Milestone offers in Ride 4 its particular tribute to motorcycling. The weather and dynamic time situation offer variety to a topical race mode.
Milestone persists in its path to offer the most comprehensive motorcycle racing simulator to date. While on the one hand it has the muscle of Dorna’s competition, on the other it consolidates the rivalries closest to the amateur scene in its own IP. After all, what Ride proves is being able to make your own Gran Turismo on two wheels.
And it is that this fourth installment comes to occupy the next step in the saga. We are talking about a game halfway between arcade and simulation (in which the latter predominates), which has important new features in order to improve the sensations on the track. For the first time the brand will incorporate dynamic weather and day and night cycles. Ride 4 leaves its mark on the asphalt.
Career mode, back across the planet
It is a classic to affect the quintessential mode of any driving game. Ride 4 follows a classic structure, maybe too much. At the beginning we must choose in which regional league we want to debut. Depending on whether we do it in Europe, America or Asia, the circuits and tests will be adapted to your choice. Within each one we can expect a mix of different events, between time trials, going through the ideal line, better sectors, and so on.
What those first hours give off is a tutorial sensation, that is to say, the study takes us little by little to know each inch of the tracks, where we can put gas and where we must stop if we do not want to kiss the canvas. Given the characteristics of the game, driving even in its most arcade side is demanding. Many of these recognition tests severely penalize going one millimeter off the track, or picking up a piano with an uneven surface.
The short-term goal is to end the chain of events. It is not necessary to complete them all; Depending on our performance, we will obtain gold, silver or bronze medals, which will be added to the total. If you achieve the first objective in all of them, you will receive the greatest reward: a completely free new motorcycle.
After completing this regional card, that is to say, the bases on which the rest of the tests are based, we will fully enter a succession of cups that will require specific motorcycle models. Depending on its cylinder capacity, the objective set is to fatten our garage by spending the resources (credits) obtained in these. Official competitions (to call them somehow) coexist with exhibition competitions, a quick way to fill the portfolio with different and small-scale events.
Little by little we will make a name for ourselves, until we jump to the world league, and from there to the Superbike league, the last stop. As often happens, the first hours still hold the surprise, the discovery of taming the physics of the motorcycle. Beyond that we will be involved in a constant repetition of cold trials, devoid of all soul. We need a renovation in this sense, we are tired of putting on our overalls for the mere fact of achieving another bike. It takes more than races and time trials.
Cornering at 80 degrees incline
The irregularity of the race mode collides with the sensations when driving. The bikes feel good, with the ups and downs of rider lean and chassis resistance. It’s fun as well as demanding to ride these steel frames. Even when we select a more arcade side, as we said before.
The motorcycle catalog extends to more than 175 models and 22 official manufacturers. KTM, Honda, Kawasaki, Ducati, Aprilia… the best have not been lost Ride 4. Classic and modern models go hand in hand, such as the 1966 Honda RC181, or the 1984 Yamaha RD 500LC-MC. Motorcycling enthusiasts will you will find them represented in practically all categories. In fact, this year’s models achieve great quality when it comes to transferring the real ones to the virtual world. Perhaps one of the best elements at the graphic level. And yes, you can customize them.
On the other hand, we find 30 real circuits halfway between the MotoGP calendar officials and some other guests. Classics like Philip Island, Suzuka, Interlagos or Donington Park are present, not to mention other motorsports giants, such as the Nürburgring Nordschleife (and its modern layout) or Mugello, among others. Some circuits offer variables, so the number of tracks increases.
When it comes to representation of the sport, there is no doubt: Milestone nails it. She is cared for, they know what they do. This year highlights the inclusion of endurance races, which, as their name suggests, are long-distance races where several of the unprecedented characteristics of this Ride 4 converge. Strategy plays a fundamental role, and that is if the weather sets capricious, we must go into the pits to change the tires for wet ones, and vice versa. Between tire wear and fuel consumption, endurance tests will delight fans.
In the comparison with the last edition of MotoGP, the races have lost steam. Not only because of the number of rivals available, which becomes 11, but because of their behavior. We are told that artificial intelligence makes use of the same technology as the official video game of the Dorna championship, but in practice it is not at the same height. They are a kind of bloodless moving cones through the veins. Maximum passivity in the face of our attack. The study has shown its good work in this regard in the past. It’s hard to imagine that in Ride 4 we would see precisely a setback.
As for the graphic and sound quality, without bragging. Improvements in lighting allow the image to appear more lifelike. We mention bikes again, very well detailed and with a wider range of sounds than in previous editions. Of course, some circuits are not of such high quality. You see them and yes, they are recognizable, but some of them lose steam around them.
CONCLUSION
Ride 4 is a good way to enjoy the world of two wheels among its fans. Except for the extremely topical career mode, the endurance tests stand out, where the main characteristics of this installment converge. The strategy together with the weather and variable time situation allow that being on the back of the motorcycle is an experience close to reality. The control and its physics have been successfully transferred. However, artificial intelligence is not up to par with what has been seen in other Milestone work. In addition to only having 11 rivals on the track, they are too passive. There is an evolution in the franchise, but it must be at the height of the upward curve that the study is carrying out with other brands.
THE BEST
- The control and physics of the bike.
- The endurance tests, where the strategy takes weight, together with the weather and variable time situation.
- Milestone has successfully transposed the world of motorcycling.
WORST
- Artificial intelligence, below other jobs.
- Only 11 rivals per race.
- The career mode needs to escape the cliché.
Good
It meets the expectations of what a good game is, has quality and does not have serious flaws, although it is missing elements that could have taken it to higher heights.
