<s>
is	O
the	O
third	O
title	O
in	O
the	O
Ridge	B-Application
Racer	I-Application
series	O
of	O
racing	O
games	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overall	O
Rage	B-Application
Racer	I-Application
was	O
considered	O
too	O
similar	O
to	O
its	O
predecessors	O
,	O
and	O
as	O
such	O
its	O
impact	O
was	O
limited	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Visually	O
the	O
game	O
takes	O
graphical	O
cues	O
from	O
Rave	B-Device
Racer	I-Device
,	O
Ridge	B-Application
Racer	I-Application
's	O
arcade	O
successor	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
more	O
realistic	O
and	O
darker	O
color	O
scheme	O
,	O
but	O
is	O
not	O
a	O
direct	O
port	O
of	O
that	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rage	B-Application
Racer	I-Application
also	O
offers	O
a	O
truck	O
as	O
an	O
unlockable	O
vehicle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
an	O
interview	O
with	O
the	O
Namco	O
development	O
team	O
,	O
Nobuhisa	O
Mikoda	O
(	O
Rage	B-Application
Racer	I-Application
game	O
designer	O
and	O
project	O
director	O
)	O
admitted	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
"	O
somewhat	O
off	O
series	O
and	O
aimed	O
to	O
pursue	O
enjoyment	O
in	O
shift	O
controlling	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rage	B-Application
Racer	I-Application
's	O
introduction	O
introduced	O
"	O
mascot	O
girl	O
"	O
Reiko	O
Nagase	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Composed	O
by	O
Tetsukazu	O
Nakanishi	O
and	O
Hiroshi	O
Okubo	O
,	O
it	O
marked	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
Namco	O
's	O
new	O
primary	O
sound	O
team	O
after	O
their	O
former	O
members	O
began	O
working	O
with	O
other	O
companies	O
doing	O
production	O
on	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Street	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
EX	I-Application
(	O
1996	O
)	O
and	O
Driving	B-Application
Emotion	I-Application
Type-S	I-Application
(	O
2000	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
former	O
had	O
previously	O
worked	O
on	O
Ridge	B-Application
Racer	I-Application
Revolution	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviews	O
for	O
Rage	B-Application
Racer	I-Application
were	O
positive	O
,	O
though	O
generally	O
mild	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
a	O
Next	O
Generation	O
critic	O
summed	O
up	O
,	O
"	O
Ridge	B-Application
Racer	I-Application
games	O
have	O
never	O
been	O
deficient	O
in	O
gameplay	O
or	O
graphics	O
,	O
and	O
Rage	B-Application
Racer	I-Application
is	O
the	O
best	O
of	O
the	O
lot	O
,	O
but	O
this	O
third	O
incarnation	O
still	O
lacks	O
the	O
depth	O
and	O
replay	O
value	O
that	O
can	O
only	O
be	O
satisfied	O
by	O
finally	O
knuckling	O
down	O
and	O
giving	O
players	O
more	O
tracks.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Next	O
Generation	O
re-reviewed	O
the	O
game	O
three	O
months	O
later	O
,	O
saying	O
,	O
"	O
Rage	B-Application
Racer	I-Application
has	O
all	O
the	O
classic	O
elements	O
of	O
Namco	O
's	O
series	O
-	O
the	O
pounding	O
techno	O
music	O
,	O
cheesy	O
but	O
encouraging	O
vocal	O
soundbites	O
,	O
slick	O
power	O
slides	O
-	O
but	O
it	O
ultimately	O
leaves	O
you	O
with	O
the	O
uneasy	O
feeling	O
of	O
déjà	O
vu	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kraig	O
Kujawa	O
and	O
Dean	O
Hager	O
of	O
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
both	O
described	O
Rage	B-Application
Racer	I-Application
as	O
a	O
dramatic	O
improvement	O
over	O
the	O
original	O
Ridge	B-Application
Racer	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Official	O
UK	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Magazine	O
said	O
that	O
Namco	O
had	O
succeeded	O
in	O
developing	O
their	O
game	O
even	O
further	O
,	O
and	O
praised	O
the	O
track	O
and	O
car	O
count	O
,	O
before	O
concluding	O
:	O
"	O
The	O
pick-up-and-play	O
experience	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
remains	O
,	O
only	O
now	O
there	O
is	O
more	O
longevity	O
because	O
of	O
the	O
incentive	O
to	O
progress	O
through	O
the	O
classes	O
and	O
upgrade	O
to	O
the	O
fastest	O
cars.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Rage	B-Application
Racer	I-Application
was	O
a	O
runner-up	O
for	O
"	O
Racing	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
"	O
(	O
behind	O
Diddy	B-Application
Kong	I-Application
Racing	I-Application
)	O
at	O
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthlys	O
1997	O
Editors	O
 '	O
Choice	O
Awards	O
.	O
</s>
