Put on the brakes — Ride 3 Review

Ride 3 is not a game for those new to the series and certainly not for the casual racing fan. The game never really bothers to explain anything. The first thing you do after starting the game is enter some basic info, such as race, nationality, and age, and then you are literally off to the races. You better know exactly what you are doing because it explains absolutely nothing. Now, I’m a hardcore Dark Souls fan. I don’t want everything explained to me. However, that approach doesn’t really work to well for a racing game where control is paramount.

After you practice and get used to the controls, Ride 3 is a basic racing game that lacks the same polish as others in the genre. The career mode is basically completing tasks to gain stars to unlock new tracks. It is fun enough and progresses well, but it is hardly pushing the envelope of creativity. There is also quick race, time attack, drag race, championship and weekly challenges. The weekly challenges encourages you to race on a variety of tracks with select weather conditions and bikes. They provide a nice distraction for those who love time trials but are pretty generic in execution.

What Ride 3 gets absolutely right is the bikes. I mean, the game is a better showcase than it is an actual racing game. With over 230 completely customizable bike models in seven bike categories, players have a lot of options and they all look gorgeous. It’s clear that a lot of love and care was put into making sure the bikes look perfect. Just as good looking as the bikes are the 30 tracks that will take you all around the world.

Now, if you’re anything like me, you are going to spend about as much time racing as designing bikes. Everything from rearplates to the brake lines are customizable. You can change logos, colors, letters, numbers, and plenty more to create a bike all your own. Once you have crafted your perfect bike, you can then post them online for others to see and download for their own use. Along with the cosmetic options are mechanical options to fine tune your bike to your liking. Everything from the transmission to the wheels can be changed to your liking. With over 500 mechanical options, it’s easy to create the perfect bike for your style, whether that be speed, acceleration, braking, or anything in between.

Once you actually get into a race is when noticeable problems start cropping up. While the new collision system is certainly better than in the past, it still isn’t good. It is way too easy to be taking a turn and another rider just enters your air space and you get knocked off your bike. The improved AI is probably too good for the average racer. One mistake pretty much completely knocks you out of a race on just normal difficulty. Do not be afraid to lower the difficulty, especially if this is your first go at the series. I continue to not be a fan of the front and back brake system. Holding three buttons to take a corner is awkward and it is very easy to lose control and spin off. It definitely takes some practice to really get used to.

From a presentation standpoint, Ride 3 is outstanding. The bikes look fantastic and I love all the customization options. Unfortunately, it is lacking in terms of gameplay. With this being a video game and all, that’s a bit of a problem. If you really need a bike racer then this may be the best of your very limited options, but with the harsh learning curve, lack of teaching, and uninspired game modes, there are far superior racing games on the market.

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