R: Racing Evolution goes gold

Namco has announced that R: Racing Evolution has gone gold, and that the publisher aims to ship 500,000 copies for the game's November 27th launch in Japan on PS2, Xbox and Cube. The game is then due out in North America on December 9th, with the publisher's European plans still unknown.

Though the curiously named game may not be called Ridge Racer VI (perhaps to distance it from the rather disappointing Ridge Racer V), and seems to blend GT, drag and even rally racing styles, it has long been perceived as the next title in the once proud series which arguably peaked with PSone title Ridge Racer Type 4.

Namco's senior director of R&D Yasuhiro Noguchi went on record saying "R: Racing Evolution will not disappoint," adding that its "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 experience".

Perhaps to celebrate the game's completion, Namco has also released a streaming video of R: Racing Evolution in action, which you can get your hands on here (Real Media file, direct link). We're quite excited about this one, so we'll try and rustle up some import impressions early next month.