Ride 2
- October 7, 2016
- Milestone
- 33h median play time
Despite the similarities, Ride 2 is not as user friendly as Microsoft’s annual racing games. This means players are going to have to really work to ride with the best, and that’s an uphill battle they may not want to fight on your recreational time.
Get on Steam"Ride 2" is a motorcycle racing game featuring over 170 iconic bikes from various brands. Players can collect, customize, and race these bikes on various tracks, including country, city, and GP races. The game offers a realistic and immersive experience for motorcycle enthusiasts.
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- Ride 2 offers a vast selection of bikes and tracks, providing a rich experience for motorcycle enthusiasts.
- The game features improved graphics and physics compared to its predecessor, making the riding experience more enjoyable.
- Customization options for both bikes and riders are extensive, allowing players to personalize their experience.
- The AI can be frustratingly aggressive and often crashes into players, detracting from the overall racing experience.
- There are significant performance issues, including stuttering and crashes, even on high-end systems.
- The sound design is lacking, with many bikes sounding unrealistic and not capturing the true essence of motorcycle engines.
- graphics170 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally considered decent for its age, with many players appreciating the detailed bike models and environments, though some find them lacking compared to newer titles. While the visuals can be impressive at higher settings, optimization issues lead to performance problems on various hardware configurations, often requiring adjustments to achieve smooth gameplay. Overall, the graphics are satisfactory but not groundbreaking, with some players noting that they could be improved further.
“The graphics are pleasant for a game this old; the exception in a good way are the bikes themselves, very detailed along with the rider, a joy to look at during pauses and free cameras for nice screenshots.”
“Your graphics are a testament to the beauty of motorcycling, from the gleaming chrome of the bikes to the breathtaking vistas of the tracks.”
“The graphics and detail on the bikes are absolutely stunning and extremely detailed.”
“My graphics card is above the minimum requirements, and even on the lowest settings, I get subpar framerate from a game released in 2016.”
“The graphics are a disgrace.”
“Graphics are barely acceptable, etc etc. so, because I play Forza games on a daily basis, when I launch this I feel the downgrade in overall level.”
- gameplay75 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay in Ride 2 is a mix of realism and challenge, offering a satisfying motorcycle racing experience with a focus on physics and mechanics. While some players note dated elements like AI behavior and a lack of tire wear, the game excels in bike selection, customization, and smooth mechanics, making it enjoyable for both casual and hardcore racing fans. Overall, it provides a compelling blend of speed, skill, and variety, though some aspects could benefit from further refinement.
“Your gameplay is a thrilling blend of speed and skill.”
“The gameplay in Ride 2 is realistic and challenging, with a focus on simulating the physics and mechanics of motorcycle racing.”
“With its impressive bike selection, customization options, and realistic gameplay, it's a must-play for motorcycle racing enthusiasts and fans of simulation games.”
“Old, yes, because the game is undoubtedly dated in some aspects: no tire wear or mechanical failures whatsoever, short races, blissfully sluggish and unaware AI drivers... like I said, it's far from perfect.”
“The actual gameplay consists of finding out which bike has the best top speed for the respective event.”
“My only issue with it is the gameplay is too simple.”
- optimization63 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant stuttering and frame drops, particularly on certain tracks, while others report smooth performance even at high settings. Many users noted interface issues, such as the inability to view performance indexes of other bikes before upgrades, which complicates gameplay. Overall, while some players enjoy a well-optimized experience, others express disappointment with the game's performance and technical choices, indicating that further improvements are needed.
“Graphics are great, optimization is great; I only have very few moments of stuttering at high speeds, but that's all, nothing worse.”
“Performance-wise, it does fine on my GTX 1070 and FX8350.”
“The performance of the game is very good and the textures are good to great, but the real part of the game that gets me going is how great the bikes feel to ride.”
“Other interface issues abound, since the game does not scale performance indexes to the player. Not being able to see the other bikes' performance index prior to upgrading your bike is a major issue.”
“Kinda looks and sounds like total garbage considering it's not even that old and the install size isn't small. Performance is also pretty poor, though the selection of bikes is great!”
“Even at 120 fps, it is a stuttering mess. Why does the rider flash in and out of existence when you have a crash? Is it because it runs like it's only getting 5 fps? I don't think the developers are even looking into fixing this as it's never been updated, and as far as I know, Ride 1 still has the same problem.”
- story15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game's story is widely criticized for being either nonexistent or extremely short, with many players expressing that it lacks depth and engagement. Some users liken the experience to playing a game with no narrative, while others suggest that the gameplay mechanics overshadow any potential story elements. Overall, the consensus is that the story is a significant weakness, earning low ratings from players.
“Epic story.”
“Main story is kinda short.”
“Like playing Temple Run for the story.”
“This game has no story.”
“The main story is kind of short.”
“Story = 0/10.”
- music15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players finding it forgettable or average, lacking the impact of standout racing soundtracks like Forza Horizon 3. While some appreciate the catchy and pulse-driving tracks, others suggest that the engine sounds are more enjoyable when the music is turned off. Overall, the consensus leans towards a desire for improved music quality.
“The Forza Horizon 3 soundtrack is the standard for today's racing games.”
“The music tracks in the menu and during races are decent, a little catchy and pulse-driving, but not so obtrusive as to get on your nerves.”
“Amazing tracks, bike customization in this one, and I also love the soundtrack this time!”
“The bikes sound okay, but get a bit whiny on long races; the music is forgettable.”
“The menus can be a little unintuitive; the music sucks and the AI is naff.”
“Music isn't a big deal since the majority of us can just turn on our Spotify.”
- stability7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 57 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with users reporting significant bugs, connection issues, and random freezes, particularly in online mode. While some players noted that the game runs well at high graphics settings after adjusting certain options, others experienced frustrating lag and crashes that detracted from the overall experience.
“Great graphics and runs great.”
“The game runs great at max graphics all around.”
“Looks awesome. I was getting stuttering at first, but after turning off motion blur, the game runs great now.”
“Whoever designed this never really opened the game, never had to connect controllers, never had to assign keys, and never had to spend 30 minutes between laggy, buggy windows and buttons. Of course, they never had to end the whole session just to assign a different key because you can't access controls while actually playing.”
“This game is very buggy.”
“The online mode in this game is terrible; you never know if it's going to connect. I'm experiencing random freezes, crashes, and timeouts over and over.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that while some players find the grinding in Ride 2 to be tedious and unbalanced, particularly after completing most races, others appreciate the variety of bikes and the progression system that feels less grindy compared to other racing games. However, the overall sentiment suggests that the game's economy can become unfriendly, making it challenging to collect all bikes without online play.
“It's about racing on what you like, not tediously climbing some ladder just to stretch gameplay time.”
“The only proper critique I could move to Ride 2 is how aggressively unfriendly its economy becomes once you've completed most of the races, since the payouts drop down to dismal levels, which makes completing your bike collection a slow and tedious business without online play, which I'm not interested in.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Gets boring and grindy before you've even experienced a fraction of the content.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game boasts high replayability with over 200 bikes and numerous events, catering to both casual players and perfectionists who enjoy refining their skills in time attack mode after completing the single-player campaign.
“With over 200 bikes to choose from and a variety of events and races to compete in, the game offers a lot of replayability and variety.”
“If you are the kind of racing fan who's a perfectionist and enjoys chasing the perfect lap time, there's lots of replayability in time attack mode after you've finished the single-player campaign.”
“Infinitely replayable.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by highly detailed and realistic bikes, complemented by impressive lighting and reflections that create an immersive experience. However, some users feel that Ride 2 lacks the immersive elements typical of a grand prix season, such as circuit intro videos, which detracts from its overall atmosphere.
“The bikes are highly detailed and realistic, with impressive lighting and reflections that add to the game's immersive atmosphere.”
“Ride 2 is a reskin of MotoGP without the atmosphere of a GP season, such as circuit intro videos. Instead, it focuses on grinding to unlock lots of road bikes.”
“The game lacks the immersive atmosphere that makes racing games engaging, feeling more like a collection of bikes than a cohesive experience.”
“There is a noticeable absence of environmental details and sound design that typically enhance the atmosphere in racing games.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the humor in the game largely stems from their own mistakes, particularly during high-speed rides on narrow roads, reminiscent of the Isle of Man. The combination of thrilling bike mechanics and the lightheartedness of mishaps contributes to an enjoyable and entertaining experience.
“I honestly love this game! Even though I am more of a car driver than a motorbike driver, I am laughing hard at my mistakes at high speed on narrow country roads that look like the Isle of Man. The bikes are awesome, and with the DLCs, you're going to have fun riding those on any track you want.”
“Controls: funny, huh?”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game is perceived as exploitative, with users labeling it a "cash grab."
“This game is a cash grab.”
“The monetization system feels exploitative and unfair.”
“I can't enjoy the game without being constantly bombarded by ads and in-app purchases.”
Critic Reviews
RIDE 2 Review
RIDE 2 is a game for motorcycle enthusiasts without question. However, it's a game that is lacking in excitement for the material it covers. There's a great amount of content and production values, but not a whole lot of hook to the gameplay to keep you drawn in. While die-hard motorcycle racing enthusiasts may find some enjoyment, few else will be enticed.
60%Ride 2 Review
Particularly as the original released so recently, and bearing in mind the very high standards of driving games currently, it just seems that Ride 2 could have hung back for a spell. Granted, updates are coming thick and fast, which adds even more content and also amends some of the early grievances cited with the driving experience. In addition, Milestone should once again be commended for setting its ambition high, but overall, this is another driving experience from the developer that spreads itself out too thinly. Perhaps switching gears and specifically focusing on one discipline within a field of racing might produce a more eclectic driving experience for the next project, since Ride 2 represents one in a string of decent racers that could have been great ones. One thing is certain: Milestone is capable of and has produced drastically better and more authentic racers in the past. As previously indicated, those gems also tend to be the games that received the most breathing space.
60%Ride 2 Review
Despite the similarities, Ride 2 is not as user friendly as Microsoft’s annual racing games. This means players are going to have to really work to ride with the best, and that’s an uphill battle they may not want to fight on your recreational time.
80%
