Actually there is only one real developer when it comes to motorcycle racing games, Milestone is the company behind the MXGP-, MotoGP– in Monster Energy Supercrossfranchise. In addition, they have also been working on the Rideseries and we have already reached the fourth part. We got on our virtual two-wheeler and set off for you. You can read below how we liked that.
Ride 4 focuses just like MotoGP 20 on racing on tracks. There is a difference, however, because in MotoGP 20 you really participate in a championship and here career mode is more about finishing different events. You could easily compare it with Great tourism, because here too you have to show what you can do before you can continue. It is also somewhat comparable in terms of difficulty, because it is quite spicy. Your qualities are put to the test in time trials and racing through gates. In addition to your qualities, they also regularly test your patience, because every miniscule mistake is punished. If you come a millimeter outside the track, you have to start all over again. We also had to repeat the first challenge at least 40 times, but in the end we succeeded and that felt very good. It does mean that it may not be for everyone, but especially for enthusiasts and go-getters.
What also feels good is driving the different engines. The game features just over 170 different vehicles that you can try out on 30 tracks, from Imola and Mugello in Italy to Interlagos in Brazil. The bikes generally feel really different, especially between the different classes. The heavier the vehicle, the rougher the steering. That also makes it fun enough to go through career mode slowly and drive increasingly fatter bikes. It was also striking that you do not fall as easily as in MotoGP 20, at least if there aren’t too many opponents around. The AI is extremely aggressive and does not seem to care about your position on the track. As a result, it regularly happens that in a turn that you take a little too slowly, you are knocked down by your opponent. It is something you have to take into account, otherwise it can become frustrating.
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Besides the career mode and single races, the people at Milestone have also added new things. For example, there is now a natural day and night cycle present, which is especially shown to its advantage in that other addition, the endurance mode. Here you can do races that can last up to a day. Of course, that immediately entails a different strategy, because you will have to think about tire management and fuel consumption, among other things. Your grip will also be different at night than during the day, due to the temperature. Quite a challenge, but of course you have to feel like working on a single race for so long. It probably won’t be for everyone.
Graphically, this part is another step compared to the previous part and it looks very nice. The different circuits are very recognizable, but you also see enough detail in the engine that you drive. We are also very curious how this game will look like on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Fortunately we can also test that next month, because the version for the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One also entitles us to the next-gen -version.
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Ride 4 is an improvement compared to the previous part. The controls are very good, but is something you will have to put in the necessary time to really master it. The career mode mainly consists of a series of individual events and that will not appeal to everyone, but it is challenging. The AI should be much better than in previous parts, but we were especially bothered by our opponents. Fortunately, you can complete a lot of parts on your own and that won’t bother you. The difficulty level may scare some players a bit, but luckily we persevered and had a lot of fun. Graphically it is perfectly fine and we are curious how this will look like on the next generation. For motorcycle racing enthusiasts this is actually a must-have, but at the same time you have to be a real go-getter.
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