RIDE 5 (PlayStation 5)
Official GBAtemp Review
Product Information:
- Release Date (EU): August 24, 2023
- Publisher: Milestone SRL
- Developer: Milestone SRL
- Genres: Racing
Game Features:
Ride 5 is the fifth instalment of the franchise which is essentially the two-wheeled equivalent of Gran Turismo. Made by Milestone SRL, these are people with a clear passion for motorcycles: Ride 5 is a game that takes no prisoners and is a die-hard simulation that will appeal to the most dedicated motorbike fans at the very least, and it's been nearly three years since the last instalment!
Starting out I wanted to really feel the power of the engines, the raw torque and the thrill of the ride and jump right into the deep end: however, incredibly quickly I realised that coming from a few months on GT7 using PSVR2 across to non-VR superbike racing was an extremely tough lesson to learn. I initially found this game incredibly difficult to tackle, but thankfully there are an incredible number of flexible AI assistants that act like training wheels and get you acclimatised to the pace and skills required.
Needless to say: I went back to the drawing board and enabled everything!
Humble Beginnings, Plenty Of Room For Growth
You start small in your garage, with a beginner's bike and raw ambition. You study the upcoming races, your rivals, and your bikes load out to give you the upper hand in the upcoming races. Your bike has multiple ride styles, the ability to upgrade and tune engines and suspension, and of course, a fully fleshed-out livery editor to really inject some ultra-aesthetic charisma into your precious superbike. Livery creations are fully sharable too, so get creative and other riders will adopt your designs to sport across their careers!
Some intriguing mechanics in this game include the rival system, which really takes the career mode up a notch by adding proper cut scenes and dialogue aimed at you for those who want to beat you, and the Race Creator modes, which let you reinvigorate the tracks with custom race conditions of your choosing.
RIDE 5 also offers 20-player online endurance modes (that can last up to 24 real-time hours: thankfully you can save your progress in the middle of a long run), cross-play with Xbox Series X (sadly not PC), features a rewind mode to bend time and redo that corner that you lost concentration on, and finally and most pivotally of all: RIDE 5 has split-screen multiplayer modes!
The latter is a much-needed addition to the series that brings back that couch competition element we have been sadly lacking in most mainstream games these days. The ability to load up a game, and play with a tangible real player next to you offers some unique trash-talk and super competitive moments that I really enjoyed, more than online victories because I could see the pain permeating across player twos face throughout my utter triumph over them. Glorious.
The Gran Turismo Of Motorcycle Games
Graphically Ride 5 is stunning. From the intricate and varied locations to the multitude of bikes themselves which are painstakingly modelled real-world replicas; virtually no detail or texture has been glossed over and every inch of bodywork, brake discs, spokes, grills and tyres pixels are polished to authentic perfection.
Everything from the tarmac shimmer and glisten, your bike's reflection and deformations, realistic daylight and evening lighting regardless of conditions, and dynamic weather rain and haze really help construct the ultimate visual experience, bringing you some very stylish and dramatic set pieces through your refractive and shiny little glass windscreen.
I can see why this game is next-gen only, purely because of the level of detail used, multiple instances of physics at play, the 19 other players onscreen at once with no notable issue, inclusive of the dynamic weather systems affecting temperatures, traction, and therefore the handling and speeds. I don't believe that RIDE 5 could be done to this level, this effortlessly, on last-gen technology.
The one, singular, graphical effect I didn't like was that of the heat haze emanating from exhausts. Strangely, it looked remarkably remedial in the bigger picture of this otherwise incredibly realistic racing game, if they could improve that minor detail I think we could call the game "graphically near-flawless".
Audio in-game is stunning with a gentle narration through the menus and progression of the four-act career mode, it's warming and endearing, it makes you believe in yourself and encourages you to try again and build up your skillset. The bikes sound phenomenal, especially when using a Pulse 3D Headset, and each one hums, roars skids, and peel around corners delightfully. The general ambience of the locations is a little passive, but that's not really the focus of the game anyway, and if it were it would feel too arcady: this is ultra realism on real-life tracks after all!
Ultra Realistic Handling, Slightly Underwhelming Haptics
Controlling the game is a breeze thanks to the use of the tried and tested layout of triggers to brake and accelerate, stick to steer, and Square or Circle to shift gears. I'm glad they didn't opt for a totally new, totally unnecessary control system, it feels great as it is, but sadly the haptics felt rather underwhelming, with the triggers simply clattering and clicking more than actually fighting against my trigger pull strength. I have no doubt this can be improved with updates and patches, so it's not much of a concern.
Manual gearing is the make or break of this game, because timing is everything and maintaining your top speed is incredibly critical to attaining top podium finishes. Steering is also a critical factor in gaining or losing positions because braking into, and accelerating out of corners, is where leads are lost or time is made up.
With bikes matching real-world counterparts for top speeds, RIDE 5 offers unparalleled realism and a genuinely different feel for virtually every bike. Some accelerate slowly but have fantastic top speeds, some absolutely fly out the gate but cannot corner to save their lives, and others hug the track perfectly but fail to attain the highest top speeds. There is a lot of balancing and learning to be done in order to really excel at the game and this makes you feel like you have truly learned a new skill once you finally know how to make some slick passing manoeuvres and pull away like a rocket out of those super-sharp bends.
RIDE 5 is not for the casual gamer, it is for the enthusiasts, the petrolheads and the tinkerers. Personally, I adored the career modes collect-a-thon ideology of gathering as many bikes as you can, and with around 200 of them to unlock (either gifted to the winners of events within the 35 circuits, or through purchasing) there is a lot to sink your teeth into. I would say conservatively that there is a good 40+ hours of gameplay in career mode alone, let alone the online, endurance and multiplayer elements, so RIDE 5 is going to give you a lot of bang for your buck if you are motorcycle-inclined.
Verdict
- 20-player online and 2-player split screen
- Dynamic weather with volumetric clouds
- Stunning graphics with real-time deformations
- 200 events to compete in across 35 circuits
- 200 bikes to collect!
- Exceptionally difficult learning curve for beginners
- Underwhelming haptics
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