In this ever evolving world of hyper-realism and high-definition hoo-hah, you can always rely on Ridge Racer to take things back to basics. Flying in the face of Gran Turismo's beneath-the-bonnet tinkering and the over-the-top mud bath that is MotorStorm, this latest installment of Namco's arcade racing series is high-speed rubber-burning at its purest and most simple. In fact, cosmetic details aside, playing it is more like stepping back in time rather than embracing the next generation and there isn't a great deal to separate Ridge Racer 7 from the original game that ushered in the PlayStation back in 1995.
Thing is, Ridge purists wouldn't want it any other way and, after playing ever-more complex racers swamped with unnecessary options and modes, playing something that's so straightforward, so - dare we say it - old school, actually makes for a refreshing change.
That's not to say Ridge Racer 7 doesn't offer anything new. Take the Ridge State Grand Prix for example. It's a fleshed-out career mode that serves as the main event in the game, a sprawling racing season where players start out with… well, nothing, not even a car. Before you can make a name for yourself out on the circuit you have to earn the right to compete with the best, by driving in a trial race. Win - which, to be honest, is a complete breeze - and you're awarded a car and are free to steer your racing career in any direction you wish.

Ms. Pac-Man is the lady-friendly follow-up to Pac-Man. It's the same basic dot-chomping, maze-navigating concept, but it's expanded. There are now multiple mazes, the fruit hops around, and the cutscenes are slightly more elaborate. Oh, and Ms. Pac-Man has a bow on her head. Like the other Namco releases for Xbox Live Arcade, Ms. Pac-Man is a straight-up emulation of the original game with no additions beyond an online scoreboard, some achievements, and colorful side graphics that surround the emulation. If the idea of a bare-bones emulation of Ms. Pac-Man sounds like it's worth five bucks to you, then you're in luck. But the standards for Xbox Live Arcade are a bit higher than what this game offers.