Somehow, We're Already on the Sixth Game in Milestone's RIDE Series

I grabbed Ride 4 after seeing the PS5 promo video (where all the HUD was removed, making it look life-like) and subsequently learned that motorbike sims like Ride are very difficult if you're not a rider yourself.

Great series of game tbf, seeing Guy Martin have an in-game model is brilliant - such a character.

Yes! Can't wait, will def be a day 1 purchase for me. Love this series.

@ZeroSum I've owned and ridden just about every bike going, and was a motocross racer in my youth.

I find those games extremely hard. Real bikes are far easier. My knuckles bleed from punching the controller.

I like to play with all the aids off though so I'm controlling everything. Otherwise....why play it at all IMO.

Ride and MotoGP are very inaccessible and it ruins the appeal to most of the potential audience. The trick is to make it easy to play but hard to master, such that new/less experienced players can play the game and feel good about it, and hardcore players can find hidden depths.

What doesn't work is when the game is so tricky, that the new/less experienced player only has the option of a baby mode where it practically rides itself. That's not satisfying.

Although I've even seen Youtubers get their girlfriend to play it on the easiest mode possible and it was still unplayable with them crashing constantly.

The Dark Souls of racing games, only with the default mode being a 0 damage run, whilst naked and only holding a blade of grass.

I enjoy the series as well, and also ride a KTM SD 1290 R. Motorcycle handling in a game is difficult to master (accurately) because it's not intuitive to do with a controller, and there's no good feedback. I love the fact that they're using pretty realistic physics (save for the boosted grass grip or the 3 inch curb that sends you into orbit). Getting the right balance of assists/settings can help it to feel intuitive. It's all in managing the "friction circle" for tire load, especially when the track isn't level. Getting the hang of it is pretty rewarding, it's not a point and shoot affair. Also, the fact that the bike leans around the CG is awesome. You lean left and the contact patch shifts to the right. That's counter-steering in effect, that's accurate! Old moto racing games that would just tilt your lean left/right over the contact patch was infuriating. That's not how bikes work. That's not how any of this works... Once you understand the physics of riding a real bike, Ride's in-game handling does feel reasonably accurate, and it's getting better each release.

I mean it's great to see but Milestone did better car games in the PS2 era or even different ones like V8 Superstars duology for PS3.

Offering off-road bikes is 'fine' but even MotoGP16 had them and MXGP or Monster Energy both series Milestone makes, so is it really that surprising. Even auto cross bikes or whatever were in Ride 3 I think. So them trying is fine but did they pull out the big guns no. XD

But Ride 4 had a great restrictive region system idea (in theory, and to expand in my opinion off of Forza Motorsport 1 and 2's car region design) but bad AI so the progression was a joke and even PGR2 has better class restriction but track selection and playability.

MXGP3 is just bad like their MotoGP efforts at least for what I look for in them of 'playable' sim or arcade feel or structure. I've played better looking into MX vs ATV older entries, Reflex was a blast, Pure PS3/360 was a blast. Tourist Trophy is fun to play on and off of GT4 bikes.

Ride 2 was clear of it's Forza Motorsport 6 inspirations in UI and cutscenes, sigh.

Ride 3 was fair.

So if they did good with 6 sure, but I barely know what 5 does.

Heck Gravel was probably the last Milestone game I cared about enough to play to the end and get it cheap again later to replay through on PS4 then my Xbox One physical copy. That's rare for me with modern games let alone racing games and my stance on them.

Ride 5 I haven't bothered as I don't know what it offers due to how badly youtube videos always show the bikes, I want to see the menu and progression, this is why I either buy games cheap or 'try' my best to find what the menus look like for modes/events/progression as players are incompetent on doing so.

Even WRC23/24 I don't know for sure, even the car builder was confusing, but so was Milestone's Apex/Racing Evoluzione till I worked it out/got a copy physical now then videos.

MotoGP games to me are unplayable or not as fun (not the sim/physics/bike fan type of course so I'm not the target audience likely) compared to the older era ones I've bought up and played a season and moved on and metacritic reviewed 6, 8 and 9/10 (but enjoyed some of their past ideas of management in 9/10 yes bad physics but I don't care, or MotoGP3's 20 fake tracks, or other games challenges).

Nothing has beaten WRC3 PS3/360 for me in career mode, that thing was paced so well and good event variety. Loved it. Tried 5 to 9 and they are 'alright' in that area.

@ZeroSum Ride 4's progression system is restrictive (good idea bad execution at least in me comparing it to Forza Motorsport 1 and 2 in around about way) and it's AI is very bad, even on very easy not just it's awkward physics/handling. Ride 1 to 3 are way more approachable even with getting the hang of them. I struggled with RIde 1 regardless of having the 360 copy but I still got enough out of it. 2 on Xbox One and 3 same thing on PS4.

Load times are eh for all of the games (regardless of 360 version of Ride 1 to compare) but the whole series is on PS4 and get cheap digital/physical so they aren't hard to get into, but they are more approachable and playable then 4.

No clue for 5 as not looked into it but it is a current gen era game I have had my eye on but not going to till right timing, same with WRC23/24.

Even RIMS I tried and felt even worse then Ride 4. It's way too hardcore sim or RPG like scaling that's way too far off or something.

Even MotoGP16 or MXGP3 to me give off the RIde 4 effect in physics or playability.

I knew when playing MotoGP16 which I got on purpose for the dirt bikes/rally cars to go 'lets see how playable these all are and compare them, I enjoy additional content angles regardless of it being based around a particular driver' and you know what, the MotoGP bikes played worse then the dirt bikes/rally cars. Glad I got that one first to compare them. XD Which Milestone has done cars and dirt bikes before so even compared to those I think they were fine.

I've been exploring older entries of these on older consoles, I'm not a bike fan but you notice a lot of physics/handling and modes and how different they are for sure compared to nowadays.

I think I've heard of RIDE. But I don't think I heard of RIDE 2,3,4 or 5.

Milestone should make a sequel to Gravel.