PSP Ridge Racers track details, new shots

Ridge Racers for PlayStation Portable, due to launch alongside the system hardware in Japan on December 12th, will feature 24 courses, some of which will draw upon popular tracks from elsewhere in the series. That's just one of the things we've learnt about the game in the past week, which also saw developer Namco release a slew of screenshots from the handheld racer. You can find those here.

According to Namco, the main thrust of the game will be the World Tours single-player mode, and progress there will gradually unlock the 24 tracks along with new cars and "cute prizes". More interestingly, Namco also identified some of the more familiar tracks - you may remember Seaside Route 765, for example, while Greenpeak Highlands is apparently based on the Mountain circuit from Rave Racer, and Crimsonrock Pass draws on Heaven & Hell from Ridge Racer Type 4. Hold us.

Be sure to check out the screenshots for a closer look at how Ridge Racers is shaping up, and rest assured it'll be one of our first ports of call once we get our hands on a PlayStation Portable. Yes, we do remember Ridge Racer V and R: Racing. No, we didn't like them either. And, er, yes, our wretched love of the series probably is setting us up for a tumble into depression. But still... holding... hope...

Namco is also preparing a Ridge Racer game for the Nintendo DS, shots of which you can find here. And yes, we'll be nabbing that too. As if it wasn't already going to be an expensive couple of months...