Ridge Racer 7 - hands-on

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We dig into the a near-final version of the PS3's celebratory launch racer and find... exactly what we expected: fun

The "Mist Falls" track took us through pleasant wooded areas and behind a waterfall, the plasticy sheen of the game never broken by any real feeling of life. It's sort of like driving around in a model of the world rather than being immersed in real locales - but that's Ridge Racer for you. The caves level that we played was a blend of nature and man-made elements; not the shining Japanese metropolis that you'd expect from RR, but not quite a jungle adventure either.

One interesting moment came when we boosted right before a big jump - the car actually collided with an invisible wall in the air and stayed on course. Not so elegant, but that sort of sums up Ridge Racer: it's always on track, but realism... that's not a concern. While we've yet to be able to mess about with the online modes, we see here a compelling and attractive arcade racing game, the perfect companion to the PS3's launch. We're old fans, but even if you're not, the glossy burst of speed you get from this game should provide enough thrills to ease the woes of the cost of entry.