If you appreciate the work done within the wiki, please consider supporting The Cutting Room Floor on Patreon. Thanks for all your support!

Ridge Racer (PlayStation)

From The Cutting Room Floor
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Title Screen

Ridge Racer

Developer: Namco
Publishers: Namco (JP/US), SCEE (EU)
Platform: PlayStation
Released in JP: December 3, 1994
Released in US: September 9, 1995
Released in EU: September 29, 1995


DebugIcon.png This game has debugging material.
SoundtestIcon.png This game has a hidden sound test.
RegionIcon.png This game has regional differences.


Hmmm...
To do:
Document the differences found in the Hi-Spec/Turbo version that comes with Ridge Racer Type-4.

Ridge Racer for PlayStation brings home the arcade racing hit. Notable for being a launch title for the PlayStation in Japan, North America, and Europe.

Test Menu

Ridgeracer-test.png

Use the Action Replay / GameShark code 80131024 0001 (US version), 8012D020 0001 (JP version), then press Up+Start at the title screen to access the test menu.

The functions available here are:

  • ASCII: shows the game's complete 8x8 ASCII character set in two different colors.
  • KEY: show the current controller input, as well as how they map to the in-game car controls (gas/brake/steering).
  • BACK UP CARD: shows some info about the currently loaded high scores and time records.
  • CD-DA: CD audio test.
  • SE: sound effect test.
  • BGM: no longer implemented; selecting this locks up the game.
  • SAVE REPLAY: save post-race replays (?)
(Source: Original TCRF research)

Debug Flag Display

Hmmm...
To do:
Find out what some of these do, and what the letters are for.

The 32-bit value at memory address 00131024 contains several debug settings. If the most significant bit (80000000) is set, then information about these flags is displayed on the title screen:

Ridgeracer-flags1.pngRidgeracer-flags2.png

For any flag that is currently enabled, a description of what that flag does will be displayed; for disabled flags, a series of letters between A and G is shown instead (the "display all secret" flag corresponds to "AAAAAAAA").

Most of these flags don't appear to be used by the game anymore. Some of them correspond to things which can be unlocked by the player in various ways, but setting the corresponding flags here no longer unlocks them. Out of the other flags displayed here, the following still have an effect in game:

  • Go to test mode: press Up+Start at the title screen to access the test menu (see above).
  • Semi-trans flag: makes the flag on the title screen translucent (the same effect as holding any two shoulder buttons and pressing Start, though doing that toggles a separate variable instead of this bit).
  • Go to finel ending (sic): supposed to allow you to view the ending by pressing Down+Start at the title screen, but this just goes to the test menu again.
  • All clear!!: contrary to the name (again), this just lets you press Left+Start at the title screen to skip to the attract mode loop.
  • Deep DPQ: unknown.
(Source: Original TCRF research)

Regional Differences

Hmmm...
To do:
Need screenshots. Also, are the units genuinely different, or is it a purely cosmetic difference?

In the Japanese and European releases, the speedometer is in km/h. In the North American version, it's in mph.