RPGamers Network > Reviews > Game Music Reviews > R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 Direct Audio
Reviewed by: Lav
Out of the many games to choose from, Ridge Racer Type 4 (better known as R4) has got to be the ONLY racing game I like, and partially because of the music. Unlike Ridge Racer V, which had great music but less-than-great gameplay, R4 had the best blend of realism, music, graphics, and fun in a racing game I’ve ever seen. But enough about the game, more about the music.
R4 Direct Audio is a collection of 24 mostly-jazz-based technoish songs from the game, plus a bonus Pac-Man mix. The album starts off with the kick-ass "Urban Fragments", the song that plays during the opening FMV. Along with its various remixes sprinkled throughout the soundtrack, this song is my absolute favourite song on the entire album; the FMV (and the song that it played during it) really got my attention and got me playing R4 in the first place. I wish I could read Japanese, so I knew who sang this song. She's a very talented singer.
Tracks 02 through 05 are played during the various menus of the game, and are the least "technoish" songs on the CD. Despite their lack of a really techno-type feel, they are very upbeat, and I can't recall ever becoming annoyed with these songs, even after hanging around in the game menus for hours on end.
After that, the album gets into the jazzier techno songs. Slap bass and drums abound here. This album is one of the few albums I think sound great with bass up high. The instrumentation in all of these songs is very good. The only problem I have with these tracks is the lack of vocals. I mean, while the tracks are quite excellent in themselves, I think additional vocals could've really balanced the thing out.
My highlights would have to be tracks 01 (as mentioned), 19, 22, and 25. If you have the album, you would know that 19 and 22 are both variations on 01. As I mentioned, I think the singer for these tracks is really excellent, and these songs have great beats to them besides that. "Movin' in Circles" (track 19) is a heavily remixed racing track version, and is one of the longer tracks on the album, while "Ridge Racer -One More Win-" (track 22) is (if I recall correctly) the ending theme. It's basically the same thing as "Urban Fragments", just extended, and has a few more beats added to it. Finally, "Eat'em Up!" is a bonus remix of the arcade classic, Pac-Man. While not as content-laden as the rest of the album, it certainly is a cool song.
In short, I find R4 to be an excellent game, and it has an equally-excellent soundtrack. Any fans of upbeat techno or jazz should check this album out. I give R4 / Ridge Racer Type 4 / Direct Audio a 95; my only problem was the lack of vocals. All in all, a very solid album.
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| Album Information | Reviewer Rank |
|---|---|
|
R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 Direct Audio Published by: Media Factory Release Date: January 27th 1999 Composed by: Hiroshi Okubo, Tetsukazu Nakanishi, Koji Nakagawa, Asuka Sakai, Kouta Takahashi 1 Disc, 25 Tracks Catalog: ZMCX-103 |
95 |
Reviewed by: Lav
Out of the many games to choose from, Ridge Racer Type 4 (better known as R4) has got to be the ONLY racing game I like, and partially because of the music. Unlike Ridge Racer V, which had great music but less-than-great gameplay, R4 had the best blend of realism, music, graphics, and fun in a racing game I’ve ever seen. But enough about the game, more about the music.
R4 Direct Audio is a collection of 24 mostly-jazz-based technoish songs from the game, plus a bonus Pac-Man mix. The album starts off with the kick-ass "Urban Fragments", the song that plays during the opening FMV. Along with its various remixes sprinkled throughout the soundtrack, this song is my absolute favourite song on the entire album; the FMV (and the song that it played during it) really got my attention and got me playing R4 in the first place. I wish I could read Japanese, so I knew who sang this song. She's a very talented singer.
Tracks 02 through 05 are played during the various menus of the game, and are the least "technoish" songs on the CD. Despite their lack of a really techno-type feel, they are very upbeat, and I can't recall ever becoming annoyed with these songs, even after hanging around in the game menus for hours on end.
After that, the album gets into the jazzier techno songs. Slap bass and drums abound here. This album is one of the few albums I think sound great with bass up high. The instrumentation in all of these songs is very good. The only problem I have with these tracks is the lack of vocals. I mean, while the tracks are quite excellent in themselves, I think additional vocals could've really balanced the thing out.
My highlights would have to be tracks 01 (as mentioned), 19, 22, and 25. If you have the album, you would know that 19 and 22 are both variations on 01. As I mentioned, I think the singer for these tracks is really excellent, and these songs have great beats to them besides that. "Movin' in Circles" (track 19) is a heavily remixed racing track version, and is one of the longer tracks on the album, while "Ridge Racer -One More Win-" (track 22) is (if I recall correctly) the ending theme. It's basically the same thing as "Urban Fragments", just extended, and has a few more beats added to it. Finally, "Eat'em Up!" is a bonus remix of the arcade classic, Pac-Man. While not as content-laden as the rest of the album, it certainly is a cool song.
In short, I find R4 to be an excellent game, and it has an equally-excellent soundtrack. Any fans of upbeat techno or jazz should check this album out. I give R4 / Ridge Racer Type 4 / Direct Audio a 95; my only problem was the lack of vocals. All in all, a very solid album.
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