Ridge Racer was the PSP's first great title, some might say (and I would be one of them) that it's truly one of the most essential games ever released for the system. Gaining a 9/10 here at AceGamez those many moons ago, it would seem that a sequel would be a dead cert 100% success, right? It would surely add new features, overhaul the graphics and sound, and push it to that coveted 10/10 level.

Now, if you already have Ridge Racer (and I think if you own a PSP then you'd be mad not to) then you'll know all about how it works; you get a set number of cars that you must race over three laps and (depending on the level) you must reach a certain position before the race ends. The more races you win, the more tracks and cars are made available. You are aided during the race by the use of nitrous, a short burst of acceleration that you can create by sliding or 'drifting' as the game calls it, around bends. The game is very similar to last time - in fact it's so similar that you'll stop playing at several points just to check that you haven't gone insane and put the original game back in by mistake! That being said, we are still talking about a game that garnered a 9/10 score and was in most 'Best PSP Game' lists for 2005, so it's not like what you're playing is bad.

The problem of course arises from whether it's different enough to warrant buying again and of course the answer is mixed depending on what you're looking for. In terms of improvements, I'm sorry to say that it's shocking how much like the first one this is - same menus, same music, same cars, same tracks. However, there are lots of new additions that may attract those who have gotten bored with the original and cried in tears at the average Juiced: Eliminator and its ilk. But are these additions enough? Well, there are two schools of thought on this and after spending the last three days arguing about it I'd like you to choose which side you're on:

If you play Tiger Woods or FIFA every year and don't care that each time it's the same game with one or two tweaks, an updated fixtures and players list, with the odd gameplay change here and there, then Section One is for you.

If you play Tiger Woods or FIFA thinking "Hey, this is the same as last year! This is an utter rip off!" then Section Two is for you.

Section One

As well as the original World Tour, Time Attack and Wireless Battle modes, we have new features Arcade, Duel and Survival. World Tour is the main meat of the game, consisting of 56 events. These mostly consist of three races and although you must complete all of them, you don't have to do them in one go, which was always a great feature, as the races do become fiendishly difficult the further through the ranks you go. Time Attack, Wireless Battle, Arcade and Duel are more or less the same thing - a one track race over three laps where only first place is good enough. The only difference in Duel is that there are only two cars racing and Arcade has the added element of having to reach several timed checkpoints throughout. Survival is the most original of the modes, which is basically Eliminator by another name. This is a great new mode to Ridge Racer that adds a lot to the gameplay and the fact that the commentator makes sniping comments every time a player gets eliminated is wonderful! Wireless mode allows you to play with all the vehicles and tracks you've unlocked, so it may take you some time to get through all of these with a few friends, as Ridge Racer 2 supports eight players who'll all agree that this is the best way to spend a cold winter day when it's raining.

With each mode the gameplay is superb and if the phrase 'pick up and play' needed to be explained to anyone, I'd simply put Ridge Racer 2 in their hands, as it's the easiest game to get to grips with in existence. There''s no worry about what combos to carry out, or how to fire that weapon - the game only (at its most basic level) uses three buttons throughout and as soon as you get the hang of drifting (which takes no time at all) you'll be hurtling through the modes like there's no tomorrow. The action is fast and gives a great sensation of speed, but with the handling so smooth it doesn't have the jerky irritating steering that so many racers have been hampered with. I don't think there are words to describe how much fun this is to play and even when you are beaten, you'll not be put off pressing restart all over again to rise to the challenge.

In terms of presentation, nothing has improved, but then at least it hasn't got any worse, with the graphics looking as pristine as they always have. The construction and polish of the vehicles is spectacular (look out for the new hilarious Pacman car!) as are the tracks, with wonderful details like a passing helicopter that you can't help but be impressed by. The music is as extensive as last time, meaning that you could almost play the whole world tour and not run out of original tracks to listen to, which is aided by the insane ramblings (or encouragement?) of the announcer and the wonderfully realistic car sounds that adds so much to the whole ensemble.

Ridge Racer 2 is a fabulous game - although not original in any way, we could say the same thing about Need for Speed, FIFA, Tiger Woods and many others. [I'm noticing a pattern here - can you see what I mEAn? Ed]. At the end of the day there are only so many ways you can drive a car around a race track - if you want to throw shells then go pick up Mario Kart, if you want to play for money then try Juiced, but if you want to race then you're best off picking up a game that actually does that and does it well!

Section Two

"What? It's exactly like the first one?!" Yes, it is. Let's face it, Ridge Racer 2 couldn't be any more like the original game if it tried - and at times it feels like a total cash-in on a game that you can now get for £19.99 thanks to the new Platinum releases. So why would you consider spending £35 on this game, especially if you have the original? Well, to be honest there isn't any reason - all you get is a few new cars, a few new tracks and three new modes. The fact I was able to sum that all up in one sentence is quite shocking when I consider I spent nearly 1000+ words explaining what was different about the new SmackDown game! When Wipeout Pure was released, the most innovative element was the ability to download new vehicles - and we all wondered "Why can't Namco do that for Ridge Racer?" Well, this is the reason - because they wanted to keep those free downloads, slap them on the old game and sell it back to you for the same price! Clever? Yes. Devious? Probably! Waste of money? Absolutely!

Those who have grown tired of the original game and think this'll be a great change will be sadly disappointed and those who hope to be blown away by new graphics, sound and the omission of that insanely irritating commentator will also be disappointed. Namco have made only the minimal effort in actually revamping the game - even the rewards when you win Tours are the same! I would love to recommend this to you, but I know you'll only email death threats to me, however (and this is a very flimsy however) if you don't own the original Ridge Racer and want to play a very good racing game on your PSP then this does have more to offer, although of course it's costlier than the now-budget original.

Make Your Mind Up Time

So you've chosen your side and now you need to make a choice - do you love Ridge Racer enough to buy it again for a few new options, tracks and cars? The fact of the matter is that even if we looked at the multitude of PSP racing games available and compiled a Top Five, Ridge Racer and Ridge Racer 2 would both be securely in place (with OutRun 2006, Wipeout Pure and Gripshift filling the rest of the list). Because of this, I'm going to shrug off all the naysayers who say that Namco is ripping us off and say, "If you don't like it, trade in the original game then!" Either way, Ridge Racer 2 is easily the best racer on the PSP now. My only hope is that when Ridge Racer 3 comes along, I don't have to voice the same arguments again!

Reviewed by David Simpson for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).