RIDE 4

For a virtual rider, RIDE 4 is like a trip to heaven. Milestone’s latest game is simply what every two-wheeler and video game enthusiast needs, the best in handling, motorcycle variety and selection of tracks. The simple pleasure of driving lies at the heart of a technologically excellent title, that will soon become a much-welcome haven for those who love riding on two wheels. A pity, however, that the purchase of new motorcycles is locked behind progress in a career bound by classic (not to say old) game design concepts; the races in themselves are fun, but penalized by a weak AI and too strict penalties for minor errors. Despite these issues, RIDE 4 is one of the best racing games of the generation thanks to its excellent presentation and gameplay feel.

RIDE 4 retains all the positive aspects of the previous game (like the great riding model and the superb physics), but besides that there is nothing really new in this years edition.

As a complete package, Ride 4 finally manages to deliver with a rounded selection of bikes and tracks. The career mode feels substantial and, whilst the AI can feel a little tricky, the game gives you plenty of room to upgrade your wheels and power past. It's a little rough in spots with some tests adhering to a zero tolerance but the actual riding, on and offline feels fun and challenging.

RIDE 4 is the best entry in the series and fixes a lot of problems that past games had. Its diverse mix of event types in the career mode keeps it fresh even with a few tedious tests dragging things down. The on-track action shines at all times when you have rivals with you, and no matter what track you’re on or what time of day or conditions you’re racing in, you’re in for a fun time. It’s a challenging game, but in a good way as it encourages you to get better and offers a wide variety of difficulty options to help you along the way. Put simply, Ride 4 looks and sounds fantastic and controls like a dream.

RIDE 4 is a great addition to the series that updates the roster of vehicles, the physics simulation, and the AI experience. For fans of true sims, this is the best there is for the motorcycle market. However, RIDE 4 is a hard game to get into and will draw no comparisons to Fall Guys or similarly easy to pick up experiences, and it would have been nice for the tutorial to have a more hands-on approach to coaching players through the game's handling mechanics.

RIDE 4 comes with some new features that make the experience even richer and more engaging. The new career appears to be solid as it leads us through a long path that becomes gradually more complex and multifaceted.

RIDE 4 is the motorcycle racer for motorcycle fans. This is a double-edged sword, of course, because outside of this core audience there won’t be much pickup from non-fans. The demanding physics helps to achieve great immersion in first-person view, custom liveries can easily be crafted, and the career mode gives a nice sense of progression, even if it is very low-profile. This all adds up to a neat package that fans are sure to enjoy.

RIDE 4's excellent sense of realism offers a pleasant experience to anyone with a passion for motor racing. There's quite a bit of content here too, with a diverse set of customization features that will keep you tinkering for a long time. Some hiccups do occur though, chief amongst them a rather unconvincing career mode.

The development team at Milestone did their best to give Ride 4 a fresh look and save it from being repetitive, and they didn't fail. If you are a fan and looking for a good Motorbike game to play in 2020, Ride 4 is not a bad choice.