racers in the race, as shown in one of the chapters, when Rena (the player) is forced to place second, not first. At first, Rena benefits from the company's influence and is given equipment and opportunities to race in major events. However, she quickly develops a bitter rivalry with independent Spanish veteran racer Gina Cavalli. It is later revealed that Gina despises GVI, and her contempt for the company spills over to Rena, whom Gina considers to be their pawn. Later, when the first rally race chapter was introduced, Stephan's team mechanic Eddie is introduced, and it is revealed that Stephan was once a very good team manager until an accident occurred involving one of his racers, he was forced to resign. Towards the end of Rena's rookie season, Eddie comes up with a plan to leave GVI with Stephan and Rena. Months later, they form a new team without GVI's influence and Gina finds new respect for Rena, and the two become friends while continuing their rivalry on the racetrack. Development The soundtrack of the game was composed by Yuu Miyake, Hiroshi Okubo, and Akitaka Tohyama, with additional contributions by Koji Nakagawa, Satoru Kosaki, and Keiki Kobayashi. Almost 11 years after the game's initial release, it was released as R: Racing Evolution Direct Audio by SuperSweep Records on September 19, 2014. The original Japanese box cover displayed a De Tomaso Pantera GT5. For the North American release, the box art was tailored to the domestic audience by changing the image to a Dodge Viper. Similarly, for the European release the image was again changed to a regional supercar, the McLaren F1 GTR. Reception The game received "average" reviews on all platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of all four eights on each platform for a total of 32 out of 40. The gameplay was described as a compromise between simulation and arcade. The story was considered interesting enough to keep the player interested in an otherwise dull series of races. Graphically, the game was more or less identical on all platforms. On the other hand, the game was found lacking in comparison to other racing titles on the Xbox. References External links 2003 video games Electronic Arts games Multiplayer and single-player video games Namco games GameCube games PlayStation 2 games Racing video games Ridge Racer Video games developed in Japan