Ride Hands-On Preview – In the Fast Lane on Two Wheels (PS4)

The release date for developer Milestone’s upcoming street bike racer Ride was recently announced, but I had a chance to hit the track at an event held by Namco Bandai Games and see how this title looks and handles on the PlayStation 4 first hand. If you’re a fan of MotoGP, or motorcycle racing in general, you’ll be wanting to check this game out.

The first thing I noticed was how great this game looked. The level of detail on the bikes, riders, tracks, scenery and everything else was nicely done and impressive to look at. Watching someone else play while I waited for my go at it, I was able to see how smoothly the game ran, and how good the game looked overall. I only got to see a couple of different bikes, but they looked fantastic and it really makes my mouth water to think about the more than 100 bike stable I’ll have to choose from upon release.

Upon taking over the controller, I wasted no time unleashing my beast upon the track, pulling a wheelie and smoking the tire upon taking off. Motorcycle racers take a little getting used to when someone is more accustomed to automobile simulators, and I took a few too many turns waaaaay too fast at first. Once I calmed down a bit, and adjusted my style to fit the dynamics and physics of a motorcycle, I was much better at working my way around the track.

The bike handled well and I enjoyed the physics of the machine. Leaning into corner at the proper speed was key to maintaining that perfect line, but not knowing the max speed at which you can take a corner led me off the track more than once. Hard braking while your knee is an inch from the pavement is never a good idea, either, but luckily it’s just a video game and not real life, even though it looks about as real as it can get.

I only got a glimpse of the customization but you can change everything from the bike’s appearance to its engine, transmission, brakes, suspension, and wheels, and you can make it truly unique. You can even customize your rider across a range of rider models, liveries and race suits. Exactly how much these customizations change how a bike handles we will have to wait for the full game to see.

I really wanted to play longer, but others were also wanting to hit the track, but from what I experienced this game is looking to be the epitome of motorcycle racing for now-gen machines. With the physics of MotoGP and the power of the PS4, I’m ready to take it for a ride now.