Home » News » Review: RIDE
News

Review: RIDE

You really need to be a motorcycle fan to love RIDE.

Yet another effort from Italy’s Milestone S.l.r, the guys behind the MotoGP franchise, RIDE ditches superbikes for street bikes. It’s clear the game wants to be the Gran Turismo of the motorcycle world, with a fetishist’s detail on each bike and an emphasis on weight ratios and perfect, precision racing.

RIDE does well in that regard and falls flat everywhere else.

ridebiker

The game’s heart and soul is in its bikes, and sadly, nowhere else. Tracks look like they were made as part of a late-release PS2 racer, and I’m confident my rider himself will fuel nightmares for weeks to come.

I mean, look at him up there. Why am I a creepy, middle-aged man with a baby face?

Actually, let’s not stop there — check out the official in the background below. Compare how he looks to how pristine the bike appears, and that’s RIDE in a nutshell.

ridecreepy

Forza-style voiceovers mean to be dramatic and sophisticated, but are nothing but comical. Top Gear, this ain’t.

For all the emphasis on ‘proper physics’ RIDE says it has, things just don’t feel right. Riders instantly flop to the left and right when turning like you would on an old arcade racer in the 90s. An incorrect decision means you’ll fly off the bike as comically as any Grand Theft Auto V mishap YouTube video you can find. ‘Ragdoll’ isn’t the word to describe it, though; my rider doesn’t appear to realise that he’s not on his bike for most of his flight through the air.

Worst yet, load times are depressingly long; in World Tour mode, you have to wait through a loading screen only to hit “X” to head into yet another.

Overall, RIDE isn’t a very pretty package, but if you’re willing to turn a blind eye to most of it and focus on racing, you might be alright. Here, die-hard fans will love what’s on offer, playing with weight ratios, turning on and off auto-tuck (it’s for aerodynamics, I’ve learned) and interacting with in-game physics that actually work. It’s quite an unforgiving racer, meaning it’s best for the experienced.

ridefell

The game offers a Forza­-style optimal racing line and rewind feature, so it’s possible to try something, fail and rewind to attempt a different tactic; even then, you’re only allowed limited rewinds each race. Those who’d normally learn via failure in this manner — like me — simply can’t. Only the battle-hardened racers will appreciated this almost-helpful-but-mostly-frustrating mechanic. If you’ve used up your rewinds in the first of a three lap race, it’s best to just quit out and try again, hopeful you’ll do better.

Skills or not, a sure-fire way to succeed in RIDE seems to be to buy the best bike possible and kit it out with the game’s plethora of customisations. Of those, there are many, with RIDE featuring over 100 bike models and more than 100 customisable bits on both you and your ride.

Well, that, and only use the rear brake.

Succeeding in races means you’ll basically be able to claim a personal victory, moving up a leaderboard of fake AI racers. It’s a kind of hollow feeling, to be honest, much like most of the game. Still, winning means more reputation and more money to buy better bikes and equipment. And so, the loop continues…

riderace

More reward comes from taking your racing online, but be warned: I was hopelessly under-classed against opponents, both in bike and skill. When I found find a game in the limited offerings presented by Milestone, that is.

RIDE really isn’t for me, and that’s fine… but be warned, RIDE probably isn’t for you, either. Rev-heads who aren’t used to motorcycle racers will face a bit of a learning curve, but should enjoy it. For fans of MotoGP, of course, this is almost a no-brainer… unless you’re happy to wait for Milestone’s next MotoGP later this year.

RIDE was reviewed using a promotional code on PS4, as provided by the publisher.

 

Review: RIDE
5 out of 10

The good

  • Great for motorcycle fans.
  • Racing-wise, it’s the Gran Turismo of motorcycle games.

The bad

  • Lacking heart and soul outside of the motorcycles themselves.
  • Sparse.

Want to know more about our scoring scale?


This article may contain affiliate links, meaning we could earn a small commission if you click-through and make a purchase. Stevivor is an independent outlet and our journalism is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative.

About the author

Steve Wright

Steve's the owner of this very site and an active games journalist nearing twenty (TWENTY!?!) years. He's a Canadian-Australian gay gaming geek, ice hockey player and fan. Husband to Matt and cat dad to Wally and Quinn.