RIDE 3 is a fairly average bike racing game that will serve as a suitable bike game fix for racing fans or people who just like grounded racing games.
RIDE 3
Developer: Milestone S.R.L
Price: $49.99
Platforms: PS4 (reviewed), Xbox One, and PC
MonsterVine was provided with a PS4 code for review.
I’ve reviewed quite a few bike games this year (this is my fourth, if I’m not mistaken). Though they have their differences here and there, I’ve found all of these games to be remarkably similar at their core. RIDE 3 is no exception to this pattern, as it hits a lot of the same beats as MotoGP 18, MXGP, and Monster Energy Supercross, with only a few minor differences sprinkled in.
RIDE 3 is split into a few different modes, with the two major ones being Career and Online.Career is exactly what it sounds like, putting you in the boots of your own custom racer as you pursue fame and fortune as a world-famous racer. Naturally you’ll need to make your character before you can begin your journey to reach the top, which is done in a cozy apartment that assumedly belongs to your avatar. There aren’t a ton of customization options, but the fact that you can actually change your face, hair, and clothes alone puts RIDE 3’s customization far above that of the vast majority of other bike games.
Career mode is actually quite lucrative, as there are quite a few different championships and events to unlock. Doing well in each race grants you experience, credits, and stars to unlock later events. There are different types of races throughout career mode as well, from your standard three-lap single races to completion-based races that task you with going from the start of a track to its end as fast as possible. I appreciate the variety of races in career mode, as it would be easy to just stick to single races. You can use the “rewind” feature to fix any crashes or missteps you may have made within the past ten seconds or so, which is a good feature for someone as clumsy at bike racers as I am.
From the few matches I played online, I found there to be little to no issues while playing against others. There were no major instances of lag or input delay, though the process of voting on stages and getting players into a race takes a bit longer than I thought it would. Naturally, you can’t use the “rewind” feature online, because that would be ridiculous.
RIDE 3 has a lot of variety when it comes to motorbikes, which is naturally a positive in a game that is based entirely on bike racing. You get to pick one of many when you start the game, and can customize it with new parts and visual flairs using credits earned in races. There’s a rather in-depth graphic design mode where you can create your own icons and stickers for your bike using different shapes and colors. The design features are a lot more than what could be incorporated into this site. There are a lot of ways to make your bike your own, though whether you want to make it goofy looking or cool is entirely up to you.
Visually, RIDE 3 is decent in motion and inconsistent when static. As is the case with many bike games, the human faces are sort of off-putting. Your rider looks fine in their racing gear (with their helmet on), and tracks look alright in motion. It’s all just fine though, nothing like Supercross’s impressive track details or particularly impressive weather effects
The Final Word
RIDE 3 is a good racing game that, while incredibly similar to other recent bike racers, is sure to satisfy one’s hankering for a grounded racing game. It doesn’t do very much to stand out, but it doesn’t have any major issues either, making it a perfectly alright game.
MonsterVine Rating: 3 out of 5 – Average
