Ridge Racer Accelerated live on iPhone already, recommended 3GS-only
No optimised lower spec version for the moment
Rumours of Namco bringing out its first Ridge Racer game in three years only surfaced yesterday, carried across the net on the balmy breeze of Japanese hearsay.
We awake this morning to find Ridge Racer Accelerated is already live on the App Store, priced at a very reasonable £1.79. What's perhaps a little less reasonable is that the game is currently only recommended for the iPhone 3GS, with 3G optimisation labelled as "coming soon". Ouch.
The series, which began way back in the arcades of 1993, is well known for its arcadey racing that leans heavily on drift mechanics, and it seems the iPhone version follows suit.
Ridge Racer Accelerated comes with just two tracks and two cars, and it seems the rest of the game will become available only through in-app purchases.
No details on how much you'll be looking at spending if you want the entire complement of 40 courses and 60 machines, but already a pack of nine additional cars (£1.19) and six extra tracks (£1.99) are available for download.
So, as exciting as it is to see the game arrive so quickly, it feels like something of a false start for Ridge Racer Accelerated. Two cars, two tracks and unoptimised for iPhone 3G. There's time for it to evolve yet, of course, but we'd really like to hear your opinions on the launch model.
Speak out, pocket gamer.
