R4: Ridge Racer Type 4, released without the 'R4' prefix in PAL territories, is a 1998 racing video game developed and published by Namco for the PlayStation. It is the fourth home title in the Ridge Racer series after Rage Racer (1996) and was initially released on December 3, 1998 in Japan, with global releases following in 1999.

The Story Behind R4 - Ridge Racer Type 4

A peripheral, the Jogcon, was released alongside the game, packaged in special editions. The device features a steering wheel type device in the middle of the controller to provide accurate control. Similarly to the critically acclaimed Gran Turismo at the time, R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 made use of SCE's Performance Analyser devkit.

Ace Combat 2 was used by the art director for inspiration regarding the sky effects in the game. R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 was also released with a bonus disc containing a High-Spec version of the original Ridge Racer, running at 60 frames per second like its arcade counterpart. Development of R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 began in May 1997.

How R4 - Ridge Racer Type 4 Plays

R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 is an arcade-style racing game with a strong emphasis on powersliding around corners. Players can also create their own car decors and participate in Extra Trials against powerful prototype cars. Players select one of four teams; R.C Micro Mouse Mappy (France), Pac Racing Club (Japan), Racing Team Solvalou (Italy), and Dig Racing Team (United States), who each have varying difficulties, and one of four manufacturers; Age Solo (France), Lizard (United States), Assoluto (Italy), and Terrazi (Japan), which determines the style of car and powerslide type the player will use.

If the players unlock all 320 cars, they will unlock an additional one modelled after Pac-Man, for a total of 321 vehicles. Depending on the qualifying position in each race, players will be awarded a new vehicle, or an upgrade to their current one, based on their team and manufacturer, with better cars earned for reaching consistently higher positions (i.e. the best cars are earned by placing 1st in each match while the least impressive cars are earned by just clearing the minimum qualifying positions). There are a total of 320 vehicles earned by racing with every combination of team, manufacturer and qualifying position.

Why Players Still Load It Up

It was the 18th best-selling video game in Japan in 1998, having been on the market for under a month before the year end. Nakagawa, who was working on the soundtrack for Techno Drive at the time, was asked by Okubo to contribute due to his experience with composing techno music, while Nakanishi was involved towards the end of the project. Both Takahashi and Sakai previously did not have much knowledge or interest in club music; initial tracks they composed for the game were frequently rejected by Okubo for not fitting into the club sound or being "game like".

A handful of tracks in the game, including the theme song "Ridge Racer (One More Win)", feature vocals by American singer Kimara Lovelace. It is the fourth home title in the Ridge Racer series after Rage Racer (1996) and was initially released on December 3, 1998 in Japan, with global releases following in 1999. released without the R4 prefix in PAL territories, is a 1998 racing video game developed and published by Namco for the PlayStation.

R4 - Ridge Racer Type 4 — Frequently Asked Questions