Ridge Racer - PlayStation 1 Gameplay (2K 60fps)
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Ridge Racer was very innovative for its time, introducing minor car sim elements intertwined with the gameplay. The player could choose from the options of Course Select and Transmission. For console releases, Car Select, Sound Select, Start, and Options can be selected. Course Select allowed the player to choose a course, each of varying difficulty, and choose between the two modes of a Race (against 11 other cars) and Time Trial (against one other car). The Course Select screen also displays data about the course's shape and difficulty.
The Transmission menu allows the player to select the between Automatic or Manual transmission. Automatic transmission (AT) permits less experienced players easier turns and drifts, while manual transmission (MT) restricts the AI from assisting but allows more experienced players to gain faster track times.
In the PlayStation release, normally only 4 cars are selectable, but all 12 (excluding the Black No.13 'Devil' Car) are selectable if a player is able to defeat 100% of the enemies on the Galaxian loading game before the title screen.
Car Select introduces the selectable vehicles for racing. The mode also served as a gallery, serving the player with multiple views by rotating the camera with the L1 and R1 triggers on the PlayStation controller. Sound Select allowed the player to change between 1 of six background music tracks, while the Options menu allowed button configuration and the lap records to be viewed.
The game consists of 4 race course modes. They are the "Beginner", "Mid-Level", "High-Level" and "Time Trial" (on the screen will show "T.T" instead). The "Beginner" and the "Mid-Level" would be racing on the same circuit. However, the Beginner mode only has 2 laps and there were no night racing. On the Mid-Level mode, the cars will be faster. The race will run 3 laps instead of 2 and there will be night racing in the middle. Once the player advances to "High-Level" and "Time Trial", the circuit will be longer as a technical section is added with more sharp and difficult curves. The "Beginner", "Mid-Level" and the "High-Level" will be a 12 cars battle but the "Time Trial" will be the battle of 2 cars only.
After the players wins all the race modes, the player has to go to the "Time Trial" (either regular or extra) race mode and this will turn into a 3 car battle. The player will have to face one more extra car- "Devil 13th Racing" car. This car is very fast and extremely difficult to beat due to a lack of rear view mirror. To win, the player must learn the perfect racing line of the track. By sticking to racing line around the track, the Devil car will be blocked from passing and will crash into the back to the player. If the player manages to block the car for all 3 laps and wins the race, they will obtain the Devil car. This is especially important for Time Trial mode.
At the same time, extra game (extra courses) will be given. The player will be racing on the same tracks but in reverse directions. The extra tracks lack one checkpoint and therefore the player is at a much higher risk of running out of time, making the game more difficult. If the player obtains the Devil car before playing the extra courses, the player can use that car to race in all the courses including extra courses in order to complete the entire game.
A special 'mirror mode' version of the track could be played by turning the car around on the starting line and driving into the wall behind at top speed. The car will pass through the wall and the track will revert to the mirror of the normal track.