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PlayStation Basement #5 - Ray Tracers

This review was originally published on the Console Purist Facebook group on September 29th, 2018. It has been edited slightly for formatting.

It’s Saturday, and here is PlayStation Basement! Every Saturday, I’m reviewing obscure, weird, and unknown games for the original PlayStation. My reviews use a nine-point rating system: 9-7 is Good, 6-4 is Neutral, and 3-1 is Bad.


Today, let’s talk about Taito’s Ray Tracers. This driving/car combat game came out on New Year’s Eve of 1997 in the US and earlier in Japan (January 17, 1997) and Europe (September 1997). It was published by THQ in the US, Taito in Japan, and Sony in Europe. This is a game in the Chase H.Q. series, arguably more of a spiritual successor. It’s time to start the car and check it out.


The cover to Ray Tracers is… okay. I like seeing the lights of the car shining in the darkness, and the color scheme is overall pretty nice. I don’t like that they just threw all the player character cars on the front in an awkward display of colors and composition. It’s kind of all jumbled. I see why they want to show the player characters, but I’d rather see the cool driver designs or a more constructed scene with the cars. They could have even done a comic book style image with both.



Graphically, Ray Tracers can handle its speed. Though there is some popup for background items in a few levels, this does not impact the gameplay at all, as these things are things like houses outside of the track or hot air balloons in the sky. The levels are varied, with dark forests, icy tundra, river towns, and a few different cityscapes. There are many different car designs, both to pick from and to encounter, and the large bosses at the end of each level are all different and unique, weird futuristic weapons. Finally, the human characters have a nice 90s anime style that reminds me of stuff like Riding Bean given the setting and themes.



Speaking of themes, Ray Tracers has some very nice music in an electronic, rock style. Unfortunately, the music is overpowered by the engine sound effects on the default settings, but it works fine once adjusted. The sound effects are good - I especially like the screeching wheels and the collision effects.



If you have played any of the Chase H.Q. games, you know what to expect here. You play as one of four characters on the Ray Tracer Team set out to destroy the evil Black Kaiser Gang. This covert operation is conducted by racing through the streets and ramming into everything that moves, especially the big bosses at the end of each level. Each character varies in speed, acceleration, handling, and damage, and they each drive a different car (color-coded like in a Super Sentai show). The bosses range from helicopters to tanks and more, sometimes utilizing missiles and other weapons.



The player character is invincible, so time is the obstacle here. You have so long to get to various checkpoints in each level and then so much time to defeat the boss. Crashing or getting hit by an attack will cause you to spin out and crash. Every second matters during the fights. I never had any trouble getting through the checkpoints, but some of the bosses are tough to destroy in the time allowed. They can move fast and hit hard. Thankfully you have a limited amount of nitro to boost and bring the pain. There are some cheesy cutscenes once you win.


Ray Tracers is a ridiculous and awesome game. It’s so fun to drive through the city and smash through everything like the later Burnout series. I really enjoy the anime OVA aesthetic, wishing they utilized the drivers a bit more, and the futuristic designs. The game was challenging, but I was able to get through it once I started using the green car and only when I was taking these screenshots actually. Ray Tracers is worth every penny. I highly recommend it. I really wish Taito had made a sequel.

Ray Tracers receives a rating of Good (9).

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