There's just something sublime about the handling in this game, as opposed to all the other games in the Ridge series. The way the car goes from hugging the track to drifting tightly through a corner is nothing short of orgasmic. It's a far cry from the way cars handle in Ridge Racer V for the PS2, which I've also been playing a lot.
I don't know what happened but I used to think the car physics in RRV was pretty good. But now it just feels sloppy for some reason. I mean there is some sort of terrible input lag or deadzone or *something* that's killing the feeling for me. The cars in RRV just don't feel as nimble and responsive as the ones in Rave Racer arcade do.
I feel like I could play Rave Racer all day with these excellent car physics. Pressing the brake pedal to initiate a drift was something I wasn't really accustomed to at first, but it feels so good doing it now. You can really pull off some amazing slides with the correct driving line as you approach the corner. The City track in particular should go down as one of the greatest tracks in video game history. It's just flawless.
Oh and the narration from the guy/girl duo during the race is hall of fame worthy! Go go GOOOOOOOO this race is yerzzzz!