by norm stovall norm@904skate.com
Ridge Racer 7 is a well polished arcade-style racing game that fits well in the PS3 launch lineup. I passed up on the last version that came out alongside the launch of the Xbox 360, but with the dearth of good games, I felt I had to at least TRY to find something to make my PS3 worthwhile, and Ridge Racer 7 does just fine. Visually, the graphics are great, although from what I can tell aren’t any more intense than the Xbox 360 version of RR6. Control-wise, Ridge Racer 7 uses the same familiar control scheme that the series has been using since the original Ridge Racer debuted on the original Playstation. One awkward aspect for me however was the placement of the Nitrous button mapped to L2 and R2, as I would accidentally boost into a corner from time to time. Aside from that, the controls are unique and are quite fun to get the hang of.
Although graphically, the game is on par with Gran Turismo HD, the gameplay couldn’t be more different, with fast drifting turns you can take on at full speed. With an emphasis on drifting (or sliding your car sideways around a turn), you built up your nitrous meter with every dramatic drifting turn you make. You can build up to 3 nitrous stocks at a time, and you simply press R2 or L2 to activate them, sending you flying forward at higher than average speeds.
While Ridge Racer 7 isn’t at all realistic, the graphics are certainly top-notch and really make use of the PS3 hardware, much like the last version pushed the Xbox 360’s hardware. From what I can tell the two versions seem to be a lot alike, but if you have a PS3, this is one launch title that may be worth your money. With smooth graphics and presentation, addictive play and solid online multiplayer, it’s hardly a stinker.
If you have ever wanted to read a novel that played like a video game, or wanted to play a video game that read like a novel, Hotel Dusk is the game for you. Sure, it doesn’t sound interesting when I preface it like that, but Hotel Dusk is special. The game places your character in the middle of a detective noir-style storyline, taking place near New Year’s Eve in 1979. Your character, along with others in the storyline, has been brought to a strange hotel by a dark secret, which you are enticed to uncover through interesting interactive dialogue. In Hotel Dusk, you hold your DS sideways much like a book, using the touch screen to interact with in-game tasks. Although most of the game is based around the dialogue via on-screen text, you are also presented with the task of finding things by ‘pointing’ on the touch screen, and sometimes handy little techniques come into play such as closing and then opening your DS in order to check the flip side of an object you are holding.
The Graphics in Hotel Dusk are great. All done in a noir-style setting with stylish old-school colors, all the characters in the game are presented as black and white, stationary drawings that look great in terms of gameplay and in atmosphere. Though the graphics are very stylish, the storyline is really what brings the game together, so if you can’t decide between reading a good book and playing a video game, do yourself a favor and pick up Hotel Dusk: Room 215.
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