Ridge Racer 6 is the sixth console main-series installment in the Ridge Racer series, released for the Xbox 360.
Gameplay[]
Mechanics[]
Ridge Racer 6 continues the Ridge Racer tradition of high-speed drift racing in various fictional locations across the "world of X" and serves as a continuation of its predecessor Ridge Racers with all-new courses and overhauled machines specially made for high-definition gaming on the Xbox 360.
Returning in the game are the three different drift types introduced in Ridge Racers: Standard drifting, featuring well-balanced handling; Mild drifting, suitable for beginner drivers which allows drifts to be entered and exited more easily; and Dynamic drifting, perfect for more advanced drivers seeking the best times in races.
Nitrous boosting, a mechanic previously introduced in Ridge Racers, also returns in Ridge Racer 6, which gives players a temporary speed boost that allows them to overtake opponents faster. As in the previous title, drifting around tight corners refills the player's nitrous tanks, with a maximum of three tanks available for the player to use. Unlike in Ridge Racers, however, two or even three tanks of nitrous can be activated instantly, instead of having to wait for each tank to deplete individually.
Ridge Racer 6 additionally introduces Ultimate Charging, a mechanic that refills nitrous much faster using the residual speed increase after using nitrous.
World Xplorer[]
Ridge Racer 6, like many of its predecessors, features a grand prix-style game mode that serves as its main mode of progression throughout the game. Dubbed the World Xplorer, it contains a branching-tree arrangement of 235 races across different locations and machine classes. The premise of Ridge Racer 6 is set in the "Ridge Universe" racing league in the year 2005, according to the series' timeline, where major changes have been made shortly after the Ridge Racer World Tour concluded.
Unlike in previous games, however, where events feature a pre-selected sequence of races for players to complete, the World Xplorer gives players more freedom with regards to the races they choose to participate in. Races can be completed in any order, so long as they are connected on the World Xplorer grid. Some races may also require additional rules, such as prohibiting the use of nitrous and forcing nitrous to fill up only while drifting.
Game modes[]
- World Xplorer: Ridge Racer 6's main grand prix mode.
- Global Time Attack: A time trial mode where players race around a course as fast they can to get the fastest lap times. Lap records are uploaded to the Xbox servers and can be compared with those from other players.
- Single Race: A quick race mode around one course of the player's choosing.
- Online Battle
- Multi Battle
Courses[]
Ridge Racer 6 features a total of 15 unique courses. These are split into five groups of three, with each group featuring courses situated within the same area and even sharing some roads.
One course, Downtown Rave City, returns from Ridge Racers and extends it by introducing two new courses: Rave City Riverfront and Crossbay Tunnel. It is of note that Midtown Expressway, the course Downtown Rave City was originally based on in the PSP games, does not return in Ridge Racer 6.
The remaining twelve tracks are new additions to the Ridge Racer series:
- Harborline 765
- Midtown Parkway
- Island Circle
- Airport Lap
- Southbay Docks
- Aviator Loop
- Lakeshore Drive
- Laketop Parkway
- Highland Cliffs
- Seacrest District
- Surfside Resort
- Sunset Heights
All courses can also be raced in reverse, as in previous games.
Ridge Racer 6 also officially introduces Mirror Mode for the first time in the Ridge Racer series, which allows players to race on courses that have been mirrored horizontally. Mirrored courses had only been included previously as an easter egg in the original Ridge Racer, then added again years later in Ridge Racers. Combining the mirrored and reverse versions of each course gives the game a total of 60 different course configurations. Mirror Mode needs to be unlocked firsthand, however, by completing Basic Routes 73โ77, 106โ108, and Advanced Routes 08โ12, 16โ19.
Ridge Racer 6 also shows a surprising absence of series icon Seaside Route 765, a course which had appeared in nearly every title prior. Its next appearance would be in Ridge Racer 7, with a new and more detailed look based on its previous appearances in Ridge Racer V and Ridge Racers.
Vehicles[]
The vehicles in Ridge Racer 6 are comprised of vehicles previously included in Ridge Racers, redesigned in higher quality for the Xbox 360; as well as a few new additions.
There are also nine manufacturers represented in the game, such as:
- Kamata (Japan)
- รge (France)
- Terrazi (Japan)
- Danver (United States)
- Assoluto (Italy)
- Soldat (France/Italy)
- Himmel (Germany)
- Gnade (Germany)
- Namco (Special only)
Vehicles are divided into 5 classes, similar to Ridge Racers. Classes 1 and 2 both feature different selections of machines, with Classes 3 and 4 being upgraded versions of each respective class's vehicles. The highest machine class is the Special Class, reserved for Special machines.
There are a total of 23 unique vehicles, with a total of 169 variations, including extra livery versions.
The Special machines in this game are all new additions to the Ridge Racer franchise, save for the Kamata Angelus and Soldat Crinale, returning with their designs from previous console title Ridge Racer V.
Class 1 and Class 3[]
Class 2 and Class 4[]
- Assoluto Fatalita
- Assoluto Bisonte
- Soldat Meltfire
- Himmel EO
- Gnade Esperanza
- Soldat Raggio
- Danver Hijack
Special Class[]
- Himmel 490B
- Gnade G00
- Assoluto Pronzione
- Danver Bass Cruiser
- Age Ultranova
- Terrazi Terrajin
- Kamata Angelus
- Soldat Crinale
- Monstrous
- Namco Pac-Man
Ridge Racer 6 would be the first title in the series to exhibit noticeable differences among the various machines, with each one having its own strengths and weaknesses. For example, the Starnose boasts poor grip and standard nitrous charge in exchange for more sharp drifting and a higher Ultimate Charge rate. This would be a drastic innovation to prior games in the series, where most machines had nearly interchangeable driving experiences. This gave players a more strategy-based experience, encouraging them to plan ahead by choosing the most apt car for a certain course. Cars with higher normal top speeds will also have weaker nitrous boosts as well.
Music[]
Ridge Racer 6 features 16 BGM tracks produced by members of the Namco Sound Team who have previously made songs for earlier Ridge Racer titles. These tracks are separated into three "discs" (akin to how the 12 new music tracks from Ridge Racers are split between the Red and Blue Discs). Fifteen are uniquely assigned to each course in the game, and the last one is unlocked after completing the Pac-Man duel.
No. | Title | Composer | Course |
---|---|---|---|
Green Disc | |||
1 | Explorers | Hiroshi Okubo | Harborline 765 |
2 | Valley of the Mind | SamplingMasters MEGA | Highland Cliffs |
3 | Nitro Mantra | SamplingMasters AYA | Sunset Heights |
4 | I Want You | SamplingMasters AYA | Crossbay Tunnel |
5 | Road Mauler | Rio Hamamoto | Southbay Docks |
White Disc | |||
1 | Floodlight | sanodg | Airport Lap |
2 | Drift Psychosis | Hiroshi Okubo | Seacrest District |
3 | Sueรฑo del Mar | Asuka Sakai | Surfside Resort |
4 | Trail of Light | J99 | Midtown Parkway |
5 | Ultra Cruise | Tetsukazu Nakanishi | Lakeshore Drive |
Black Disc | |||
1 | Highway Fusion | SamplingMasters MEGA | Rave City Riverfront |
2 | Acid Eutron #001 | Acid Eutron | Island Circle |
3 | Radiance | sanodg | Laketop Parkway |
4 | Photon Field | Koji Nakagawa | Aviator Loop |
5 | Galactic Life | Kohta Takahashi | Downtown Rave City |
6 | Run PAC-MAN Run! | Akitaka Tohyama | — |
Other BGM tracks, including those from Ridge Racers and R: Racing Evolution, are available for download through the Xbox Live Marketplace, but not in all regions as they have been delisted.
RIDGE RACER 6 direct audio[]
Due to high demand from fans, a soundtrack album titled RIDGE RACER 6 direct audio was released under SuperSweep Records on 14 January 2009. It contains the 16 in-game BGM tracks, as well as the ending song Chasing All Your Dreams and other music from the game.[1]
No. | Title | Composer |
---|---|---|
Disc 1 | ||
1 | Jump In And Go | Hiroshi Okubo |
2 | Find Your Way | Hiroshi Okubo |
3 | World Xplorer Introduction | Keiki Kobayashi |
4 | Explorers | Hiroshi Okubo |
5 | Valley of the Mind | SamplingMasters MEGA |
6 | Nitro Mantra | SamplingMasters AYA |
7 | I Want You | SamplingMasters AYA |
8 | Road Mauler | Rio Hamamoto |
9 | You've Got A New Machine #1 | Hiroshi Okubo |
10 | Floodlight | sanodg |
11 | Drift Psychosis | Hiroshi Okubo |
12 | Sueรฑo del Mar | Asuka Sakai |
13 | Trail of Light | J99 |
14 | Ultra Cruise | Tetsukazu Nakanishi |
Disc 2 | ||
1 | You've Got A New Machine #2 | Hiroshi Okubo |
2 | Highway Fusion | SamplingMasters MEGA |
3 | Acid Eutron #001 | Acid Eutron |
4 | Radiance | sanodg |
5 | Photon Field | Koji Nakagawa |
6 | Galactic Life | Kohta Takahashi |
7 | You've Got A New Machine #3 | Junichi Nakatsuru |
8 | Run PAC-MAN Run! | Akitaka Tohyama |
9 | Layover | Junichi Nakatsuru |
10 | Chasing All My Dreams | Hiroshi Okubo |
On 26 April 2024, these songs, along with the music from Ridge Racer (PlayStation Vita), were made available for purchase and streaming worldwide.[2]
RIDGE RACER 6 direct audio ~extra disc~[]
An extra disc was also made available featuring a 28-minute non-stop megamix of BGM tracks from the game mixed by Yousuke Yasui. This extra disc was bundled with the main discs at Comiket 75 and were also included with online purchases of the main disc through the SuperSweep web store.[3].
No. | Title | Composer |
---|---|---|
1 | You've Got A New Machine #1 | Hiroshi Okubo |
2 | Find Your Way | Hiroshi Okubo |
3 | Acid Eutron #001 | Acid Eutron |
4 | Sueรฑo del Mar | Asuka Sakai |
5 | Trail of Light | J99 |
6 | Radiance | sanodg |
7 | Photon Field | Koji Nakagawa |
8 | I Want You | SamplingMasters AYA |
9 | Galactic Life | Kohta Takahashi |
10 | Ultra Cruise | Tetsukazu Nakanishi |
11 | Floodlight | sanodg |
12 | Explorers | Hiroshi Okubo |
13 | Highway Fusion | SamplingMasters MEGA |
14 | Run PAC-MAN Run! | Akitaka Tohyama |
15 | Nitro Mantra | SamplingMasters AYA |
Downloadable content[]
Ridge Racer 6 offers 36 car designs, one per machine, each available as free DLCs exclusively on the US Xbox Store.
Also included in Ridge Racer 6's downloadable content are 41 BGM tracks from Ridge Racers and R: Racing Evolution, sold at $1 each. These tracks are also only available on the US Xbox Store.
No. | Title | Composer | Original game |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Highride | SamplingMasters MEGA | Ridge Racers |
2 | Warp Trooper | SamplingMasters AYA | Ridge Racers |
3 | Bassrider | Hiroshi Okubo | Ridge Racers |
4 | Pulse Phaze | U | Ridge Racers |
5 | Chrome Drive | sanodg | Ridge Racers |
6 | Synthetic Life | Kohta Takahashi | Ridge Racers |
7 | Disco Ball | Hiroshi Okubo | Ridge Racers |
8 | Night Stream | Kohta Takahashi | Ridge Racers |
9 | Light Groove | Asuka Sakai | Ridge Racers |
10 | Vanishing Horizon | J99 | Ridge Racers |
11 | Tunnel Visionary | Tetsukazu Nakanishi | Ridge Racers |
12 | Tek Trek | Hiroshi Okubo, Koji Nakagawa | Ridge Racers |
13 | Rotterdam Nation Remix | SamplingMasters MEGA | Ridge Racers |
14 | Speedster Remix | SamplingMasters MEGA | Ridge Racers |
15 | Drive U 2 Dancing Remix | SamplingMasters AYA | Ridge Racers |
16 | Rareheroes | sanodg | Ridge Racers |
17 | Blue Topaz Remix | J99 | Ridge Racers |
18 | Motor Species Remix | Tetsukazu Nakanishi | Ridge Racers |
19 | Ridge Racer | SamplingMasters MEGA | Ridge Racer |
20 | Grip | sanodg | Ridge Racer 2 / Ridge Racer Revolution |
21 | Euphoria | SamplingMasters AYA | Rave Racer |
22 | Silver Stream | Hiroshi Okubo | Rage Racer |
23 | Naked Glow | Kohta Takahashi | Ridge Racer Type 4 |
24 | Your Vibe | Asuka Sakai | Ridge Racer Type 4 |
25 | Move Me | Kohta Takahashi | Ridge Racer Type 4 |
26 | Movin' in Circles | Hiroshi Okubo | Ridge Racer Type 4 |
27 | Eat 'em Up! | Hiroshi Okubo | Ridge Racer Type 4 |
28 | TuiTui | U | Ridge Racer V |
29 | Samurai Rocket | Kohta Takahashi | Ridge Racer V |
30 | Daredevil | Kohta Takahashi | Ridge Racer V |
31 | Deep Resonance | Hiroshi Okubo | R: Racing Evolution |
32 | Liquid Soul | Akitaka Tohyama | R: Racing Evolution |
33 | Mars Landing | Akitaka Tohyama | R: Racing Evolution |
34 | Divas | Hiroshi Okubo | R: Racing Evolution |
35 | Funk-A-Tronic | U | R: Racing Evolution |
36 | Rising | Koji Nakagawa | R: Racing Evolution |
37 | T Minus Ten | Akitaka Tohyama | R: Racing Evolution |
38 | Monte Carlo | Satoru Kosaki | R: Racing Evolution |
39 | Carmine | Hiroshi Okubo | R: Racing Evolution |
40 | Boombox | Hiroshi Okubo | R: Racing Evolution |
41 | Time Compression | U | R: Racing Evolution |
Trivia[]
- Heihachi Mishima (voiced by the late Daisuke Gouri at the time of the game's release) from the Tekken series appears in this game as an announcer / voice-over DJ, where the option to have him as the race announcer can be unlocked in the later stages of the World Xplorer mode. However, he only speaks Japanese, and the game does not feature any English subtitles for his voiceovers and commentary.
- Not all cars will be unlocked even with 100% completion of the World Xplorer mode. Some cars are available as free DLCs in the Xbox Store, while others require participation in online events (approximately 230 online races, resulting in 23 unlockable cars; winning these races is not required).
- The game's servers are still active despite the discontinuation of the Xbox 360. DLC content is also still accessible.
- This is the only game in the series to have two ending movies: one after completion of the Basic Route, and another after completing the Special Route.
- Backwards compatibility for the game on the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S was announced during the Xbox 20th Anniversary event.
- This makes the game the first title in the series that can be played on eighth and ninth generation consoles. The second would be Ridge Racer 2 (PSP), which became playable on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in 2023 for PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers.
- Online multiplayer of the game is also possible while playing on an Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S for players with an active Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass subscription.
References[]
- โ RIDGE RACER 6 direct audio | SRIN-1050~1 - VGMdb
- โ Bandai Namco Game Music on X: "๐ฎTwo additional soundtracks for "Ridge Racer" are now available๐ฎ Enjoy our music from the links belowโจ โผRIDGE RACER6 direct audio (Original Soundtrack) https://nex-tone.link/VZRTnnkBr โผRIDGE RACER (Original Soundtrack PS Vita ver.) https://nex-tone.link/T4KTyxPZz #RidgeRacer" / X
- โ RIDGE RACER 6 direct audio ~extra disc~ | SREX-0002 - VGMdb
Ridge Racer series | ||
---|---|---|
Arcade games | Ridge Racer ยท 2 ยท Rave Racer ยท Pocket Racer ยท V: Arcade Battle | |
Console and handheld games | Ridge Racer ยท Revolution ยท Rage Racer ยท Type 4 ยท 64 (DS) ยท V ยท Ridge Racer (PSP) (2) ยท 6 ยท 7 ยท 3D ยท Unbounded (Driftopia) ยท Ridge Racer (PlayStation Vita) | |
Mobile games | Ridge Racer ยท Drift ยท Accelerated ยท Slipstream ยท Draw & Drift | |
Related games | SimDrive ยท Ace Driver (Victory Lap ยท 3: Final Turn) ยท Dirt Dash ยท R: Racing Evolution ยท Critical Velocity ยท Pachi-Slot | |
Universe and people | Ridge City ยท Ridge State ยท Shatter Bay ยท Real Racing Roots ยท UFRA ยท Reiko Nagase ยท Enki Gilbert ยท Shinji Yazaki ยท Sophie Cavalier ยท Robert Chrisman ยท Ai Fukami ยท Rena Hayami ยท Gina Cavalli ยท Stephan Garnier ยท Kara Shindo | |
Game mechanics | Drifting ยท Grand Prix ยท Slipstream ยท Nitrous ยท Car Classes ยท Customization ยท Special Machine ยท Rocket Start |