Ride 2 Review and Gameplay

I recently received the opportunity to play the new Ride 2 game from Milestone and it was quite enjoyable. Ride 2 is a motorcycle racing game that includes more than 50 tracks and 30 locations scattered throughout the globe. In addition to real-world tracks and locations is the inclusion of licensed bikes and parts in the game.  The various game modes and tracks keep your attention and increase replayability.

The first aspect of Ride 2 that stood out to me are the graphics. Milestone went into great detail in creating recreating the tracks and bikes. From the beautiful sunsets in the background to the small puddles on the track during a session in the rain, you really become entrenched in the scenery as you fly down the course. One detail I appreciated was noticing and hearing the crowds cheer me on as I slowed down to maneuver a tight corner or screamed down a straightaway where their cheers would just catch my attention for just a quick second.

Ride 2 includes numerous game modes including World Tour Events, Online Races, Time Trials and even local Split Screen. If you are one of those individuals that enjoy challenges in the game, Ride 2 includes both daily and weekly challenges for you to complete. Milestone also decided to include one of my favorite features in race games, the ghost.  This “ghost” is a visual representation of your previous run on a track. I’ve always used that feature in racing games as encouragement to help me beat my own time. It’s quite satisfying to see that ghost fall behind you, knowing you are on pace for a new best time on that track.

While I enjoyed the game, I did find a few issues that bothered me about Ride 2. There are several camera modes to choose from in Ride 2 including third person and helmet cam. When using the keyboard to control the bike, the cameras worked great. However, when I switched over and tried to use my Dualshock 4 controller, I noticed that I could not easily switch between the various cameras and actually had a difficult time getting the third person camera to show directly behind the rider. Another issue I noticed with the controller is the button configuration. It seemed like the button layout on default was shifted one button to the left. What normally is the Y button on the X360 controller was actually the B button. I’m used to using different named buttons on my Dualshock 4 controller, but not the different location. Another issue I had, and it’s more of a personal annoyance, is at top speed, the audio is a little monotonous. Races were better than time trials as the additional bikes in the race eliminated that monotony.

Final thoughts on Ride 2 Review:

Overall, Ride 2 is a fun game, especially if you are a big fan of racing games. The positives outweigh the minor issues in my opinion and I find myself continuing to play trying not only to improve my times on the various tracks but also try to take first place in the races on those same tracks. Ride 2 is available for the XBox One, PlayStation 4, and PC for $49.99.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Uz-1-bvMM