November 18^th, 2003 (12:00am) - Namco has announced that its highly anticipated racing game, R: Racing Evolution, has been approved for manufacturing. Coming to the Nintendo GameCube, the PlayStation 2 and Microsoft XBOX, R: Racing Evolution is scheduled to race into stores on December 9th.

“Racing game fans expect a great deal out of their games and R: Racing Evolution will not disappoint,” said Yasuhiro Noguchi, Senior Director of Research and Development at Namco “R: Racing Evolution’s excellent graphics, hot licensed cars, challenging tracks, fantastic driving control physics, and a variety of racing styles will satisfy anyone looking for an awesome racing game experience.”

Developed by the makers of the legendary Ridge Racer and MotoGP series of racing games at Namco, R: Racing Evolution offers the unique Racing Life mode, a story-driven racing game that chronicles the intense competition and deep rivalries found within the heart of the professional racing circuit through beautifully rendered CG sequences and adrenaline-pumping in-game race challenges. With four additional game modes at the player’s fingertips, R: Racing Evolution captures the essence of intense competition and immerses players deep within the racing circuit rivalries.

Combining several unique racing styles, including GT, Rally, and Drag, and spectacular licensed vehicles that can be upgraded and tuned for optimal performance, R: Racing Evolution raises the bar for the racing game genre. With features such as the Arcade mode for straight-up arcade style thrills, the Event Challenge mode where players can test their driving skills under different race conditions, and the Interactive AI System, which enables players to dynamically affect CPU drivers’ competitive driving behavior during a race, R: Racing Evolution brings players closer to the heat of racing action than ever before.