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A motorcycle sim that’s great for veteran riders but not ideal for new players - Ride 5 Quick Review

4K View2023-08-24

RIDE 5

8.2

Local MultiplayerSportsSplit ScreenRacingMultiplayerSingleplayerBikesPvP

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SHOULD I PLAY RIDE 5?

Play it if you like racing games. Ride 5 is a motorcycle racing simulator that features realistic visuals and an adrenaline-pumping driving experience like no other racing game I’ve played before. Although it might not be suitable for newer players entering the genre, it’s definitely one hell of a time for anyone that likes the thrill of a good race.

TIME PLAYED

I played Ride 5 for two and a half hours. I’ve completed just over a dozen races so far, with each race lasting five to ten minutes, and even upgraded my motorcycle with a few parts. I still haven’t scored first place, but I’ve started to get into the top ten more consistently.

WHAT’S AWESOME ABOUT RIDE 5?

• Racing for the number one spot. I’m not a hardcore racing sim player, but even I had a wonderful time driving down a circuit and beating other AI-controlled drivers at their own game. While Ride 5 is complex and realistic, it uses that depth to teach players. Learning about motorcycles and honing my driving skills thrilled me and made the experience a little more enjoyable.

• Customizing the perfect motorcycle. Although I didn’t get to customize as much as I wanted, I had enough credits earned over time to deck out my motorcycle with a few parts to make it run better across tracks. This feature allowed me to personalize my experience and search for any tweak to give me the slightest edge over my competitors.

• Rewind time to win the race. When I screwed up in Ride 5, I could rewind a short amount of time to recover from a mistake in a race, which really helped me understand what I was doing wrong and made progression more comfortable. I don’t think I would’ve gotten far without this feature or stayed sane after colliding with a gazillion walls.

• Accessibility features. Whether it was short tutorials, tips, or difficulty settings, I always had some help navigating Ride 5. As someone who’s not the most experienced with racing sims, those features were essential.

• A soothing narrator. After launching Ride 5, I was immediately met with the silky, smooth voice of a narrator who helped ease me into this game. It may sound silly, but hearing dulcet tones worked as an immediate blood pressure release valve after intense, pulse-pounding races.

WHAT SUCKS IN RIDE 5?

• This is a hardcore racing game. If you don’t already have interest in and experience with racing sims, Ride 5 might not be for you. Only gamers with a fairly detailed knowledge of motorcycles are going to truly appreciate all this game has to offer. The gameplay relies on you being able to understand mechanics like gear changing, drifting, and balance. If you can’t get the hang of some of these fundamentals, playing Ride 5 will feel more frustrating than anything.

• There’s not enough guidance. Even though the Ride 5 tries its best to be accommodating and helpful through AI difficulty options, quick tips, and short tutorials, there’s not enough guidance for newer players like myself to confidently understand the game. This game could benefit from a more extensive, thorough tutorial that discussed deeper into things like gameplay, game modes, and technical data.

• Background visuals are a miss. The actual visuals when it comes to the riders, bikes, and menu interface are all really beautiful and realistic. But the background visuals seen in matches and across race courses look outdated and unpolished. Most of the idle characters cheering from the sidelines look like plastic billboards, and the environments are equally unappealing and unrefined.

💬 Are you going to play Ride 5 or will you pass on it? Tell me down in the comments!