Bandai hasn't clarified what most of
them mean. Here's each term and what we think it may stand for:
Revolutionary Interface: Ridge Racer has always had a slick interface.
Revolutionary? We'll have to see what Namco has in store.
Live Cover From Ridge State: Perhaps the game will have tournaments
featuring live coverage?
Communicate: Presumably, this indicates that the game will have
wireless communication features, although voice chat is mentioned
separately below.
Spread Your Message Around the Globe: It's known that you'll be able to
make 200,000 variations on each in-game car model. Perhaps your message
is sent out via your car?
Newsflashes: Perhaps the game will keep you up to date on big race
tournaments and winners.
Updates From Reiko: Apparently Reiko will have a big role in the game.
Course Conditions: This could mean track conditions will effect the
race.
Machine Manufacturers: Real cars from real manufacturers maybe?
Parts Manufacturers: Real parts from real manufacturers maybe?
Watch Races From Trackside: This could be a view mode, similar to that
of Microsoft's PGR3.
Download/Upload: This presumably means more than just scores, which
would be taken account of in the below Global Ranking section.
Deliver Your Voice to the World: Voice chat perhaps?
Know Your Strengths: Perhaps the game will analyze your play and help
you improve your times.
Know Your Speed: Uhh... not a clue.
Global Ranking: Simple enough!
Bulletin Board: This could have something to do with Sony's Online
service, which is still being kept a secret in Japanese game
publications.
We expect clarification on some of this terminology as Ridge Racer 7's
proper E3 debut approaches.
"We're aiming to make something that can be called the representative
of Japan amongst the games that are released worldwide for the PS3,"
said Teramoto to bring the interview to a close.