Hit the 'Ridge' Running or Catch the Racing Bug

By AARON CURTISS

June 14, 1999 12 AM PT

I’m a superego kind of guy. I don’t smoke or gamble. I always say please and thank you. I don’t use my car horn to express displeasure and I always signal when changing lanes.

At home, though, I hand my id the keys and let it go. And go it does: Laying down rubber at 90 mph as we whip around tight turns and then opening it up to 180 mph on the straightaways.

In spite of--or perhaps because of--all the driving I do every day along congested freeways, racing titles remain my favorite genre of video game, a chance to see the world at unholy speeds from behind the dashboards of some very holy cars.

When Sony PlayStation debuted in 1995 with just two titles, I was content because one of them was Namco’s heavenly “Ridge Racer.” Three incarnations later, “Ridge Racer” has been reborn yet again as “R4: Ridge Racer Type 4.”

“R4” deserves a prominent place in the game library of any serious racing fan. Not as much a revolution as a sophisticated evolution, “R4” retains all the best characteristics of the franchise--slithering tracks, tight control--and enhances them with more variety and technical details.

New cars and tracks become available as players race through the game, but the technical and managerial aspects of the game don’t match those of “Gran Turismo.” That’s cool, though, because this is a different sort of game.

“R4” is for people who like to go fast. The tracks melt into view without a glitch, and other cars slip gracefully by. The soundtrack--not bad for game music--thumps right along as players scream down the highway. Control and driving physics are dead-on and the tracks demand constant attention to avoid plowing into guardrails--or worse, rock walls.

That said, “R4” is not for people who like to tinker with the differential or adjust the gear-box ratio. There are very few mechanical aspects to the game, which keeps with its long PlayStation history. While that doesn’t bother me much, I can see how gear heads might find it a little disappointing.

Beetle Adventure Racing

My first set of wheels was a 1964 Volkswagen Beetle. And even though I did some crazy stuff in that little bug, none of it comes close to the craziness of “Beetle Adventure Racing” for Nintendo 64.

“Beetle” capitalizes on the fascination with Volkswagen’s reissued version of the Bug but lets players do things no sane owner would even consider. Jumps, for instance.

The six tracks that make up “Beetle Adventure Racing” are among the largest and most complex I think I’ve ever seen in a video game. This is no simple racer. Shortcuts and not-so-shortcuts line the marked courses and the only way to win is to know the tracks better than the other guy.

Players can choose traditional racing or the much more fun “Beetle Battle” in which racers hunt for ladybugs along the course. The first to collect six--and then find the finish line--wins. It’s a mad scramble, especially against human foes.

Control is fine, and the graphics are great. The music tends to wear thin quickly, though, and it’s wise to turn it off and crank up the radio instead. In all, though, “Beetle Adventure Racing” is as much fun as the car looks.

3 Xtreme

Players looking for something a little different from the standard behind-the-wheel racer might do well to rent “3 Xtreme,” a game that combines elements of sports titles, fighters and racers.

The game focuses on extreme sports such as high-speed skateboarding, inline skating and mountain biking. The original extreme-games titles were among the first for PlayStation, and, aside from dolled-up graphics and a few new tracks, it’s tough to see where the growth has occurred.

Players who have played one extreme title have played them all as far as I’m concerned. Roll down the hill. Do some cool jumps. Slug the guy coming up on the right. Over and over and over.

It might be fun for some--and it’s definitely worth novices’ time to rent it for a night--but “3 Xtreme” falls short.

Lode Runner 3-D

Parents worried that their kids might be learning the wrong skills and values from video games ought to check out “Lode Runner 3-D,” an action-filled puzzler that dates back to the earliest days of video games.

One of the original hits on the computer, “Lode Runner” was fun because it was simple. Navigate walkways and blast tiles to clear the way as players collect gold.

That simplicity remains in this graphically enhanced version for Nintendo 64. The worlds are in three dimensions now, but they are as deceptively simple as ever. Beating the game requires thought, patience and strategy.

This is smart fun.

Times staff writer Aaron Curtiss reviews video games every Monday in The Cutting Edge. To comment on a column or to suggest games for review, send e-mail to aaron.curtiss@latimes.com.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Essentials

R4: Ridge Racer Type 4

Platform: Sony PlayStation

Publisher: Namco

ESRB* rating: Everyone

Price: $39.95

Bottom Line: A little too slick

Beetle Adventure Racing

Platform: Nintendo 64

Publisher: Electronic Arts

ESRB rating: Everyone