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[PanopticBlue]

And what did I tell you? Ridge Racer and Ridge Racer Revolution are archaic games by todays standards and are simply not up to snuff with the many, many better racing games that have since come after it.

So then your opinion, if i'm hearing you correctly, is that the gameplay in Ridge Racer and Ridge Racer Revolution are archaic? Not up to snuff and generally bad? I'm real curious as to what your opinion on R4 and RRV is then. Seeing as how R4 is actually a step BACKWARD gameplay wise for the series. The control/handling in that game is completely dumbed down. As for RRV, that game brings the series back to it's roots (which you claim are archaic), and I love it for that. Point is, if the first couple RR games are archaic, they ALL are. Your comment I quoted simply doesn't make any sense. Btw, if you think adding some nitros to the series is what makes it modern, then you are clueless about the RR series greatness.

 

[seismologist]

(DS<PS1<Saturn).

Not saying that it's untrue but what is this based on? The speakers sound chinsy, but the audio in this game sounds pretty good running through headphones.

 

[jarrod]

Not saying that it's untrue but what is this based on? The speakers sound chinsy, but the audio in this game sounds pretty good running through headphones.

Well for one DS lacks a dedicated sound chip. The ARM7 is perfectly capable for audio though, and really there probably aren't any 32bit games that couldn't be faithfully recreated on it. PS1 and (especially) Saturn were just sort of overloaded for sound hardware, neither was ever taken full advantage of. But if we're looking strictly at the specs it's probably...

Saturn > PS1 >>> DS >> N64

 

[Sho Nuff]

Being desperate for DS games, I was thinking about picking this one up, but not anymore......

 

[snapty00]

Through earphones, the DS has the possibility -- however unlikely because of cartridge restraints -- to sound about as good as any modern console. I mean, it can finally output 44 KHz sound at 16-bit, and that's almost as good as it gets. Some people can't even differentiate between that and higher bit and sample rates.

 

[jarrod]

however unlikely because of cartridge restraints

3DM should alleviate most space concerns of the bat. Unless a developer wants to use redbook audio (then he'll have to wait a few months until the 128MB & 256MB cards start mass production), things will be fine.

 

[Lord Error]

I mean, it can finally output 44 KHz sound at 16-bit, and that's almost as good as it gets

Sampling quality is just one part of the story. The quality of DA converter is the other part,

 

[snapty00]

Recorded audio is always going to sound better than MIDI or wavetable-like synthesis, unless the equipment inside the machine is some high-tech shit. There are some very expensive synthesis systems out there, but I would guess the DS has nothing like that. I'm guessing the DS has more of a MOD-like system. I do wonder if developers always have to record their own instruments on DS or if some are built-in, saving space on the cartridge.

Sampling quality is just one part of the story. The quality of DA converter is the other part,

Unlike GBA, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the analog conversion on DS isn't a problem at all.

 

[jarrod]

I do wonder if developers always have to record their own instruments on DS or if some are built-in, saving space on the cartridge.

That's an interesting question, Nintendo did do something similar for SFC and 64DD. I kinda doubt it though, we'd have probably heard about it by now.

 

[Sho Nuff]

Does anyone know HOW BIG the DS cartridges are? Nintendo was making a big deal about gigabit size and shit, but that doesn't matter if everything is shipping in 12MB or whatever.

 

[jarrod]

Does anyone know HOW BIG the DS cartridges are? Nintendo was making a big deal about gigabit size and shit, but that doesn't matter if everything is shipping in 12MB or whatever.

The minimum size 3DM ROM in mass production is 32MB, so that's the smallest possibilty. 64MB is also in mass production right now... 16MB, 128MB and 256MB are all set to go in the coming months.

Nintendo mentioned that developers were complaining about having too much space initially, that many felt they were wasting silicon with their simpler games. I'm guessing every launch game is probably on a 32MB card, regardless of complexity. In the future, simpler games like Pac-Pix or Puzzle Bobble will likely be on 16MB cards (and hopefully coming in at a lower price).

 

[snapty00]

Actually, Super Mario 64 DS and the First Hunt demo are both 16 megabytes themselves.

 

[jarrod]

Actually, Super Mario 64 DS and the First Hunt demo are both 16 megabytes themselves.

I'm not sure how that possible when Matrix doesn't have 16MB 3DM currently in production? Unless maybe these inital games aren't using 3DM, but rather traditional ROM?

 

[Sho Nuff]

That's not much more than existing GBA titles. Is it really going to be cheap to produce these things at 256MB?

The "too much space" thing is bollocks, really. You can never have too much. JUST ADD FMV!!!

 

[Miburou]

The gameplay in RR and RRR is archaic. It felt like a bumper car game. Hit a car from behind and it goes zipping ahead of you. Touch a wall and your car almost comes to a complete stop. And the drift options were very simplistic. Rage and RRV both improved tremendously on that formula.

The best the RR64 fans can say is that the game played like the first RR games. But racers are some of the worst games in terms of aging, so RRDS being a port of a game that at best plays like a 10 year old game isn't exactly high praise.

 

[snapty00]

If you look on the inside of the cartridge, it'll tell you in megabits how large the chip is in capacity. I know that Asphalt GT is 32 megabytes in size.

 

[jarrod]

That's not much more than existing GBA titles. Is it really going to be cheap to produce these things at 256MB?

Yes. Matrix Semiconductor goes into detail on their website about how stacking technology dramatically reduces costs. It's going to revolutionize not only content publishing, but also disposable memory and embedded solutions they say. Sony, Kodak, Seagate, Thompson and Microsoft have actually heavily invested in the technology too, not just Nintendo.

Most GBA games range from 4MB to 16MB. There's only one 32MB game so far afaik (Kingdom Hearts CoM) but the extra space is for the FMV and voice mainly.

If you look on the inside of the cartridge, it'll tell you in megabits how large the chip is in capacity. I know that Asphalt GT is 32 megabytes in size.

I believe you. Maybe it's possible Matrix just hasn't updated their site yet, and 16MB is in mass production too already.

 

[Amir0x]

There's a simple solution to this: dont run into other cars

:lol :lol

That's rich, you're making excuses for poor collission detection. News flash, brotha. This is a racing games. Cars are meant to hit each other. That's what happens. If the collision detection sucks ass, like it does in RRDS, then it is bad. Period.

Do good and they wont have to slow down for you. It's all about the time trials anyway. What kind of times are you getting?

'Sup excuse. Wanna go out for a coffee?

No I dont blame anyone for being hyped about the graphics. But stuff like this dont sound too hot:

"Fill up one of the nitros and you can use it with a press of the right trigger to send your car zipping past rivals. We found ourselves purposely slipping and sliding in order to build up the meter faster."

It makes your RRDS complaints seem kind of trivial.

seismologst, no matter how many times you click your heels and wish for RR(PSP) to suck (at least worse than RRDS), it won't. Ever. Click your heels again. Noooooope. Still nothing. The nitro option makes each drift more important. Now, obviously, whether you prefer pure or "new school" will be determined after you get RR(PSP) in your hands, but it's quite clear that every level of Ridge Racer (PSP) is designed better.

 

[Moegames]

I'm playing RRDS for the past couple days. Once you get past the fact that the analog steering wheel is worthless and start using the d-pad instead, it's a pretty good racing game. I've placed first in the first 4 tracks and beaten 3 of the 1 on 1 races to unlock new cars.

The only Ridge Racer games I've owned are Rage Racer and RR5.
So I never played the N64 version. If I hadn't known ahead of time, I wouldn't even know this one wasn't made by Namco. It plays like classic RR game. No bullshit boost meters involved here . It's all about handling and making the perfect line through the turns. And It's highly satisfying when you do. The announcer says something like "Nice handling!" and you get a big grin on your face cause you know you're just owning the game.

The graphics aren't even a factor. They're not really bad or good. It's somewhere in between. I guess about what the PSX RR games would look like shrunk down to a 3" screen. The game moves so you dont notice those pixelated textures from the screenshots. Framerate is silky smooth.
I guess one neat thing about the giant steering wheel is it changes depending on which car your using. It sort of gives you a sense of actually being inside the new car which is cool I guess...

Does this make you feel better now? Because i bet the only reason why you posted this is to make your self feel better for wasting your loot on a shitty ass game that looks dated to ps1 standards

 

[king zell]

Does this make you feel better now? Because i bet the only reason why you posted this is to make your self feel better for wasting your loot on a shitty ass game that looks dated to ps1 standards

banned?