Ridge Racer 64 is an arcade-style racing video game developed by Nintendo Software Technology for the Nintendo 64 in 2000. It is the first title of Namco's Ridge Racer series on a Nintendo system and was produced under license; however this game was not released in Japan, which may have been attributed to poor sales of the Nintendo 64 there. In 2004, the game was ported and remade for the Nintendo DS as Ridge Racer DS, which uses the system's features such as the touch-screen and wireless multi-player. Additionally, Gina Cavalli from R: Racing Evolution replaced Reiko Nagase as the mascot in the DS version. The DS version also was not released in Japan.

Gameplay

The game features a total of 20 race tracks, including some drawn from Ridge Racer and Ridge Racer Revolution.

Reception

The N64 version received "generally favorable" reviews, while the DS remake received "mixed or average" reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.

N64 original

Michael Wolf of NextGen gave a positive review for the Nintendo 64 version. Joe Ottoson of AllGame gave it four-and-a-half stars out of five, saying, "If you're looking for some intense but uncomplicated racing action, Ridge Racer 64 is nearly at the peak of straight up racing action on the Nintendo 64. With a wide variety of tracks and plenty of hidden cars to unlock there's a lot to see and win over the course of the game." Michael "Major Mike" Weigand of GamePro said of the same Nintendo 64 version in one review, "Arcade racing fans who have had to be content with SF Rush and Cruis'n titles will find Ridge Racer 64 a big improvement. Although the multiplayer races are a disappointment, solo compeitors will want to add this title to their collections." In another GamePro review, however, The Freshman called it "a decent game for people who must have every Ridge Racer known to man, but last year's Ridge Racer Type 4 was much better. In the supersaturated world of N64 racing, RR64 barely manages to keep up."

DS remake

Later, however, Four-Eyed Dragon said of the DS version, "with a frustrating control scheme, Ridge Racer only stays in low gear. It's lucky that this driver is one of the first out of the DS gates, or else it wouldn't have stood a chance."