Launch Station: Ridge Racer Unbounded

I honestly thought Ridge Racer Unbounded was delayed until this coming fall.  So I was pretty surprised to see reviews popping up across the net and retailers continuing to advertise it's March 30th release date.  A big blunder on Namco's part for not promoting the newest entry in their arcade racing franchise to the point that those interested in the series such as yours truly though it was delayed.  Well after some confusion, Ridge Racer Unbounded is dropping on store shelves this Friday.  Let us take a look at a racer that will definitely fly under most gamers' radars.

Following other Japanese developers lead, Namco has given Finish developer BugBear Entertainment, the studio behind the FlatOut games, a chance to inject new life into the Ridge Racer franchise with Ridge Racer Unbounded.  Instead of a standard Grand Prix mode like in other Ridge Racer games, Unbounded has a story mode for players to enjoy.  You play as an unnamed racer who joins the Unbounded street racing gang.  Test your skills against rival gangs in the city of Shatter Bay, Ridge Racer Unbounded's setting, to gain respect and expand your gang's turf.  With Ridge Racer Unbounded, BugBear created a whole new physics engine and effects that allow players to damage the cars and the environments.  While you have all of Shatter Bay to race in, BugBear has added a City Creator mode, which allows players to create their own tracks to race on and share with others online.  Speaking of online, you can race with your friends or other gamers through Unbounded's online multi-player.

Considering the horrible job Namco did of informing gamer's and press that Ridge Racer Unbounded was coming out this Friday, it is their fault if the game tanks.  From the little I have read and seen on the game, it looks like BugBear has built a Ridge Racer that can compete with the top games in the racing genre.  Personally no Ridge Racer since Ridge Racer for the PSP has really appealed to me.  They all felt like more of the same rather than a step forward.  Ridge Racer Unbounded looks to be that step forward this series has needed for a long time and I am looking forward to try it for myself.  It is sad that Ridge Racer Unbounded will definitely fly under the radars of most gamers due to the lack of promotion and of blockbuster releases that have come out in the last few months.