Ride 4 Review
Available: October 8th 2020
Version tested: Xbox One X
I haven’t ever been able to try any of the Ride games before Ride 4 but I have always heard good things with many viewing the game as Gran Turismo on two wheels which can only be seen as a good thing!
My first real motorbiking game was MotoGP 20 and after getting used to the handling I found it a really addictive and fun racer which was impressive considering I have no real interest in bikes and more of a car person! After seeing trailers for Ride 4 and reading reviews in the past I thought it was definitely worth a go!
The comparison with Gran Turismo was also intriguing as GT was a game that I fondly remember while growing up, all of the options, different modes, cars, and upgrades made that racer one of the most addictive games I have ever played, and this was without the game handled.
The handling in these games does take some getting used to and mainly requires getting the weight of the rider while turning in at the perfect time to actually make it fast round the corner without losing too much speed or worse coming off completely! Ride 4 is a difficult game and will take a fair bit of practice to even make it around the track let alone achieving a decent lap time!
Any touch off the track will lead to huge instability and if your lucky you might manage to catch it before you come off! There is one saving grace here and it makes the game a little easier and this is the rewind button, without this I doubt I would ever finish a race! The handling maybe a little too much of a simulator for some but if you are wanting a challenge Ride 4 will certainly provide one!
Visually the game looks fantastic and on Xbox One X framerates were smooth throughout even we lots of action on-screen as everyone plows into the first corner. The weather and time of day options are impressive with rain looking very real as it drips down the screen and sprays up off the surface.
The sheer amount of different tracks is great to see as well all with lots of detail, great to see the devs putting so much love and attention to detail in.
Riders and bikes look fantastic and all have many different customisations that can be changed and made to your own liking. The UI throughout the game is also very well done and everything is tidy, clear and easy to use and work through.
Background music in the menu is calm and works well, there is a clear difference between the different bikes and the ways they all sound, the slower bikes sound much slower as do the top end fast bikes sounding very realistic and fast.
Ride 4 earns it’s GT comparison when it comes to content and the sheer amount of bikes and customisations to them, engines, exhausts etc can be changed to make the bike faster as can brakes and tires to improve stopping and handling and it’s this feature that makes Ride 4 start to really appeal. The ability to continually improve the bike till eventually buying a newer fast ones always gives the player something to aim for.
This isn’t the only thing like Gran Turismo as the career mode shares a likeness here too. In career players will need to select a regional league and then make their way up the leagues into the world league where levels of skill will really be tested to the max! During the time here players will be able to earn money to upgrade and buy new bikes as well as acquiring licences to progress further.
Races aren’t always against other riders as you will occasionally have to tackle a time trial and this is where it got frustrating for me, maybe due to just not being good enough I was unable to get anywhere near the time needed to progress and where as in the races against riders the race can be made a little easier by adjusting the AI difficulty, time trials are set times and if you can’t match them then you will probably be left in the same boat as me!
Luckily the game doesn’t just end with career mode and there is plenty of others to spend time in, I personally like the ability to just jump into a race and test out the different bikes, the great thing here is you don’t have to actually own the bike and will be able to just loan it for a race and see how you get on, this is great if you saving big money to buy one of the top bikes as you can test it out before you buy it.
The other mode that you would expect from a racer if the online multiplayer and while it’s not the most feature packed system it serves it’s purpose allowing racers to race against others around the world as if the single player challenge wasn’t hard enough!
Verdict:
Ride 4 is up there with the best two-wheeled racers around and certainly has a Gran Turismo element to it with the career mode and all the content the game has to offer! Visuals and performance are fantastic as well as a huge amount to customise and tune to your liking. The handling is very challenging and will take practice to get it right but once you do the feeling of achievement is great! Sound is fantastic and bikes all sound different and all handle very differently in relation to power and handling. Ride 4 won’t be for everyone but if you are a fan of two wheeled racing and always craved Gran Turismo but for bikes then this possibly is the game you have been waiting for!
Score:
8.5 / 10
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Code was provided free of charge for my honest unbiased review.
Ride 4
Pros
- Great visuals and performance
- Career mode is fun and addictive
- Lots of different things to customise and tune
- Handling is aimed more towards a simulator and performs very well
Cons
- Unless you are really good time trials may prove frustrating