Free Ride Records - Rippin' Riders [Dreamcast]

Trials of Rigor are open-form objectives with adjustable Difficulty scales or completion Challenges.

Another Trial is declared:

Outperform the par scores for Time, Trick, and Total record categories in Free Ride mode on Rippin' Riders (Dreamcast).

The Trial

Despite not exhibiting formally defined Difficulties, Rippin' Riders on the Dreamcast is a Trial worth Challenging. Early snowboarding Courses are fairly basic and naturally grow in Difficulty as the slopes are ripped, memorized, and conquered.

In Free Ride mode, most Courses are unlocked by beating preset par time records and "placing in the top 3" of the Total scoring category. The manual outlines the requirements for each of the five main courses:

The Total score is a combination of points from both the Time and Trick categories. In short, Tricks must be executed whilst racing as fast as possible in order to score sufficient Total points. Fortunately, racing fast remains the focus because Time points typically contribute more to the Total scoring than the Trick category.

For example, on Cave Slider (Course 4), the par Total score to beat is 9500 points. By outpacing the default time record by over twenty seconds, Lord Rigor earned a Time score of 9440. Not only was that Time score only 60 points away from the Total score threshold itself, this was over quadruple the amount of the Trick score of 2179. That accomplishment archived below:

Tricks are tricky, and are best kept simple. It is simply unnecessary to risk crashing on the mountainside for the sake of higher Trick points. An equivalent amount of safer Time points are all that is needed to meet the Total scoring requirements.

Nevertheless, for Riders intent on Rippin', there are a plethora of trick options ranging from basic, advanced, expert, and character specialties. The maneuvers for each of these types of tricks are notably outlined in the manual for Rippin' Riders on the Dreamcast:

Perform basic snowboarding tricks by rotating or grabbing parts of the board in mid-air. Busting tricks off checkpoints or cliffs will earn trick points corresponding to the Difficulty level of the tricks performed. (UEP Systems p. 9)

The most ambitious rippers could absolutely master these complex Tricks and overthrow the Total par records along the way. Many face plants into snow drifts shall inevitably occur though and will demand persistence. Performing complex Tricks are thus considered much more of a Difficult Challenge than top speed racing. A cornerstone of True Rigor, Rippin' Riders earns high praise for incorporating multiple strategies for players to succeed.

Gravitating to the stylized namesake, Lord Rigor consistently performed backflip Melancholy tricks throughout His breakneck downhill snowboarding. He kept grab Trick scores to a minimum and just raced fast to earn high Time scores. Conservative rotation tricks were the one exception in which well timed front flips or backflips were executed. By not getting distracted by forgettable grab tricks, focus stayed on the board angle from rotation tricks as the next slope approaches. A basic strategy not dissimilar from other Challenging Hard Modes, such as Normal Difficulty on Arx Fatalis or Level 16 Difficulty on Primal Rage.

Once the Total scores from the five main courses have been ripped apart, the final two hidden Courses can be attempted. The manual for Rippin' Riders provides vague hints on how to unlock more content such as this:

Meeting certain requirements or placing in the top rankings throughout the course of this game will earn you secret goodies such as hidden courses, characters, boards, and other interesting items. So Challenge your limits and see what you can uncover! (UEP Systems p. 17)

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Free Ride (New Game File)

The following is a showcase of all seven Courses being shredded as fast as possible, with a default snowboard on a new game file:

Character: Tia

Board: Alpine Special (AL2)

Stance: Goofy

Course	Record Times
Course I: Mountain Review	2.11.670
Course II: Emerald Forest	2.40.760
Course III: Urban Striker	1.52.860
Course IV: Cave Slider	2.52.210
Course V: Dancing Devils	2.05.390
Course VI: Ending Course	1.11.740
Course VII: Secret Force	1.57.420
Total Course In-Game Time	14.48.450

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Free Ride (Saved Game File)

The following is another showcase of all seven Courses being ripped as fast as possible, while utilizing an unlocked snowboard from a previous saved game file:

Character: Tia

Board: Alpine Special (ALS)

Stance: Goofy

Course	Record Times
Course I: Mountain Review	2.06.430
Course II: Emerald Forest	2.33.620
Course III: Urban Striker	1.44.110
Course IV: Cave Slider	2.59.390
Course V: Dancing Devils	2.04.770
Course VI: Ending Course	1.04.830
Course VII: Secret Force	1.46.370
Total Course In-Game Time	14.21.520

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References

No artificial intelligence (“AI”) technologies were used in this writing.

Any use of this publication to train generative AI is expressly prohibited.

• UEP Systems. Rippin' Riders. Sega, 1999.

  • Scans of game manual & other media: https://www.lordoftherigors.com/library/5dc300fd-b118-4657-8bfc-3dab43a06dfa