Two Games--Ace Combat 2, Rage Racer--a Wedded Blast for Players

Reviewing video games is a lot like marriage. Why make the commitment of buying a game when so many come through the door for free? Most won’t work out in the long term so it’s better to play them for a few cheap thrills and then toss them aside--games, that is.

But like that special someone who makes marriage seem downright delightful, there are occasional games that make even jaded--and chronically cheap--reviewers like me fork over the dough to have and to hold for eternity as part of our permanent collections.

So it goes with Rage Racer and Ace Combat 2, two spectacular PlayStation titles from Namco. Both build on the legacies of Namco’s early PlayStation offerings, Air Combat and Ridge Racer. Although one is still a flight sim and one is still a racer, the similarities between the new and the old end there.

What a world it would be if all games matched the speed, depth, look and challenge of Rage Racer and Ace Combat 2. For one thing, most gamers would be flat-out broke. But who would care? Of the two, Ace Combat 2 is the better, but it’s really not a fair comparison because they’re of different genres. In their individual categories, each wins hands down.

Rage Racer screams across the screen with control that is tight and sweet--all the more important because tracks twist and dive like a plate of spaghetti. Opponents are smart and keep the pressure on until the final stretch of the final lap.

As players win races they can customize cars, which then can be saved on the PlayStation’s data cars. The main drawback of Rage Racer is the same as the gripe against Ridge Racer--there’s not enough of it. With just four tracks, the scenery tends to get a little old. But, oh, the fun that can be had on those four tracks.

Size is not a problem with Ace Combat 2. With more than 30 gigantic missions, even the most ambitious digital fighter pilots have plenty of space to fill their flyboy fantasies. Individual missions rock with a host of baddies and cool scenery. Enemies are smart so don’t expect to just take aim at a bunch of drones.

The on-screen display and control is much as it was in Air Combat so veterans of that game should have no problem slipping behind the joy pad and launching themselves right into the heat of battle. Novices might use the first few missions to get a hang of the control to recognize the realistic limits built into the game.

In all, both Ace Combat 2 and Rage Racer deliver the goods right out of the jewel case. But that’s the easy part. Holding interest over repeated plays is where most games fall flat. No problem here. Each packs enough play to keep even cynical hacks like me happy through richer and poorer, better and worse.

Staff Writer Aaron Curtiss reviews video games every other Thursday. To comment on a column or to suggest games for review, send letters to The Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth, CA 91311. Or send e-mail to Aaron.Curtiss@latimes.com