On the face of it, can seem a brutal, cold, unforgiving thing and often it is. But we have to accept that in the brutal, cold, unforgiving world in which we live competition is a vital thing. If this truth upsets you, try to think of competition as the catalyst for variety. If you can learn to accept all things as they are and to stop assessing things in relation to their rivals then it's possible to appreciate the good things in just about anything. For instance, Holly Valance is gorgeous. Just because Halle Berry is even more gorgeous that doesn't make poor Holly any less delectable. The same goes for R Racing. If you were to go out tomorrow with cash in your back pocket and needing a for your console then there several racers I'd recommend before R Racing. Does that mean that R Racing isn't a good racer in its own right? No.

In a move that has proved disappointing for fans of the series this latest instalment of the Ridge Racer franchise has seen completely abandon its roots and instead sculpt R Racing around the gaming models offered by more modern racers. Having ditched the arcade power-sliding traditional Ridge Racer model this version instead offers something more akin to the ultra-real experience offered by Gran Turismo. Along with this we also have a narrative-driven career mode and varied race types straight from the TOCA Race Driver book of gaming and several task driven challenges that are more than vaguely reminiscent of Project Gotham Racing 2.

It's this lack of individuality that ultimately costs R Racing. The decision to adopt a TOCA style narrative model inherently necessitates that the whole idea is executed better that in the Codemasters' title but alas this is not the case. The basic story is that you play an innocent large-breasted lass plucked from her day job as an ambulance driver by a large corporation and given the chance to race the pros. Sounds dull doesn't it? Sadly the poor scripting and clichéd plot-twists ensure that dull is pretty much as good as it gets. There is no scope for branching storylines whatsoever and one race always leads to the next with no choice and no deviation. This problem is hammered home when in one race your pit radio's you to demand that you come second in the race. Seeing as at that moment I was locked in a fierce battle for first there was not a chance I was going to stand for this and victory was all the more satisfying. I was curious as to how my team would react so imagine my disappointment when all I was greeted with was a stern telling off and the retry button. No branching story, no player choice. It's Namco's way or the high way - extremely disappointing. Also unfortunate is the fact the story does actually manage to pick up a little later on - just around the time it finishes actually, which for most gamers will come several hours too soon.

Once the all too brief career mode is over all you'll be left with is the bland arcade option (pick a car, a track and race it), time trial and the Event Challenge option. It's this mode that pits you against several challenges Project Gotham-style but unfortunately is only able to offer about half the fun. There's nothing inherently wrong with it - there's braking tests, time trials, tournaments and one-on-ones amongst others but even the chance to earn cash to unlock more cars is not compelling enough to keep you coming back. Partly to blame is the rather lacking variety of cars and tracks but the bland execution and unengaging presentation is certainly not a help.

Out on track however the game is certainly rather satisfying on the whole. Whilst graphically it's quite bland in comparison to the likes of TOCA Race Driver 2 it still looks nice enough and despite some rough textures I wouldn't call the game ugly. The slower vehicles you drive earlier in the game are quite twitchy, not doing justice to the game engine. It's only once you're up to the GT Class 1 and Prototype vehicles and are racing around great recreations of Monaco and Suzuka that R Racing is finally able to demonstrate what it's capable of. These faster cars are very sharp to control and race around at a blinding pace. Power-sliding is possible though tricky so the most fun is to be had by taking the perfect racing line as fast as humanly possible. It's in these circumstances that the game is unquestionably at its best and there are certainly times when other titles will be momentarily forgotten.

It won't be long though before the euphoria fades and you're left dwelling on the more negative aspects of the game. The lack of any real-time damage will either be something you can't stand or completely inconsequential - it comes down to individual taste. The only real innovation in the game is the pressure bar, a gauge that pops up above any racer you're trailing. Bug them for long enough and they'll buckle under the pressure, skidding into the grass. It's a reasonable idea but isn't executed terribly well. The sight of the race leader suddenly tail-spinning simply because you've been behind him for twenty seconds is a tad preposterous. Other elements are far more likely to cause disdain. Throughout races you're constantly hounded by repetitive and pointless snippets of advice hurled at you by your pit crew. These are rarely helpful but nearly always annoying. The same can be said of the venomous remarks shouted by rival racers that lack both variety and believability. Consequently many will quickly turn off the sound but this is a real shame as the contemporary ambient-house soundtrack successfully establishes a very modern arcade feel.

Worst of all though are the appalling rally sections. Although these only comprise about a quarter of the game I can safely say that's a quarter too many. No matter what the surface all of the rally tracks seem to handle like ice. Couple this with the lack of a handbrake and it's virtually impossible to navigate these courses precisely. Again it seems that Namco has again chosen to follow the lead of other racing titles by adding some variation but has failed to capture their quality. This title screams out for more focus, more direction and the lack of it is ultimately costly.

Other minor quirks also serve to hold R Racing back from contending with other genre-leading titles. The lack of an auto save is a real nightmare. More than once I turned on to find that all of the progress made the night before had been lost. Though the soundtrack is great the engine noises are truly disastrous - every engine emits a high-pitched whining noise that wore away at my soul and will to live. The opportunity to tune your car seems little more than a side thought and doesn't significantly enhance the gameplay in any way. The game also encourages you to turn on the brake-assistance option but by doing so you strip the title of any fun and challenge altogether. There is also one drag track that is terribly dull and fails to reward skilful driving. Compared to the equivalent in Need For Speed Underground it's really little more than a joke, a joke that I personally failed to find funny once I realised that the same track in reverse was my next challenge. It's a drag strip - it's the same no matter what direction you're going!

There are many faults in R Racing and it's a sad truth that a lot of the time you end up fishing for the good amongst the bad. In the end though you have to consider that when it's good its very very good and when its bad... its just a bit rough, never terrible. If you haven't already got any racers for your then there are other titles you really should own before this. If however you're a petrol head itching for a little more high-speed then you'll get some satisfaction from R Racing. The real crime is that it's just all far too brief.

69%

By Ben Parfitt