Sure to be one of the most sought after games for the PSP launch is the North American version of Ridge Racers called, wait for it…. Ridge Racer. Besides dropping the “s” not much has changed with this game and it’s still just as bad-ass as it was when we previewed the Japanese version.

The same modes are still present: Single races, time trials, and the world tour mode. And there are still more than 24 tracks to unlock and a ton of cars.

But enough of what’s the same, let’s talk about what makes Ridge Racer one of the games you should pick up for your PSP.

Like the previous iterations, Ridge Racer is all about break neck speed. If you’re the sort of gamer who’s turned off by power-sliding around corners, using nitrous at every available opportunity, and never using the... um, whatcha-ma-call-it, oh yeah, break – then you’ll probably not be loving Ridge Racer. On the other hand, if you like that sort of stuff then Ridge Racer will make your day.

The game is fast. That’s the first thing you’ll notice when you play it, you can actually feel the speed. Using some pretty good graphics, and taking advantage of all the screen real estate the PSP has to offer, for the first time on a handheld racing game you can actually get that sense of speed you get from home console based racers.

Adding to the graphical goodness are a bevy of audio tracks that play while you race, that feature classic Ridge Racer tunes as well as some new ones. They all sound pretty good and are the kind of upbeat techno-stuff you’ve come to expect from the series. There are also the quirky announcer comments that are constantly shouted out to you, and while they get old after a while, you can usually just tune them out.

Ridge Racer is the kind of game you can pick up and play for a quick 5 minute race, or for several hours in the world tour mode. The graphics are some of the best offered in the first run of games, and it’s just plain fun. The only mark against it is the pitiful AI that doesn’t seem to notice you at all if you’re good enough with the nitrous and that power-slide. It’s not going to satisfy all the racing sim lovers out there, but that’s not really the point of this arcade styled game.

If you’re looking for a fun little racing game, for you to play alone, or in a wireless multiplayer situation, then Ridge Racer is the game for you. Hopefully we’ll get some more stellar racing titles coming down the pipe as the PSP seems very well suited for handling the experience.