For those people out there who believe that R: Racing Evolution is just another sequel to the brilliant Ridge Racer, well then simply, you're wrong. I know it's what we all want, but after Ridge Racer V didn't turn out as successful as everybody anticipated, the creators at Namco decided it was time to give the series a rest and try something new out. Don't worry though folks, as those lovely LOVELY model girls are there again, in their full polygonal glory.

So instead of a brightly coloured race track full of Techno music pumping from the speakers and the arcade style handling, they have now opted to go for the real life racing simulation approach. So it would seem that the GameCube has a contender for Gran Turismo. Whether if it will be anywhere near as good as GT (you have to admit that Gran Turismo is a good game, no matter how much u hate the PS2) is another thing, but the fact that the GCN finally has a real life racer coming it's direction, is simply good news all round.

The new game features a lot more this time round, more than anything else that Namco gave us in any other racing game. As mentioned, the game is now a real life sim, so we actually get real licensed cars. These cars come in many ranges and can be fully customised and modded so that they can become the real racing beast that you have always dreamed of. Quite amazingly, they have managed to get a list of real life racing circuits. There are 14 tracks in total but not all of them are real world circuits, at least half of them are fantasy locations.

Don't think this game just sticks to one simple plain old attitude to racing. There are in fact 3 types of Racing, GT, Rally and Drag. Although these options might be available, you will not be able to mix the racing styles together. It would be quite impossible to race a GT car against a Drag car on a straight flat surface; we all know who the winner would be there.

The first big game mode in R:RE, is a brilliant new mode called Racing Life. This is basically a story mode. Now c'mon how often do you see a story mode in a racing game? Not often I tell you, which is what makes this game a little different, and a little fun. Yes that's right, fun. You take control of a character called Rena, who is an ambulance driver turned race driver. As you progress through 14 levels of intense action the story unfolds in front of you in the form of glorious looking FMV's and radio communications between cars and the pits. So if you take a corner really well your manager will be on the radio telling you well done and that you're doing well, BUT if you don't do so well, then look out as he's not the quiet type of guy. As well as Racing life, there are also Event Challenge, Time Attack, Arcade and Versus.

If you ever played a Formula 1 game before, where you took part in challenges to achieve certain goals, then welcome to Event Challenge. There is a vast array of different challenges to complete and it's going to take you a very long time, and very strong thumbs to finally complete it. There are different types of challenges than just your usual style of racing. There are also rallying and drag challenges, and simply the more you complete then the more cars you unlock. You will also receive reward points when you finish the challenges, so you can then upgrade your current vehicles to make them faster and so on.

Time Attack, Arcade and Versus do what they say on the tin and are what you would expect from any racing game.

A neat new trick implemented by Namco is the new Interactive Driver AI System. Yeah I know, we have all heard about new AI in all games, but we're never impressed. Well this time round things are little different. When racing in real life, being up somebody's backside will put them off a little and put them under pressure. Well when somebody is under pressure they can make mistakes, and that is your chance to go up ahead of them. That is exactly what they have done here. As you approach the driver ahead of you, there will be a little empty bar above his/her name. When you get right up there, the bar will start to fill up and eventually there nerves will break and they will give a perfect opportunity for you to get ahead. Very clever and very handy for reaching first in long races. This in fact helps you out with the much loved Reward Points you get, as you get points for tailing a fellow driver. Don't forget tailing somebody helps you increase your speed due to aerodynamics, and it would seem that has also been placed in there for added satisfaction.

All in all this is looking like a good game, but that's not going to stop the fans of the Ridge Racer series trying to make comparisons between their beloved game and this new racer. Screams will be heard all over the country, but no matter what you say, this is NOT Ridge Racer, so please don't expect it to be.