R: Racing has the standard race game modes – arcade, vs., and time attack. But the heftiest part of the game lies in the unique Racing Life mode. Racing Life tells the tale of Rena, a hot ambulance driver with a knack for racing. She becomes a professional racer for a high stakes racing team and meets Rena, a hot rival that doesn’t take kindly to the newbie driver. The story is divided into 14 chapters and CG cinemas play out the story in-between rounds. The mode takes players through all three race styles that R: Racing offers – GT, rally, and drag racing. Racing is performed on 14 real and fantasy courses. Among the real locals are the famous Suzuka, Yokohama, and the twisty Monaco.

Racing is very accurate and pressure sensitive. While most games only require early braking and out-turn acceleration, R: Racing requires accurate brake and gas presses to succeed in each race. A halfway press of the analog trigger for gas or brake will secure the best speed to take on a turn. A slam on the brakes followed by a slam on gas is never the best solution in the game. The gameplay is definitely a challenge at the start, but each race lets players hone their skills to an even better performance.

Rally races are the toughest in the game. For some vehicles, like the Subaru Impreza, the vehicle is very difficult to control no matter how careful you are with the analog triggers. The technical play doesn’t leave room for slide-based driving and takes away from the distinct nature of rally racing.

If you don’t want a challenge, Namco has included a Brake Assist system that will automatically apply a safe amount of brake pressure on each turn. The system creates worry-free driving game, but will lower a player’s overall speed on the track. Brake Assist can be turned on or off in any race.

During races the tension amps up with in-game AI pressure system. When players drive close enough to a vehicle, a meter will appear above that vehicle that indicates the amount of pressure they feel. Fill the meter with pressure and the opponent will lose it and spin off the track.

Another element that adds humanity into typically static AI racers is in-game radio chatter. In each race players will hear comments from other racers that spite you or are bent on winning. The radio chatter is even affected by player performance. Cut a turn too quickly or without enough brake and the pit leader will let you know with surprising accuracy. Players will frequently hear advice from the pit that will help overall race performance. Race enough and you’ll hear the same comments over again, but there’s enough variety in quotes to keep it from playing like broken record.

R: Racing’s Event Racing mode lets players purchase into race events, buy new vehicles or upgrade vehicles with money earned in Racing Life. There are over 100 different race events that feature tournament, one-make, and vs. rival events to keep racers busy. Upgrade freaks won’t find a slew of custom parts to add here. Players can either add horsepower or lighten the vehicle step by step. Each sequential upgrade costs more than the next, and once it’s done the upgraded vehicle can be used in Racing Life.

The Ridge Racer team always knew how to make a game pretty and they do the same for R: Racing. The colors are toned down to create a more simulated environment, but everything moves at a clean 60fps in one player and vs. modes. The car models are very detailed and shine a subtle, real-time reflection, also at 60 frames. There isn’t much sign of life in each local, but the environments are represented well in different weather colorizations and conditions. As usual there are spectacular techno tunes to pick from for each race. They are a bit more subdued than Ridge Racer V but work well. The menu interface is also fantastic.

R: Racing is a great simulation racer that does almost everything well. The Racing Life mode is too short and the rally racing can be unforgiving. But the pressure sensitive gameplay, realistic AI, and event challenges round out a great race package that’s tough to pass.