While it may be a bold claim, I have heard the notion being thrown around a lot among players of Ride, although some argue PS2’s Tourist Trophy offers the superior experience. The game seems to have delivered above expectations and even if it’s not perfect you can derive a lot of enjoyment from playing it.
Featuring a roster of 110 bikes, as well as both racing and road tracks, plus performance and visual customization there is a lot to do. Event types are varied and you do get a feeling with this game that they did look at established (and successful) automobile racing game franchises when they were creating the progression system – they needed to maintain player interest and apparently they’ve succeeded.
Physics and bike control seem to be another strong spot and you can tailor the experience from arcade to simulator using sliders just like in Forza or Gran Turismo.
Player gripes seem to focus on the dull and static-looking scenery which is not up to the same quality level as the bikes nor any other contemporary racing titles. It also seems to lack extreme sense of speed for… extreme speeds.
Some complain that it ought to have had more camera shake at high speeds, to make the experience more immersive. Another omission is any kind of weather or time of day systems, but after the good response the game got, maybe the developers will keep working on it and eventually end up announcing the sequel with more features.
Check out a few video impressions after the virtual jump.