Cool controllers: The Namco Jogcon
Post 00013 | August 14th, 2022
Namco shone brightly during the PlayStation 1 era. They banked heavily on Sony's new console, even going so far as to base their arcade boards around it. This had the added benefit of making home conversions of their arcade hits close to perfect without much effort. Tekken, Soul Edge, Point Blank and Mr. Driller were all series that started out like this.
Then there were titles that skipped the arcade and was released straight to PlayStation. These were more narrative-driven games, such as Tales of Destiny, Klonoa, and the Ace Combat series. It's among these titles we find one of my favourite games.
Something about Ridge Racer Type 4 just hits different. It is one of those games with ambiance. The game opens with a video of a volume knob getting turned up as the first chords of Urban Fragments start playing. After an intro movie featuring Reiko Nagase, the series mascot, the screen fades to yellow and we are welcomed to the world of Ridge Racer.
And what a world it is. They managed to get everything right. The game is gorgeous to look at. The soundtrack is a cocktail of late 90's electronic music that is sure to send you into the zone. Race tracks are great, and so is the handling. There are 45 different cars to be unlocked including a secret Pacman car. All this wrapped up in four different story campaigns.
Another interesting point about Type 4 is the sheer amount of peripherals the game supports. You could hook two PlayStations up via link cable for up to four player racing. You could save your game to a Memory Card or a Pocket Station, allowing you to trade cars with your friends (if your friends also had Pocket Stations).
As for controller support: Yes, controllers were supported: Apart from Sony's own digital and analog offerings, Namco had a couple of controllers of their own: There was the twist-able NeGcon that they released a couple of years prior as well as this glorious thing that was released with this game in mind:
That's right, they only went and put jog dial on a game controller. The same kind you used when you wanted to rewind your VHS tapes. It was quite genius in its simplicity; The dial worked as a steering wheel. You were supposed to use both your thumbs to control it, though I usually use my left thumb and index finger. The controller has some remarkably deep grips, which makes it very comfortable to hold.
While a jog dial is fun to play around with even when the console is off, it's when you enter a race you are in for a surprise: The controller has force feedback! The dial is motorised, offering resistance while turning and makes you briefly lose control if you bump into something. I'm not even sure actual game steering wheels offered this back in the day!
You might be wondering what other games the controller supports? Well… Ridge Racer V. Some websites claim the it works with other games such as V-Rally 2 and Breakout, but it's not mentioned on the boxes of these games. That said, there is a NeGcon mode you can access by holding the MODE button while you turn on your PlayStation. The NeGcon supported a lot more games, including lots of non-Namco games.
That said, I kind of wish something like this was available today. I don't find the same enjoyment playing racing games with a thumbstick, but I don't have the space for a steering wheel. Something like the Jogcon would be a great compromise. It would also be great if this controller supported more than two games.
Japan: This is a Ridge Racer game disc. USA: Big cars go VROOM. Europe: Hiya ♥
Ridge Racer Type 4 is available for the PS1 (as well as PS2 and PS3) and the PlayStation Classic Mini. It was available digitally for PS3, PSP, and PS Vita but has been delisted.