Software:R4: Ridge Racer Type 4

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Short description: 1998 video game
R4: Ridge Racer Type 4
North American cover art featuring the Assoluto Bisonte (foreground) and the Terrazi Troop (background)
Developer(s)Namco
Publisher(s)
Producer(s)Shigeru Yokoyama
Programmer(s)Masatoshi Kobayashi
Artist(s)Kazutoki Kono
Composer(s)Kohta Takahashi
Hiroshi Okubo
Asuka Sakai
SeriesRidge Racer
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
  • JP: 3 December 1998
  • EU: 16 April 1999
  • NA: 4 May 1999[1]
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Lua error in Module:Lang/utilities at line 332: attempt to call field '_transl' (a nil value)., released without the 'R4' prefix in PAL territories, is a 1998 racing video game developed and published by Namco for the PlayStation. It is the fourth home title in the Ridge Racer series after Rage Racer (1996) and was initially released on December 3, 1998 in Japan, with global releases following in 1999.

Maintaining the arcade-style gameplay of its predecessors, R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 introduces a new Grand Prix, named Real Racing Roots '99, consisting of four teams that the player may join, with associated sponsorships that can also be chosen, each offering different effects to the driving. Additionally, every team also has its own story mode, accompanied with a manager that interacts with the player during the season. The number of car models was expanded to include over 300 vehicles.

R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 was positively received, with praise for its presentation, art, driving, and soundtrack, though some criticism was directed to its cars' overly light drifting compared to earlier titles in the series. Retrospective reviewers considered it as one of the greatest PlayStation titles. The game was later re-released on the PlayStation Network service in 2011, on the PlayStation Classic console in 2018, and in 2023 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.[2] It was followed by Ridge Racer V in 2000, which moved the series on to next generation hardware.

Gameplay

A typical race in progress, taking place at the Helter Skelter circuit, featuring the player driving the Terrazi Ambitious as part of the Pac Racing Club attempting to overtake the Lizard Bonfire of Dig Racing Team

R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 is an arcade-style racing game with a strong emphasis on powersliding around corners. Vehicles use one of two styles of powersliding depending on the make of car they select: Drift and Grip. Drift cars require players to tap the brake once while turning to break into a smooth powerslide while Grip cars requires players to alternate between brakes and gas while turning to powerslide.[3]

Vehicles are earned by playing through the game's Grand Prix mode. Players select one of four teams; R.C Micro Mouse Mappy (France), Pac Racing Club (Japan), Racing Team Solvalou (Italy), and Dig Racing Team (United States), who each have varying difficulties, and one of four manufacturers; Age Solo (France), Lizard (United States), Assoluto (Italy), and Terrazi (Japan), which determines the style of car and powerslide type the player will use. In each race, the player must attempt to reach a qualifying position, with later stages requiring players to place in higher positions to qualify. Depending on the qualifying position in each race, players will be awarded a new vehicle, or an upgrade to their current one, based on their team and manufacturer, with better cars earned for reaching consistently higher positions (i.e. the best cars are earned by placing 1st in each match while the least impressive cars are earned by just clearing the minimum qualifying positions). There are a total of 320 vehicles earned by racing with every combination of team, manufacturer and qualifying position. If the players unlock all 320 cars, they will unlock an additional one modelled after Pac-Man, for a total of 321 vehicles.[3]

The game also features Time Attack mode, in which players can attempt to get the fastest time on each course, and VS. Battle, a split-screen mode for two players (the first to appear in the home console series) and an undocumented PlayStation Link Cable mode, allowing four players to play simultaneously. Players can also create their own car decors and participate in Extra Trials against powerful prototype cars. The game is also compatible with the PocketStation device in Japan, which allows players to trade cars with friends.[3][4]

Development

Development of R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 began in May 1997. All the 33 staff members had also worked previously on the original Ridge Racer (1993).[5] The game was also the first Ridge Racer on the PlayStation to use Gouraud shading on polygons. Developmental staff members commented that much "waste" was removed in order to make Gouraud shading and high polygon counts possible. Similarly to the critically acclaimed Gran Turismo at the time, R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 made use of SCE's Performance Analyser devkit.[5] The team initially didn't expect to achieve all graphical advances but eventually succeeded in doing them, and even added additional features during development. Ace Combat 2 was used by the art director for inspiration regarding the sky effects in the game.[5] The opening movie, featuring series mascot Reiko Nagase, took over six months to make including planning.[5]

Music

Hiroshi Okubo served as the sound director and lead composer of the game's soundtrack, with Kohta Takahashi and Asuka Sakai also contributing several tracks, and Tetsukazu Nakanishi and Koji Nakagawa contributing two tracks each. Whereas previous games had music inspired by rave and hardcore, R4 instead explores music styles encompassing funk, breakbeat, acid jazz, UK garage, progressive house, and neo soul.[6] Okubo himself described R4's music as "more mature, more fashionable" compared to the past.[5]

Okubo had previously composed additional tracks for Ridge Racer Revolution with Nobuhide Isayama and the whole soundtrack of Rage Racer with Nakanishi, both of which roughly retain the original's rave sound. A handful of tracks in the game, including the theme song "Ridge Racer (One More Win)", feature vocals by American singer Kimara Lovelace. Okubo first discovered her at a club event in Nishi-Azabu in May 1998; he was impressed by her powerful voice, and felt she fitted the game direction's keywords of "urban" and "cool".[7]

The music was designed to correspond with the game's human drama, so the composers aimed to evoke emotions of sadness and tension in their tracks. Both Takahashi and Sakai previously did not have much knowledge or interest in club music; initial tracks they composed for the game were frequently rejected by Okubo for not fitting into the club sound or being "game like". Takahashi described him as "the gatekeeper to club sound hell",[8] while Okubo took piano parts from one of Sakai's tracks and reworked it into "Quiet Curves",[7] much to her annoyance.[9] Nakagawa, who was working on the soundtrack for Techno Drive at the time, was asked by Okubo to contribute due to his experience with composing techno music, while Nakanishi was involved towards the end of the project.[10]

A soundtrack for the game, R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 Direct Audio was released by Media Factory on January 27, 1999.[6] On March 21, 2019, SuperSweep released R4: The 20th Anniv. Sounds, consisting of two CDs: the first includes new remixes by a variety of artists, and the second including a remastered version of the original soundtrack.[11]

Release

A peripheral, the Jogcon, was released alongside the game, packaged in special editions. The device features a steering wheel type device in the middle of the controller to provide accurate control. R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 was also released with a bonus disc containing a High-Spec version of the original Ridge Racer, running at 60 frames per second like its arcade counterpart. The disc also contains demos for LiberoGrande, Tales of Destiny, Tekken 3, and Klonoa.[12]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic88/100[13]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameStarStarStarStarHalf star[14]
Edge8/10[15]
EGM8/9/9.5/8.5[16]
Famitsu35/40[17]
Game Informer8.25/10[18]
GameProStarStarStarStar[19]
GameRevolutionB[20]
GameSpot8.7/10[21]
IGN9.4/10[22]
Next GenerationStarStarStarStar[23]
OPM (UK)9/10[24]
OPM (US)StarStarStarStar[25]

R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[13]

Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot[21] and Next Generation gave positive reviews to the game.[23]

Keith Stuart of Official UK PlayStation Magazine in its preview gave a strongly positive reception to the game design such as light and shadow effects.[5] He also added in comparison to other racers: "Not everyone enjoyed the obsessive intricacy and detail of Gran Turismo, but many found sub-arcade fare like Motorhead lacking in substance. With R4's combination of immediate gameplay and real depth, players get the best of both worlds."[5]

In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 35 out of 40.[17]

Retrospective

James O'Neill of Push Square noted it as the best of the PS1 Ridge Racer games.[26] Jeremy Peeples of Hardcore Gamer said in 2018 that "R4 remains a high mark for the series and no entry has quite topped it yet." In 2023, Time Extension ranked the game first on their "Best Ridge Racer Games" list.[27] Polygon and GamesRadar have ranked the game among the best PS1 games.[28][29] Den of Geek included the game on their list of "20 PlayStation One Games That Were Way Ahead of Their Time" for getting the balance of "arcadey" and "realistic" right, also noting it as one of the best-looking PS1 titles.[30]

Commercial

It was a commercial success in Japan, and various European territories.[31] It was the 18th best-selling video game in Japan in 1998, having been on the market for under a month before the year end.[32] The game sold a total of 759,527 units in Japan[33] and 297,564 units in the United States,[34] for a total of 1,057,091 units sold in Japan and the United States.

Notes

References

  1. ↑ "psx.ign.com: R4: Ridge Racer Type 4". 2001-03-03. http://psx.ign.com/games/10354.html. 
  2. ↑ "Announcing PlayStation Classic's Full Lineup of 20 Games". 29 October 2018. https://blog.us.playstation.com/2018/10/29/announcing-playstation-classics-full-lineup-of-20-games/. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 (in Japanese) リッジレーサータイプ４オフィシャルガイドブーク. アスペクト. 7 January 1999. ISBN 9784757203075. 
  4. ↑ (in Japanese) Namco Official Guide Book R4. 3 December 1998. 4907892080072. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 "First Look: Ridge Racer Type 4". Official UK PlayStation Magazine (42): 38–41. 1999. February 1999. https://archive.org/details/official-uk-playstation-magazine-42/page/n39/. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Greening, Chris (August 1, 2012). "Ridge Racer Type 4 Direct Audio". http://www.vgmonline.net/ridgeracer4/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 R4 / RIDGE RACER TYPE 4 / DIRECT AUDIO (CD) (in 日本語). January 27, 1999.
  8. ↑ Greening, Chris (June 15, 2011). "Kohta Takahashi Interview: Cutting-Edge Namco Scores". http://www.vgmonline.net/kohtatakahashiinterview/. 
  9. ↑ Greening, Chris (June 8, 2010). "Asuka Sakai Interview: What Constitutes Game Music?". http://www.vgmonline.net/asukasakaiinterview/. 
  10. ↑ "ナムコ「リッジレーサーズ」 サウンドチーム大集合(前編)" (in ja). December 22, 2004. https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20041222/rrs.htm. 
  11. ↑ Kotowski, Don (June 25, 2019). "R4 -THE 20TH ANNIV. SOUNDS-". http://www.vgmonline.net/r420thanniv/. 
  12. ↑ "More on R4's Bonus Disc" (in en-US). https://www.gamespot.com/articles/more-on-r4s-bonus-disc/1100-2465405/. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 for PlayStation Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/r4-ridge-racer-type-4/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation. Retrieved 24 March 2017. 
  14. ↑ Mark Kanarick. "R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 - Review". All Media Network. Archived from the original on 15 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141115143639/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=17148&tab=review. Retrieved 25 March 2017. 
  15. ↑ Edge staff (February 1999). "R4 - Ridge Racer Type 4". Edge (Future plc) (68): 74–75. https://archive.org/details/edgeuk068/page/n65/mode/2up. Retrieved 3 June 2020. 
  16. ↑ Sushi-X; Ricciardi, John; Davison, John; Hager, Dean (June 1999). "R4: Ridge Racer Type 4". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (119): 135. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "R4 -リッジレーサー タイプ4- [PS"] (in Japanese). Famitsu (Enterbrain). https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=734&redirect=no. Retrieved 3 June 2020. 
  18. ↑ "[R4] Ridge Racer Type 4". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (73). May 1999. 
  19. ↑ Dan Elektro (1999). "R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 Review for PlayStation on GamePro.com". GamePro (IDG Entertainment). Archived from the original on 9 February 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050209060933/http://gamepro.com/sony/psx/games/reviews/51.shtml. Retrieved 25 March 2017. 
  20. ↑ Sean Johnson (June 1999). "R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 Review". CraveOnline. Archived from the original on 9 September 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140909192133/http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/r4-ridge-racer-type-4. Retrieved 3 June 2020. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Jeff Gerstmann (17 December 1998). "Ridge Racer Type 4 Review". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/ridge-racer-type-4-review/1900-2546048/. Retrieved 29 December 2015. 
  22. ↑ Craig Harris (5 May 1999). "R4: Ridge Racer Type 4". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/05/06/r4-ridge-racer-type-4. Retrieved 29 December 2015. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "[R4: Ridge Racer Type 4"]. Next Generation (Imagine Media) (55): 90–91. July 1999. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_55/page/n91/mode/2up. Retrieved 3 June 2020. 
  24. ↑ Keith Stuart (May 1999). "Ridge Racer Type 4". Official UK PlayStation Magazine (Future plc) (45): 80–84. https://archive.org/details/opm045/page/n79/mode/2up. Retrieved 2 June 2020. 
  25. ↑ Mark MacDonald (May 1999). "R4: Ridge Racer Type 4". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (Ziff Davis) 2 (8): 80–81. https://archive.org/details/Official_US_PlayStation_Magazine_Volume_2_Issue_8_1999-05_Ziff_Davis_US/page/n79/mode/2up. Retrieved 3 June 2020. 
  26. ↑ O'Neill, James (4 December 2018). "Ridge Racer Type 4 Review (PS1)". Hookshot Media. https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps1/ridge-racer-type-4. 
  27. ↑ McFerran, Damien (16 February 2023). "Best Ridge Racer Games - Every Ridge Racer, Ranked". Hookshot Media. https://www.timeextension.com/guides/best-ridge-racer-games-every-ridge-racer-ranked. 
  28. ↑ Parish, Jeremy (30 November 2018). "The 20 best PlayStation 1 games". Vox Media. https://www.polygon.com/features/2018/11/30/18119295/playstation-classic-best-ps1-games. 
  29. ↑ Thorpe, Nick; West, Josh; Retro Gamer Team (26 June 2022). "The 25 best PS1 games of all time". Future plc. https://www.gamesradar.com/best-psx-games/. 
  30. ↑ Byrd, Matthew (13 August 2022). "20 PlayStation One Games That Were Way Ahead of Their Time". DoG Tech LLC. https://www.denofgeek.com/games/playstation-games-ahead-of-their-time-innovations/. 
  31. ↑ "Game Charts". Official UK PlayStation Magazine (Future plc) (46): 124. June 1999. https://archive.org/details/opm046/page/n123/mode/2up. Retrieved 3 June 2020. 
  32. ↑ "１９９８年 テレビゲームソフト 年間売上 ＴＯＰ１００". 2022-01-25. http://supernova-novx.my.coocan.jp/t1998tsd.html. 
  33. ↑ "PlayStation". Famitsu. https://sites.google.com/site/gamedatalibrary/games-by-platform/playstation. Retrieved 25 April 2020. 
  34. ↑ "PlayStation US Sales from 1995-2003". NPD Group. http://www.gamepilgrimage.com/Ps1ussales.htm. Retrieved 18 October 2020. 
  • Official website (archived)
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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