Ridge Racer Unbounded

Set in a fictional city called Shatter Bay, racers gather to compete in no-rules, all-out street races. Competing for money and superiority in fast-paced blasts through the streets dodging traffic and tearing through any obstacles that get in their way. A mysterious team led by a Japanese Hashiriya master, called "The Unbounded", appears playing a major role in the racing activity throughout Shatter Bay. ==Development==

Ridge Racer Unbounded offers a number of changes that depart from traditional Ridge Racer gameplay. Additions to the game include the ability to design and share tracks and a new emphasis on vehicular combat. While Unbounded was originally scheduled for release in North America and Europe in early March 2012, it was delayed just before the planned release, as Namco Bandai wanted to allow more time "to pack the disc with features that will truly make the game sing". The game was released in March the same year in North America and Europe and later in April in Australia on all platforms. The game was never released in Japan. Despite this, it seems to borrow inspiration from an earlier Namco game, , also a vehicular combat video game, released in 2005 only in Japan. Ridge Racer Driftopia A free-to-play version called Ridge Racer Driftopia was made. A beta version was released for Windows and PlayStation 3 in August 2013. Driftopia was later cancelled, with the beta servers shut down on 15 August 2014. ==Reception==

Ridge Racer Unbounded received "average" reviews on all platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. The Digital Fix gave the Xbox 360 version a score of eight out of ten: "Everyone involved deserves a huge pat on the back for Ridge Racer Unbounded - Namco for having the stomach and recognition for change and Bugbear for reinventing an aging and tired series". The Guardian gave the same console version a similar score of four stars out of five, saying that its frustrating moments "are far outweighed by the deeply satisfying ones. It's anarchic, well designed, thrilling to behold and will put a massive grin on any true petrol-head's face". The Daily Telegraph likewise gave the same console version four stars out of five: "The problem with Unbounded is that it doesn't seem comfortable sharing its secrets with you. It's called Ridge Racer, it looks like Burnout, and anyone who has played an arcade racer will, not unreasonably, expect a certain handling model...Unbounded is not that game". However, Digital Spy gave the same console version three stars out of five, saying that it "lacks the sparkle of games such as Split/Second or Burnout. The destruction elements feel a bit weak, the cars control poorly at times and the computer AI is truly merciless. The biggest problem, though, is the lack of a proper tutorial in the game, a sure-fire way to alienate many players almost instantly". Destructoid gave the Xbox 360 version 5.5 out of ten, praising its "surprisingly good map editor", but criticizing the level design and the poor lighting conditions during sunset scenes, stating that "the lighting makes driving much harder than it needs to be", and suggesting players play the 2010 Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit game instead. ==References==