Remember Ridge Racer?
Namco's classic arcade racer used to be regular part of PlayStation launch lineups. And yet we haven’t had a new Ridge Racer console game in over ten years.
But if you’re subscribed to PlayStation Plus Premium, you can relive one of the best recent games in the series this month.
Ridge Racer 2 drifts onto PS Plus Premium
Previously leaked back in April this year, PlayStation Blog has confirmed the PSP’s Ridge Racer 2 is part of December's PlayStation Plus Premium Classics lineup.
Originally released in 2006 for PSP, Ridge Racer 2 was effectively a greatest hits compilation containing fan-favourite tracks from the first four Ridge Racer titles on PS1 and the arcade-only Rave Racer.
For its PS Plus debut, this new emulated version of Ridge Racer 2 is enhanced with higher-resolution graphics along with rewind and quick save functions and custom video filters.
Release date
Ridge Racer 2 will be available on PlayStation Plus Premium from 20 December. In the UK, a PlayStation Plus Premium subscription currently costs £99.99 per month, £39.99 for three months, and £13.49 for one month.
Frustratingly, this is the only way to play a Ridge Racer game on PS5. The last Ridge Racer console game was Ridge Racer Unbounded by Wreckfest developer BugBear Entertainment in 2012 on PS3 and Xbox 360.
But with its focus on car combat, Unbound was a radical change in direction for the series and many fans don’t regard it as a true sequel.
You have to go way back to 2006 for the last numbered game with the PS3-exclusive Ridge Racer 7, so a proper sequel is long overdue.
Ridge Racer 8 was rumoured to be in development as a Nintendo Switch exclusive but was never announced. We can only hope Ridge Racer 2 is popular on PS Plus Premium and inspires Namco to revive the arcade racing series for a new generation.