RIDE 4 is now in the home straight and we were finally able to get our hands on the preview, which clarified many doubts and allowed us to touch the results of the work by Milestone, developer and editor of the game. The driving simulator is coming to PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Right from the first laps of the track, Ride 4 puts the player at ease, particularly appreciated immediately the choice of inserting the possibility of the rear brake split with respect to the front, so as to be able to use them independently.
The feeling you have with the bike is definitely improved compared to the previous version, especially as regards the feedback returned by the tires and the relative behavior of the bike with the various compounds. To understand the situation well, from the beginning we find ourselves running on the track trying all three compounds available (hard, medium, soft) to try to come up with a set-up that can be good for the race.
A question of feeling
Riding the bike in Ride 4 is perhaps the most satisfying experience ever, as far as the gaming scene is concerned. You feel the weight, you feel the load transfer under braking, Even a slight adjustment is enough and it is immediately found on the pad to influence the handling, acceleration and stability of the bike. Testing different tire compounds is essential to understand how to make the bike perform at its best on a certain track and the possibility of modifying different parts of the bike at the upgrade level, is an operation to be evaluated very carefully: in fact, it is not certain that upgrading maximum the means is a guarantee of victory, indeed, as in reality, the increase in power increases the driving difficulty and, what could have seemed a gentle and easy to drive sports car, can turn into a real monster that moves under braking and is grumpy in acceleration.
Thanks to a new artificial intelligence system called "ANNA", the opponents during the race adapt to the player's driving style, forcing him to evolve the vision of the race and the approach to duels. Being able to keep all the variables under control by running at three hundred per hour is definitely complicated as well as satisfying.
On Ride 4, improving times is not just a question of the power of the bike or a race to whoever takes off longer, it is a set of many small factors that must be analyzed and mastered all together, otherwise, very simply, little and nothing is achieved.
Graphics and Audio
The modeling of the bikes and tracks of Ride 4 is definitely of a high standard, despite being a preview. Riding the Yamaha R1 on the legendary Brands Hatch circuit is really fun and allows you to better appreciate all the work done in this sense in its entirety.
The graphic details despite being a driving simulation game are amazing, thanks to accurate CAD modeling and Laser Scan, such as the soaps of the suit that are marked with the passing of the laps when the rider touches the knee, or the smallest details of the bikes. The gravel is really well done and, in general, there is an uncommon global level of detail of the tracks and settings. The graphics of the menus and the various sections of the game are intuitive and accessible, there is everything that needs to be there and everything is at your fingertips.
Ride 4 is a complex and mammoth title in terms of content. Only the preview took us about thirty hours to analyze well the news and the driving model of the world. The combinations are endless and being able to get satisfying results in the beginning could be really frustrating. Arcade? Not even for a dream, Ride 4 is a full-fledged simulator that requires you to master concepts inherent in motorcycling and track driving, before being able to really make the big voice. We will postpone other considerations when we do the complete review of the game, but the impression is that of finding a product in our hands that risks significantly raising the bar for years to come.
► RIDE 4 is a racing-Simulation-Sport game developed and published by Milestone for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, the video game was released on 08/10/2020
Version for PlayStation 5 from 21/01/2021
Version for Xbox Series X from 21/01/2021
RIDE 4 is a beautiful game that cannot be missing from your collection: we have decided to evaluate it with a 85%, if you are interested in learning more you can read the RIDE 4 review
