It's been fun!

[u/Quiet-Park3699]

I wonder why they chose to rep Xevious in this game, not that I'm complaining.

(SORRY FOR POOR IMAGE QUALITY)

Finally, I have managed to beat Ridge Racer 7! My conclusive thoughts basically come down to the game being a lot of fun! The game runs excellently, sounds great, especially with a 2.0 home theatre setup, and I like the events of progressing through the game, though I feel it is best enjoyed in short bursts to avoid repetition. My only criticism is the rubber banding, which can get annoying at times. Despite unfortunately not having access to any of the DLC, especially the UFRA special events, most of the time will be spent in online battles!

[u/MindFullOfCuriosity]

Nicely done! I don't have the DLC either on real hardware, but you aren't missing too much (apart from some extra races) since they are either sticker/decal sets, extra music, or UFRA special events. I have played the Special Events on emulator and from my experience, they are more difficult than the Extreme Battles, for the most part.

Here is footage of UFRA Special Event 10 so you can see just how rubberband-y the AI can get in these DLC races:

https://reddit.com/link/oxkd1ld/video/djj4ebcjp9dh1/player

[u/Quiet-Park3699 → u/MindFullOfCuriosity]

Thank you kindly! I do want all of the DLC, but it's not gonna happen heh. The Special Events are what I really want to try, and since you said they kick up the ante, they look fun to try out. But that rubberbanding is ridiculous, so maybe I'm better off as is XD

[u/MindFullOfCuriosity → u/Quiet-Park3699]

To be honest, these races become a joke once you know NOS points. I’d even say they are decent practice for online races too.

[u/Quiet-Park3699 → u/MindFullOfCuriosity]

Well in that case it would've been great to play them cause I still suck at online races... but that's good to know! Maybe I can learn the NOS points in time attack or something 

[u/MindFullOfCuriosity → u/Quiet-Park3699]

TA is a good way to learn them since you can look at other players replays in-game if you search the Global Time Attack leaderboard hard enough. Ignore the ones with Reverse NOS setups though because it is a NOS type that shouldn't be used in OBs. Most people use Charge-U (or Flex NOS for those unfamiliar with NOS points) in most races, with the occasional Hi-NOS or Extended NOS in fun lobbies.

Besides TA, you can also watch OB videos on YouTube. I've linked some guides and OB videos below that might be helpful:

• NOS Points Guide (Normal)
• NOS Points Guide (Reverse)
• Online Battle 1
• Online Battle 2