R4: Ridge Racer Type 4

Namco's developers were adept at squeezing great technical performances out of the 32-bit PlayStation - especially with late fifth generation games like Tekken 3 - and in 1999 Ridge Racer Type 4 stayed steadily on track at achieving its 30fps target and slick circuit designs. The atmosphere from course details adds fine-tuning to the graphics, which is boosted by a magnificent dance soundtrack by musicians like Hiroshi Okubo, with extra pizzazz provided by Kimara Lovelace's vocals. The arcade-style gameplay delivered a fun and fast contrast to Gran Turismo's sim racing, and it confidently tail-slid alongside the best Nintendo 64 and SEGA Saturn drift and blue sky racers. As a Namco racing game it holds pole position amongst the four PS1 Ridge Racer titles, putting the pedal to the metal en route to Ridge Racer Type 4 becoming a genuine PlayStation classic.