RiMS Racing Review
Available now
Version tested: Xbox Series X
If you are into motorbikes and a big fan of simulators then RiMs Racing is certainly going to corner you in the right direction but be warned there is more here than just blasting around the track on a highly powered rocket with two wheels!
When it comes to the actual rockets ie superbikes there isn’t actually a huge selection to choose from, only eight bikes are available in fact but it’s the sheer amount of detail on each one is really impressive. If you are concerned about the lack of bikes though really don’t be put off as each one can be modified to your liking with a really impressive amount of upgrades and modifications.
Starting your career the first bike is on the house and won’t cost a penny but from then on the hard work starts as you will need to win races to earn money to get hold of some of the upgrades on offer. The bike itself can be stripped down to over 45 different parts and from here you will have access to over 500 different aftermarket parts, with everything being available straight away. No unlocking better parts its all on offer from the start but you won’t just be able to go and max the bike out straight away due to the cost of the parts so the hard work on the track will be needed to get the very parts parts for your pride and joy.
Ok so the most important question is how does RiMS perform on the track? Simple answer is very well! Be warned the learning curve as with Ride 4 is pretty steep but once you get the hang of it the racing really begins. There are multiple assists that can be tweaked to suit your riding style but practice is going to be the best way to improve and it will take time to perfect and get used to the way the bike handles round the bends. A racing line indicator is a beneficial tool to try and guide you on speed and cornering but going into corners with the slightest bit of extra speed can lead to your rider and bike flying off the track and out of the race as catching up after a crash is pretty difficult.
Visuals on the Series X were fantastic and performance was equally as solid throughout. Framerates didn’t drop in the time we spent on RiMS and it has to be said the visuals are up their with some of the best racers out there.
One gripe I have had with RiMS is the button input system they use, it’s used for things like pit stops and changing opponents. The inputs require you to perform a sequence of button inputs on the controller like spinning the right analogue stick for example and this will change a part and then pressing a set button and then holding a direction on the controller, it gets boring pretty fast as you can imagine. Luckily there is ways round this by getting team credits and with enough there is options to have the mounting and unmounting done for you as well as simple pitstops, downside to using team credits here is you will miss out elsewhere like getting extra credits in the races for example.
Race options are the usual selection we come to expect from racing games, a career mode to work your way up, earn money and improve your bike as well as the usual single player races up against the AI which I will quickly mention is actually very good and provides a more than worthy challenge. Multiplayer fans also have some options here with the usual option to pit yourself against some of the very best players around the world as well as an online challenge mode to see how you fare against others.
So visuals and performance are great and once you get the hang of the bikes, the handling is fantastic with physics in the game really playing an important factor in how good the game handles and feels very realistic. Sound is the last thing I want to touch on and for a bike game its really impressive, all eight bikes sound very different and authentic which all adds to the simulation side of the game.
Verdict:
RiMS Racing is a fantastic racing game for any motorbike fan out there but be warned the physic and handling take time to master but once you get it right you start to really appreciate the racing genre and how hard it must actually be to push one of these superbikes to it’s limit around the track. While not having a huge selection of bikes there is plenty of upgrades to bolt on which each bike having an attention to detail that’s really impressive and sure you please most bike fans out there! Visuals, performance and sound are all top notch and show off the next-gen hardware if you are lucky enough to bag one of the new consoles.
Score:
7.9 / 10
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Code was provided free of charge for my honest unbiased review.
RiMS Racing
Pros
- Huge selection of aftermarket parts
- Solid visuals, performance and sound
- Handling is spot on once you get the hang of it
Cons
- Some may want more than the eight bikes available
- Handling maybe a touch too hard if you don't have the patience