Arcade Archives: Rave Racer

This week's Arcade Archives release is... Rave Racer (Namco, 1995)

Arcade Archives (previous-gen consoles)
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Arcade Archives 2 (current-gen consoles)

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Four versions are included here, with Japanese and English versions of the Standard /SD (simple up-down gear shift) and Deluxe / DX (six-gear shifter and clutch) cabinets. The main regional differences are the language and the silhouetted dancer (whose actual model is naked! NSFW, of course) on the City course being replaced with a lit-up arrow sign in the English release. That's why I went with the Japanese version of the Hamster trailer this time, that silhouette is important. No exclusive Preference Settings here (I thought the car selection was, but nope, that's in the Service Mode menu) but you do have plenty of analogue control options and, on ACA2, there's Split Screen Mode with support for up to four players at once so you can see the exclusive 'waiting for entry' screens at your leisure. As with other 3D Namco games, this is double the price of normal Arcade Archives releases. Worth it, though.

This is Radio 765 comin' at you live from Rave City for the Rave Racer competition, the engines sound like they're ready to go! We've got twelve revving roadsters out there ready to take on four exciting racetracks- the City with its elevated highways and the famous hilly descent, the Mountain with its spotty use of safety barriers (careful out there, or you might have to take a different route) and both the short and long courses in the nearby Ridge City, always a welcome sight on race day, especially since they finally finished that under-construction part of the long course! Whether they're using automatic or manual transmissions, these drivers know they've gotta use every trick they've got to stay on top, from drifting through turns to slipstreaming off other cars, so the action's gonna be flaming hot! Racers, start your engines, and let's get it on!

We're only two months into 2026 and we already have another Namco all-time great hitting Arcade Archives, and about time too- it's taken 31 years for Rave Racer to finally come home. While Namco did release Ridge Racer 2 in 1994, it was more of an upgrade to the original than a follow-up, as while it added the rear view mirror support for up to eight linked cabinets to race against one another and a new soundtrack (and a much ruder version of the announcer), it still used the same course. Rave Racer is a full-blown sequel with the short and long Ridge Racer tracks returning but with the brand new City and Mountain tracks, a new slipstream mechanic (you have to get really close to your rivals to get a boost), a view change button to see from behind the car, altered physics (bumping against opponents feels slightly less like you're getting pinballed around), another new soundtrack with 12 tracks to choose from (and a new set of announcers, including other racers trash-talking you) and a fresh look with a slightly more realistic colour palette. Oh, and I've got to mention the leather jacket-wearing lady shown in the game's title demo- contrary to popular belief, it's not series mascot Reiko Nagase, but instead a woman who was given the name "Rave Reiko" by fans and used in Gamest, but she's earned a place in the heart of gamers who ever saw that attract mode.

Now, I can't speak for everyone because my arcade-going experience was usually limited to going on holiday rather than any local arcades- this is probably why I'm still so enamoured with arcade games to this day, it was always a chance encounter for me- but Rave Racer is one I never saw myself, maybe once or twice but certainly not as much as the earlier Ridge Racer games. I've seen it since (in particular at Arcade Club) and loved it, but the fact that it never got a home port or even had its courses reused for many years (eventually showing up in the two PSP Ridge Racer games) gave this one a certain mystique. Fortunately, it absolutely lives up to the Ridge Racer name. This is essentially a real arcade follow-up and it plays just as beautifully as the original, but with little tweaks and additions and, of course, two brand new courses to get your teeth stuck into. Just like the other 3D Namco games of this era, it's easy to learn but extremely fun to try and master, with that 'just one more try' feel as you learn each course and try to get those times down and, ultimately, aim for first place. Just like the first Ridge Racer, this is an incredible racing game that feels just as fun and fluid now as it did over 30 years ago, so this is maybe the easiest recommendation for any ACA rerelease. It says a lot that I was hoopin' and hollerin' when I took first place on the City course last night after several failed attempts, and it just made me think, damn, arcade games kick ass. Play Rave Racer! Play arcade games!!