Ridge Racer Unbounded

63%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,042 reviews
  • gameplay
  • music
  • graphics
Ridge Racer Unbounded Game Cover
A challenging racer with heavy physics, Ridge Racer Unbounded is a blast once you get over that learning curve and unleash your power on some unsuspecting opponents.
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"Ridge Racer Unbounded" is an arcade-style racing game that breaks from the series' tradition with its focus on destruction and turf warfare. Players join the Unbounded street racing gang, led by Kara Shindo, and race through the various areas of Shatter Bay, a lawless city, in advanced vehicles designed for destruction. The game features cutting-edge physics and effects, allowing players to crash through anything in their path and create their own racing lines.

  • PC
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station 3
  • Xbox
  • Xbox 360
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

63%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,042 reviews
gameplay64 positive mentions
story10 negative mentions
  • The game features a fun and chaotic arcade racing experience with destructible environments.
  • The graphics are visually appealing and run well on modern hardware.
  • The track editor allows for creativity and user-generated content, adding replayability.
  • The drifting mechanics are poorly executed, making it difficult to control the car effectively.
  • The game does not feel like a traditional Ridge Racer title, disappointing long-time fans of the series.
  • Multiplayer features are no longer available due to server shutdown, limiting the game's overall experience.
  • gameplay226 mentions

    The gameplay of "Ridge Racer Unbounded" has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing the clunky and inconsistent drifting mechanics that detract from the racing experience. While some appreciate the game's destructible environments and the fun of vehicle combat, others find the overall gameplay repetitive and frustrating, lacking the engaging loop expected from a racing title. Despite its appealing graphics and potential for fun, the game struggles to balance its various mechanics, leading to a disjointed experience that fails to satisfy both new players and long-time fans of the series.

    • “The gameplay is actually fun and after the initial frustration and 'wtf' moments, the game grew on me.”
    • “It's a great pick up and play racer in the gameplay vein of the 'burnout' series and its classic arcade style which is gone into the open world gameplay in burnout paradise to the 'unofficial' sequel imo 'need for speed most wanted 2012'.”
    • “Absolutely love it, graphics are cool, the gameplay is awesome in my opinion.”
    • “The drifting physics and corners are awful in this game. In my 7 hours of gameplay, I don't think I went through a corner perfectly because of this really garbage drifting physics. If you drift a second early, it usually oversteers and ruins your advantage of winning.”
    • “It poorly straddles the line of Ridge Racer (high speed, drift focus) and FlatOut (destructible environments, vehicle combat), fails to make either satisfying, and throws additional features (shortcuts, map editor, stunt/frag modes) that just clutter the gameplay experience.”
    • “Unfortunately, it's such a hodgepodge of gameplay styles and concepts that it never does any one thing well enough to like it.”
  • music206 mentions

    The music in "Ridge Racer: Unbounded" features a mix of licensed tracks, including popular dubstep from artists like Skrillex, alongside remixes of classic Ridge Racer tunes. While some players appreciate the energetic and nostalgic elements of the soundtrack, many criticize its lack of originality and variety, feeling it doesn't capture the essence of previous games in the series. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a mixed bag, with some enjoyable tracks but a general consensus that it falls short compared to earlier Ridge Racer titles.

    • “The soundtrack is that classic arcade racer music, and I love it!”
    • “It has some old Ridge Racer music, new Ridge Racer music, and even licensed music, including Skrillex!”
    • “The soundtrack is a mix of licensed dubstep and techno of the era and a lot of remixes of familiar Ridge Racer tunes.”
    • “Sadly, there's like, what, 18 music if I remember?”
    • “A few throwback DLC cars and music tracks are not enough to turn a destruction racer into a Ridge Racer title, and their inclusion feels more like an insult than a bonus.”
    • “And one of the biggest crimes is the music, gone are the iconic rave and dance tracks only to be replaced with generic stock sounding haraca.”
  • graphics172 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally praised for their stylish visuals and destructible environments, with many reviewers noting that they hold up well for a 2012 title, especially at higher resolutions. However, some criticisms include a lack of graphical settings, aging visuals compared to contemporaries, and occasional graphical bugs. Overall, while the aesthetics are appreciated, the gameplay experience is often seen as lacking, which diminishes the impact of the graphics.

    • “The graphics still hold up if you can run the game at 4k or higher resolutions.”
    • “Graphically, I'd say the game is fairly impressive for its time and I think it has held up really well.”
    • “Graphics are amazing for a 2012 game.”
    • “The visuals are not the greatest, even for 2012.”
    • “Visuals have aged poorly.”
    • “The graphics have this permanent yellow filter going that makes everything look very yellow.”
  • story70 mentions

    The game's story is largely considered minimal and forgettable, with only two cutscenes framing the racing experience. Players note that the focus is on arcade-style racing and destruction rather than a coherent narrative, leading many to dismiss the story as unnecessary for enjoyment. Overall, the consensus is that while the game offers fun gameplay, it lacks a meaningful plot or character development.

    • “In Ridge Racer Unbounded, you're always racing at night through a grimy version of New York City, crashing through the same landmarks over and over in a story mode that takes itself really seriously when it shows up after beating each batch of events.”
    • “You may get a few chuckles out of the plot too.”
    • “I mean, attempts to mix plot in a racing game are doomed to failure, so you may as well embrace the absurdity of it.”
    • “Oh yeah, there's no story almost; it appears once and it's forgotten until the end.”
    • “They want you to believe this game has a story, but there's literally only two story cutscenes which are in the beginning and in the end.”
    • “A slightly good arcade racing game without cutscenes or a backstory to try and make you care about any characters whatsoever; just get your controller and drift away, my friend.”
  • stability14 mentions

    The game's stability on PC is mixed, with some users reporting smooth performance at 60fps on lower-end hardware, while others experience significant bugs, glitches, and occasional frame drops to 20fps. Issues such as visual obstructions and crashes that require forced resets have been noted, leading to frustration among players. Overall, while it runs well for some, the presence of persistent bugs makes it difficult to recommend universally.

    • “I have this on 360 as well, I'm on an entry-level laptop and this game runs great.”
    • “Has moments where it just drops down to 20fps for no reason, but it runs great mostly, even on low-end PCs/laptops.”
    • “I loved this game as a kid, but it's just buggy now on PC. You have some weird fog that clogs up your view. I don't know if I can fix it through settings, but it's so annoying. As for now, I will not recommend it.”
    • “Glitches: I had to reset my PC once after beating the game. The game wouldn't load up, and I was unable to switch windows. I had to force a reset, which caused a drive error (the first time in this computer's 6-year lifespan). I might not play it anymore after this.”
    • “There are glitches. Only buy if you want that arcade racing game fix; I might get Xenon Racer next.”
  • replayability12 mentions

    The reviews present a mixed perspective on replayability, with some users highlighting significant replay value due to user-created tracks and enjoyable gameplay, while others argue that the game lacks replayability. Overall, many players find the game fun and engaging enough to warrant multiple playthroughs, especially when considering its depth and chaotic nature.

    • “Get this game on sale, it's amazingly fun, highly optimized, quite replayable (if your memory for tracks is as bad as mine), rich lustrous graphics on PC, upbeat music, overall this game seems seriously underappreciated.”
    • “Awesome arcade racer with surprisingly a lot of depth and replayability.”
    • “User-created tracks ensure longer replay value.”
    • “Basically no replayability.”
    • “User created tracks ensure longer replay value.”
    • “Awesome arcade racer with surprisingly, a lot of depth and replayability.”
  • optimization12 mentions

    The game is highly optimized, delivering impressive performance with smooth graphics that surpass many other racing titles on PC. Players appreciate its fun gameplay and replayability, particularly in time attack modes that demand precision. Overall, it is regarded as an underappreciated gem in terms of performance and visual quality.

    • “Performance was amazing.”
    • “It looks great and runs smoothly as it should.”
    • “Get this game on sale, it's amazingly fun, highly optimized, quite replayable (if your memory for tracks is as bad as mine), rich lustrous graphics on PC, upbeat music; overall this game seems seriously underappreciated.”
  • atmosphere10 mentions

    The atmosphere is characterized by a dark, brooding tone, depicting a gritty cityscape filled with nameless, intimidating characters amidst a backdrop of street warfare and domination. Reviewers appreciate the edgy art style and design choices that effectively enhance this oppressive and depressive ambiance, creating a compelling battlefield-like experience.

    • “I love how dark, gritty, and edgy the art style and atmosphere are.”
    • “The font styles and titles kind of felt like a giveaway to a battlefield-esque atmosphere.”
    • “Hitting each mechanic, design decision and implementation of atmosphere to go the exact other direction is sort of impressive.”
    • “Atmosphere is very dark and depressive.”
    • “A broody atmosphere with war on the streets for domination, dark characters with no names that loom over an intimidating city.”
  • grinding10 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and overly demanding, particularly in the single-player mode, which discourages repetitive play by summing best scores rather than rewarding consistent effort. The fast-paced nature of the game contrasts sharply with the grind, making it feel unnecessarily difficult and frustrating. Overall, many users express a reluctance to engage in grinding due to its time-consuming nature and lack of rewarding progression.

    • “I won't try to qualify for and win all races as it will take too much grinding.”
    • “For this fast-paced and action-packed game, it feels strangely tedious.”
    • “The single-player game (the only one you can play) has an advancement model that sums your 'best score' from the previous round, discouraging grinding.”
  • emotional4 mentions

    Players express frustration with the game's mechanics, particularly the luck-based takeout system, which leads to feelings of anger and disappointment. Many report a lack of emotional engagement, with some even feeling compelled to throw their controllers due to the perceived unfairness and lack of value in their gameplay experience.

  • humor2 mentions

    The humor in the game is noted for its cleverness, particularly in how it allows players to make choices regarding retries, adding a lighthearted touch to the gameplay experience.

    • “Funny enough, it keeps the choice on retries.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

75% average critic score

Buy Ridge Racer Unbounded

Play time

7hMedian play time
8hAverage play time
6-10hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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