You thought things would stop at fighter jets? Nope! Namco Bandai is determined to inject some Idolm@ster into every property it can get its hands on. Now the latest victim beneficiary is the Ridge Racer franchise, specifically its PS Vita edition. The game will be getting several batches of Idolm@ster-themed cars, as well as music tracks that can be played during races or for your personal enjoyment. 

The first batch, due on March 14th, will feature Haruka Amami and Makoto Kikuchi. Cars based on Chihaya Kisaragi, Azusa Miura, and Yayoi Takatsuki will follow in April, with the rest of the girls in May. Given that there are thirteen girls in the Idolm@ster cast (more if you count spin-offs), that's a lot of content.

And in classic Namco Bandai fashion it's all going to be expensive. Buying it all will cost iM@S otaku a whopping 6,500 Yen, more than the cost of the game! BUT, in a move decidedly out of character for the money-grubbing publisher, they're offering a way to get the content...for less (gasp!). Fans can cough up 2,980 Yen for the "iM@S Pass", a one-time fee that will open access to all the content as it comes out. It's still practically highway robbery (by western standards at least), but this sort of thing is unusual for "Scamco".

Much as I like Idolm@ster, I'm not really excited by this new stuff. I'm not into racing games or Ridge Racer, and decorated race cars are nothing new (compared to fighter jets). Heck, real life has already played host to championship-winning Hatsune Miku cars and Evangelion cars. 

Check out a triple-threat of trailers below. One features "Go My Way!".