One could always download an old version and the game would show an intro again, so I think threads should remain even if regressions occur.
However in this case I am 99 % certain that the game still works and that the file /dev_hdd0/game/NPEB01086/USRDIR/00__ridge_racer__.sdat is encrypted. Please try to decrypt it with this tool by placing npdtool.exe next to the .sdat file and in a terminal/cmd window running "npdtool.exe ds 00__ridge_racer__.sdat newfile.sdat" and then hide 00__ridge_racer__.sdat somewhere and rename newfile.sdat to 00__ridge_racer__.sdat.
However in this case I am 99 % certain that the game still works and that the file /dev_hdd0/game/NPEB01086/USRDIR/00__ridge_racer__.sdat is encrypted. Please try to decrypt it with this tool by placing npdtool.exe next to the .sdat file and in a terminal/cmd window running "npdtool.exe ds 00__ridge_racer__.sdat newfile.sdat" and then hide 00__ridge_racer__.sdat somewhere and rename newfile.sdat to 00__ridge_racer__.sdat.
Asus N55SF, i7-2670QM (~2,8 ghz under typical load), GeForce GT 555M (only OpenGL)