Ridge Racer 7

Drifting 101

Just before you enter a curve, depress the clutch and yank on the steering wheel. Pull the handbrake up for just a second when you're angled, then release the clutch and squeeze the gas hard; That my friends, is how you drift a car in real life… you gettin' my drift? If it sounds kinda complicated for you, there is a safer alternative (*cough* *cough*) - Ridge Racer 7 - the best resource for all your tire burning, and skid mark laying needs. Drifting is the name of the game in this arcade-ish racing game, and you're not gonna get anywhere without learning how to do it.

Fortunately for you, drifting isn’t as hard in RR7 as it is in real life; it isn’t as much fun either, but let’s not go there (hey, I didn't say that I wasn't fun at all). All you have to do to execute a drift, is release and press the accelerator while your car is angled. If you try turning normally, rest assured, you’ll end up ramming your car on the track's sides; the cars in Ridge Racer just refuse to turn after a certain angle, without drifting. I'm not complaining though, I love the way the system is designed - the core mechanics of the game is based on a very intuitive turning system, where you've got to decide whether the turn ahead is shallow or deep, and decide whether to drift or not accordingly. The upside of having the arcade racing element here is that your speed doesn't take a hit every time you drift. Once you've perfected your drift, you'll be able to turn corners while losing almost no speed!