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[Datawhore]

http://www.psxextreme.com/scripts/reviews3/review.asp?revID=5

If you're a fan of the Underground series, there's no doubt you'll enjoy Rivals' gameplay. It embodies everything that makes Need for Speed fun, including what seem to be the series' two core modes: a Battle mode and Circuit mode.

For a handheld title, Rivals is a triumphant achievement. The game is primarily set during the night time, a setting that helps to showcase some of the visual tricks that the PSP can achieve. The reflections in the game are absolutely incredible; they're so clear that you can easily read a road sign reflecting off a car. You won't just see a generic blur effect. The actual environments reflect off of the cars. What's more, the reflections animate at the same frame rate as the game, so they come off looking incredibly smooth as they beam off of your car.

7.9 out of 10

Pretty solid score for a 1st Gen title

 

[Outdoor Miner]

Jesus, going by that text you'd think it would have earned at least a 9.

 

[Wario64]

I expected Alpha to review it higher

 

[The End]

Jesus, going by that text you'd think it would have earned at least a 9.

apparently, the reviewer was a big My Chemical Romance fan, and the EA TRAX edit really pissed him off.

 

[TheDiave]

And a fansite has a reviewable of an EA game, how?

 

[Wario64]

And a fansite has a reviewable of an EA game, how?

"IMPORT REVIEW"

It's out in Japan already

 

[newsguy]

Instead, you have a fully customizable garage (cars can be organized by category) that can hold all 19 cars

I really never played the series but 19 cars? That seems low even for a handheld title. I also agree that from the write-up it sounded like 8.5-9.0, still, a 7.9 is solid.

 

[The End]

Doesn't RR have like 54?

Even then, that's scaled down from the 321 in R4, but still.

 

[Lyte Edge]

Isn't this Alphasnake's (former?) site?

7.9 out of 10

Pretty solid score for a 1st Gen title

Ridge Racers >>>> NFSU Rivals. RR is easily a 9/10 game.

19 cars does seem like a low number, but you can customize them like in the console NFSU games.

Car count in Ridge Racer means squat; it doens't have anything to do with what platform the game is on. R4 had "hundreds" of cars, but RRV only had what...? 25 or less? Outrun 2 has like 8.

 

[vibribbon]

Rivals actually has 20 cars, plus 4 unlockable boss cars.

 

[Funky Papa]

RR is easily a 9/10 game.

I disagree. I said it a few days ago and I say it now, RR is a average yet fun racer with polished visuals, something really rare for a launch title. This and the fact of being such a big leap from previous hanheld games is affecting the general appreciation more than it should. Sure it doesn't have any big flaws, but tech aside it doesn't have any great things either.

I like it, but I'd give it a scarce seven.

 

[newsguy]

I disagree. I said it a few days ago and I say it now, RR is a average yet fun racer with polished visuals, something really rare for a launch title. This and the fact of being such a big leap from previous hanheld games is affecting the general appreciation more than it should. Sure it doesn't have any big flaws, but tech aside it doesn't have any great things either.

I like it, but I'd give it a scarce seven.

While I agree that this game is receiving more attention due to it's polished visuals and large jump visually from previous handhelds, it is higher than a 7.0 easily.

 

[Doom_Bringer]

I disagree. I said it a few days ago and I say it now, RR is a average yet fun racer with polished visuals, something really rare for a launch title. This and the fact of being such a big leap from previous hanheld games is affecting the general appreciation more than it should. Sure it doesn't have any big flaws, but tech aside it doesn't have any great things either.

I like it, but I'd give it a scarce seven.

:lol

For a handheld racing game RR easily deserves a 9/10! Because honestly speaking it will be very hard to top RR and the game also set a new benchmark for handheld racers. Great work by Namco!

I don't know WTF you are talking about. Hell I bet you don't even have a PSP or have ever played RR :lol

 

[Funky Papa]

I don't know WTF you are talking about. Hell I bet you don't even have a PSP or have ever played RR :lol

Are you willing to bet actual money? Because I am sure as fuck I'll win.

BTW I'm scoring it with a seven in an Edge way. Really good, but nothing mindblowing.

 

[Doom_Bringer]

Are you willing to bet actual money? Because I am sure as fuck I'll win.

NO!

OMG! Please tell me which racer on HANDHELD machine is better than RR? Fuck if I started comparing Halo to PC games back when it came out I would give it a 7/10 too!

 

[Funky Papa]

We shouldn't compare it with other racers since those are made for very inferior platforms. Standards should be higher for PSP games, we are not playing GBA carts anymore.

 

[Speevy]

How long before we lose the phrase

for a handheld title

I think the PSP is awesome, but really, is there any game you can't praise under this premise?

 

[Doom_Bringer]

We shouldn't compare it with other racers since those are made for very inferior platforms. Standards should be higher for PSP games, we are not playing GBA carts anymore.

Ridge Racer set a benchmark for handheld racers!

It is the best handheld racing game!

Please don't compare it to console racers and review it for what it is! (A handheld racing game)

 

[Funky Papa]

I am not comparing it with anything because there is nothing comparable to the PSP. I am just saying that PSP destroys the whole "handheld gaming" thing as we know it, it raises the quality bar and we should raise our appreciation standards as well.

Let's be clear, handheld gaming hasn't been nothing special for some years. Sure, we were happy with what we got, but that was because there was nothing better. Now with PSP...

 

[AlphaSnake]

Aye, that is my review. And PSXE is still my site, I'm just no longer the EIC.

Sal Paradise Jr -----
Jesus, going by that text you'd think it would have earned at least a 9.

What?

Even though the soundtrack is practically worthless, Rivals still manages to provide a good time. It's a nice game to have in your PSP and it's a worthy addition to the Underground lineup. It may lack the depth that Underground 2 has, but for a portable racer it does its job well. I'm certain (or at least hoping) that future iterations will provide a slightly deeper experience, with a more engaging look, but for now, this'll do.

There's no way you're gonna' tell me I was gushing over the game. I pointed out flaw, after flaw -- in addition to pointing our pro after pro.

A few quotes from the review:

As far as car detail is concerned, the game has its ups and downs. Sometimes, it's difficult to tell what car you're looking at...

It's not the deepest racer in the world, but it is a lot fun and that's what counts the most.

I'm certain (or at least hoping) that future iterations will provide a slightly deeper experience, with a more engaging look, but for now, this'll do.

 

[Doom_Bringer]

I am not comparing it with anything because there is nothing comparable to the PSP. I am just saying that PSP destroys the whole "handheld gaming" thing as we know it, it raises the quality bar and we should raise our appreciation standards as well.

Let's be clear, handheld gaming has been nothing special for some years. Sure, we were happy with what we got, but that was because there was nothing better. Now with PSP...

meh I don't know what you are talking about. When will the handheld gaming become special? When GBA 2 comes out right? :lol

Wipeout Pure and RR make handheld gaming very special to me

 

[AlphaSnake]

apparently, the reviewer was a big My Chemical Romance fan, and the EA TRAX edit really pissed him off.

Oooh you have no idea. I went on a similar rant in my Burnout 3 review. It is seriously some of the worst editing I've ever heard.

 

[rod]

as a handheld racing game rr gets an 8.5 from me

as game, in total, fun/visuals/longevity ect, it gets a 7.5.

 

[Doom_Bringer]

as a handheld racing game rr gets an 8.5 from me

as game, in total, fun/visuals/longevity ect, it gets a 7.5.

right...

 

[newsguy]

How long before we lose the phrase

I think the PSP is awesome, but really, is there any game you can't praise under this premise?

I see what you're saying, but the PSP is the handheld DC. Reviewers gave NFL2K astonishingly high reviews because it was such a leap from anything on the PS or N64, but since there was no other next-gen system out yet, there was nothing to compare it to. I do agree that saying "for a handheld" boosts a game's rating, but even on it's own, RR is a quality title.

 

[mashoutposse]

There isn't a handheld racing game better than RR, but I also can't think of a handheld racer that would warrant much more than a 6/10 (maybe Mario Kart SC), so I guess it's not exactly saying much. I'd give RR an 8.5.

 

[rod]

right...

what part is too hard for you to understand? the game itself is easily the best handheld racer ever. technically speaking. so just for that it deserves an extra 1.5 on top of the 7.5 i would give it overall.

dont get upset just cos everybody doesnt love rr as much as you.

 

[Funky Papa]

Doom_Bringer, I share your love for RR. Seriously, the game is good fun and I'd give it a perfect ten going by the huge leap alone but certain leaps shouldn't influenciate reviews since they are more a hardware thing. I think newsguy shares a similar view with me. I am pretty sure there will be much better racers than RR soon. How high are we going to score Burnout for PSP or GT when they come out?

I'd love to continue this discussion, but now I'm quitting to bed, this thread is about NFS and that's what we should be talking about =)

 

[Amir0x]

Isn't this Alphasnake's (former?) site?



Ridge Racers >>>> NFSU Rivals. RR is easily a 9/10 game.

19 cars does seem like a low number, but you can customize them like in the console NFSU games.

Car count in Ridge Racer means squat; it doens't have anything to do with what platform the game is on. R4 had "hundreds" of cars, but RRV only had what...? 25 or less? Outrun 2 has like 8.

You're not far off the mark. Ridge Racers has an 88% average on gamerankings out of like 10 or 12 reviews.

 

[bigNman]

In Rivals, body kits come pre-done, so you can't mix and match like you can on the other titles.

Thats a bit poor, I have just finished NFSU2 on PC five minutes ago and mixing and matching parts was the best bit.

 

[newsguy]

While that's cool in a game, I vomit when I see people with mismatched bodykits roaming the streets.

 

[krypt0nian]

You're not far off the mark. Ridge Racers has an 88% average on gamerankings out of like 10 or 12 reviews.

So far I only see these that count in the average -

NTSC uk
9 out of 10
90.0%

Games Master UK
90 out of 100
90.0%

Games Master UK
90 out of 100
90.0%

PSX Extreme
8.3 out of 10
83.0%

The others are non-rated sites.


Not that I think RRs is not AAA, just wandered over to gamerankings and noticed it was 4 reviews so far.

 

[DarienA]

I'm an RR fan but I have to ask a question about the PSP RR.

Now on the PSOne while I loved RR's the reality was that the series is really just a race against the clock with cars in placeholder positions periodically spaced around the track.

The races generally really aren't about you racing aggressive competition, they are about you finding the best ways to take various turns and such to overpass the position vehicles and win the race.

Now I generally didn't have a problem with that back then because I loved the music, love the environments, loved the feel of the RR's....

But I don't know if that's enough for me now, so I have to ask... is RR on the PSP like that? Is it still really just a race against the clock/track with placeholder vehicles spaced throughout the course?

 

[rod]

I'm an RR fan but I have to ask a question about the PSP RR.

Now on the PSOne while I loved RR's the reality was that the series is really just a race against the clock with cars in placeholder positions periodically spaced around the track.

The races generally really aren't about you racing aggressive competition, they are about you finding the best ways to take various turns and such to overpass the position vehicles and win the race.

Now I generally didn't have a problem with that back then because I loved the music, love the environments, loved the feel of the RR's....

But I don't know if that's enough for me now, so I have to ask... is RR on the PSP like that? Is it still really just a race against the clock/track with placeholder vehicles spaced throughout the course?

yep

 

[Amir0x]

So far I only see these that count in the average -

NTSC uk
9 out of 10
90.0%

Games Master UK
90 out of 100
90.0%

Games Master UK
90 out of 100
90.0%

PSX Extreme
8.3 out of 10
83.0%

The others are non-rated sites.


Not that I think RRs is not AAA, just wandered over to gamerankings and noticed it was 4 reviews so far.

You're correct, but I just worded it wrong. Because there ARE more than those 4, the rest just aren't toward the ranking:

HonestGamers 12/21/2004 9.7 out of 10 97.0%
Kikizo Games 1/5/2005 9 out of 10 90.0%
NTSC uk 1/16/2005 9 out of 10 90.0%
GotNext 1/21/2005 4.5 out of 5 90.0%
PSXEvolution UK 1/22/2005 9 out of 10 90.0%
Gamers Europe 2/8/2005 9 out of 10 90.0%
GMR-Source 2/2/2005 9 out of 10 90.0%
Games Master UK 2/1/2005 90 out of 100 90.0%
Ferrago 1/27/2005 86 out of 100 86.0%
PSX Extreme 12/19/2004 8.3 out of 10 83.0%

So ten. And if you average all those today, it's 89.6%

So either way, it's close to 90.

 

[Shard]

Isn't this Alphasnake's (former?) site?



Ridge Racers >>>> NFSU Rivals. RR is easily a 9/10 game.

Indeed.

 

[john tv]

Alpha - FYI, wireless head-to-head is 2P only. The box says 1-4 on the back but they're talking about Party Play (handing the PSP off to your friends to take turns).

Also, there's more than 19 cars -- something like 24, I think, at last count, though I might be wrong there.

Finally, every performance part you buy has a positive effect on your car.

Nice review though. Glad you liked it!

 

[newsguy]

Alpha - FYI, wireless head-to-head is 2P only. The box says 1-4 on the back but they're talking about Party Play (handing the PSP off to your friends to take turns).

Also, there's more than 19 cars -- something like 24, I think, at last count, though I might be wrong there.

Finally, every performance part you buy has a positive effect on your car.

Nice review though. Glad you liked it!

Well John, just to put you on the spot, would you give NFSUR a lower, higher, or equal score based on what you've seen?

 

[KyotoMecca]

there ARE more than those 4, the rest just aren't toward the ranking:

Which by the way, is pretty much only down to how long a site has been around for (number of reviews). Not strictly an indicator of credibility.

Also...

Ridge Racers is astounding. That's all.

 

[Outdoor Miner]

Aye, that is my review. And PSXE is still my site, I'm just no longer the EIC.



What?



There's no way you're gonna' tell me I was gushing over the game. I pointed out flaw, after flaw -- in addition to pointing our pro after pro.

I wasn't referring to your complete review, Alpha. Only with the text the OP decided to go with.

 

[segasonic]

Sure it doesn't have any big flaws

How about the non-existant difficulty level that makes Ridge Racers boring as hell?