History YMMV / RidgeRacer

* BrokenBase: [[ThisIsGonnaSuck Oh god, the Broken Base.]]
** ''Unbounded''. One half of the {{Fandom}} believes that Bugbear's interpretation of Ridge Racer has basically killed the series as a whole, with ''Unbounded'' being decried by most of its critics as a mash-up of several other arcade racers (the destruction of SplitSecond, the combativeness of ''VideoGame/{{Burnout}}'', an art style similar to ''VideoGame/{{Blur}}'') without having any of the series' traditional aspects (save for the drifting, but even the weighty-ness of it is different from the older games) that made the series popular. On the other hand, the other half of the {{Fandom}} believe ''Unbounded'' as a breath of fresh air for the series (except for the recent portable releases, the last console game was ''Ridge Racer 7''; a ''launch title'' for the [=PS3=]), with some really solid racing mechanics (least they ripped off the best arcade racers) and a good track creator, among other good things people have to say for ''Unbounded''.
** However, fans will nod their heads in agreement with the PS Vita Ridge Racer. Does it keep the series' gameplay? Yeah, sure, but so what? It's basically an overpriced demo that makes you buy everything else as DLC, some of which is content back from ''7''. Not only that, the entire game is a grind fest consisting of doing races for [[AnnoyingVideoGameHelper hints you already know]] and ''maybe'' an upgrade, and don't even get started with the [[ScrappyMechanic level up system]] for online.

** Volkswagen's VR5 engine shows that you can possibly create a W18 without the archaic 3 bank configuration.

* EldritchLocation: While it is perhaps a concession for ''UsefulNotes/{{Playstation}}'' 1 (where the rendering hardware is based off) system limitations especially regarding draw distance, the level designers seem to pay little to no regard as to how the geography of circuits in the same location affect each other; pristine beaches that head out to sea that should by all accounts run into the back end of a mountain, tunnels through a mountain that seemingly don't exist on the outside, Skyscrapers that are there and also not there depending on which road you take.

** The Sinseong Jujak, the Assoluto Bisonte and the Himmel EO in ''7''. The first one, if tuned properly, has an astounding Ultimate Charge; the second and the third one, when installing the right components, make you an uncatchable racer.

* GameBreaker: The Kamata Angelus in ''V''. Ludicrous top end speed (almost 700 kph!!!), twitchy handling and zooming-past-you-in-no-time acceleration in one lovely-looking package.

* MostAnnoyingSound: In ''R4''[='=]s Time Attack mode, every time you fail to beat a section record, the announcer feels the need to shout "MY GRANDMA DRIVES FASTER THAN THAT! GET WITH THE PROGRAM!".
** The commentator in '' Revolution'' is much more obnoxious than he was in the original.

* EldritchLocation: The level designers seem to pay little to no regard as to how the geography of circuits in the same location affect each other; pristine beaches that head out to sea that should by all accounts run into the back end of a mountain, tunnels through a mountain that seemingly don't exist on the outside, Skyscrapers that are there and also not there depending on which road you take.

* TierInducedScrappy: Zig-zagged with Dig Racing Team. In GP Mode, Dig Racing Team is the most difficult team to play GP Mode with in ''R4'', due to the difficult opponents and tricky handling of their machines (in-universe, this is explained by DRT having budget shortages and overall being one of the worst teams), whereas the two "grip" teams have easier-for-beginners machines and Racing Team Solvalou's machines are at least DifficultButAwesome rather than "handicap mode". For time attack modes, at least with the Shooting Hoops track, they boast the best top tier Stage 3 and Stage 4 cars (car number 7 and 10 respectively) in the game.

** From the same game, Heaven and Hell. The issue with Phantomile is purely lack of time, while the course isn't that difficult. The early parts of H&H are shared with Wonderhill from early in the championship, only this time, you be doing those bits in a ''much'' faster car. Not helped by the fact that the bits of the course it doesn't share with WH are chock full of right angle turns and tightening hairpins. Taken UpToEleven when you factor in you have to race the Devil Cars here in Extra Trial if you want the Dig Racing Team (hardest difficulty) versions. It's not too bad even when driving for RTS, but with DRT it can be a realm grind because ''you have to win''. The save point is after this race, but screw it up and you'll have to go through Phantomile and Brightest Nite again to have another go.
*** Shooting Hoops can be this with DRT if you have the best cars; winning can be purely a matter of luck. Not making ''any'' mistakes helps, but even that isn't a guarantee of victory. Using inferior machines actually makes thing ''easier''.

* WritersCannotDoMath: Suprisingly averted. According to 5, the Kamata Angelus has a W18 DOHC engine. One would think that W engines by design have to have a number of cylinders that is a multiple of 4, which 18 clearly isn't, as modern W engines do, but no, it's using the [[SchizoTech older]] "three-bank" design, in which case such engines [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W18_engine do exist (even if on closer inspection the configuration more closely resembles a Y).]] They were often used as aeroplane engines in the first half of the 20th Century, which is TruthInTelevision as early racing cars did indeed use such engines.

* WritersCannotDoMath: According to 5, the Kamata Angelus has a W18 DOHC engine. W engines by design have to have a number of cylinders that is a multiple of 4. 18 clearly isn't. Whoops.
** Unless it's using the [[SchizoTech older]] "three-bank" design, in which case such engines [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W18_engine do exist.]]

* TheDragon: The Yellow Solvalou car could be said to fill this role in the first two [=PS1=] games, unless the player decides to drive it by themselves. It's the only opponent shown on map in every race and appears as the regular opponent in Time Trials.
** [[CoDragons Alternative dragons]] include the other three starter cars, depending on which car the player chooses. The Yellow Solvalou is still the default opponent for all the unlockable cars.

* SlowPacedBeginning: ''Rage Racer'' forces you to repeat races over and over early on just so you can afford better cars and upgrades, but by the time you're in Class 3 or 4, the races start to really pick up and you'll have a good car or two in your garage. Class 4 also introduces the Extreme Oval where you can really go flat-out.

* NightmareFuel: The [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Soldat Crinale]], especially in the first few games, because when racing against it, [[GuideDangIt its position is not showed in the racetrack map]], and since it's a very fast, evil-looking car, it can cause [[JumpScare sudden heart attacks]]. And its nickname (Devil) doesn't help either.

* FranchiseKiller: ''Unbounded'', much to dismay to many fans also because [[NoExportForYou it's not available in Japan]].

* MostWonderfulSound: Conversely to the above, every time you manage to beat a section record still in the game's Time Attack, the announcer smoothly says "SWEET! YOU REALLY BLEW THROUGH THAT SECTION!".

* FandomBerserkButton: No Reiko Nagase in ''Ridge Racer'' = *insert LoudGulp here*

* GoodBadBugs: One of the most well-known "features" of the [=PS1=] port of the first game is that once the loading minigame has ended, you can actually ''remove the disc'', since the entirety of the game that doesn't consist of the audio tracks has been loaded into the console's RAM. From there, you can put in a CD of your choice for a custom soundtrack with proper cues. However, since the game has no way of knowing about the tracks on the disc (it still thinks the game disc is the one inserted), you can end up with some [[SoundtrackDissonance unfitting choices for menu and racing music]] depending on what you put in.

* TierInducedScrappy: Dig Racing Team is by far the most difficult team to play GP Mode with in ''R4'', due to the difficult opponents and tricky handling of their machines (in-universe, this is explained by DRT having budget shortages and overall being one of the worst teams), whereas the two "grip" teams have easier-for-beginners machines and Racing Team Solvalou's machines are at least DifficultButAwesome rather than "handicap mode".

* OlderThanTheyThink: ''Unbounded'' wasn't the first time a Ridge Racer game was made by a western company. That goes back to the UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}} days with Ridge Racer 64.[[note]]The game was developed by Nintendo's NST division, located in Redmond, Washington[[/note]]

* GoodBadBugs: One of the most well-known "features" of the [=PS1=] port of the first game is that once the loading minigame has ended, you can actually ''remove the disc'', since the entirety of the game that doesn't consist of the audio tracks has been loaded into the console's RAM. From there, you can put in a CD of your choice for a custom soundtrack with proper cues. However, since the game still thinks that the disc is inserted, you can end up with some [[SoundtrackDissonance unfitting choices for menu and racing music]] depending on what you put in.

* GoodBadBugs: One of the most well-known "features" of the [=PS1=] port of the first game is that once the loading minigame has ended, you can actually ''remove the disc'', since the entirety of the game that doesn't consist of the audio tracks has been loaded into the console's RAM. From there, you can put in a CD of your choice for a custom soundtrack with proper cues.