RIDE 4

Ride 4 is one of the best motorcycle racing games ever. Visually great and superb in terms of handling, Milestone did a great job delivering a fantastic experience on the track. The career is a little bit underwhelming in terms of design, but the game is still great to play.
9/10

Milestone you need to fix the A.I Riders so they don't basically run you over while in your line. Fix it or at least have the A.I go around you and not through you.

Starting off, I am myself a motorcycle rider that do a lot of track riding, and my hope going into this game was more looking for a Forza Horizon styled experience (without the open world) more than a NFS one.
Is the game good? Yes, if it is your particular kink. The game is unforgiving, it's got glitches/bugs and AI that can ruin your race. But when it doesn't do something stupid, it's my favourite motorcycle game experience out there. MotoGP fills the F1 2020 experience, and this is the Forza one. I do wish they would have carried over more features from MotoGP20 like 3 zone tire wear, engineers to set up the bike if you don't know how to tune and more options for riding styles. I get why they didn't do it, but it's what I really enjoyed in GP20. Tuning also really helps once you figure it out to make the bikes steer better/suit your style. Endurance races are VERY fun, if it's what you are into.
The Pros:
-It looks much better than Ride 3
-I prefer the physics over the Ride 3 one (although, I like the braking in GP20 more, it's still a little "wooden")
-Available bikes are fun and do feel like they have a little character to them when compared to each other
-Tire choices (S/M/H)
-Multiplayer is much more stable compared to previous titles, close racing is now possible
-Editor is fun (finally shared stickers are back)
-Added gamemodes + weather and day cycles
-Track list is decent, with more tracks coming (hopefully free DLC)
The Cons:
-Earning money is slow, 5 euro DLC to what should be the normal earning rate
-Bugs/glitches and an AI that can be a pain at times, the difficulty balancing with the AI slowing down on straights isn't great.
-Bike list feels lacking in many areas
-Steep learning curve will keep new players itching for the refund button
-Some bikes ride horrible for no reason (see: every MV Agusta F4, Yamaha R1/M and more)
-Sound on some bikes is underwhelming
-Rear brake is almost useless, and very difficult to get working right
-Difficulty system with AI isn't great, see leader bugger off whilst rest of pack is in slow motion
-Upgrading system was dumbed down
This game isn't for everyone, it caters to those that know how bikes work and does very little to help the new guy get into bikes, that said, it wouldn't be as good if it was styled like an NFS game. It has done some of the homework to improve on previous titles, and the final piece is a fun game, if you are into it in the first place. It is the strongest Ride game available, and easier to sit down with than GP20 (and previous titles).
For me, it is the best motorcycle experience available on a digital system (compared to titles like Ride 2/3, Isle of Man TT 2, MotoGP20).
Update:
A lot of the critique I see for this game revolves around the crude tutorial. Whilst I agree it is a very basic way of beating you with a sledgehammer until you understand the games physics and the way you play, I don't really see how it could be done better (except for the choice of bike, really should be something like an RC390 or R3, not an R6). If you look at "similar" titles like Forza Horizon, F1 2020, and other car racing games, they basically ask what difficulty settings you want (if even that) and then throw you into a race as introduction. FH4 (and other Horizon titles) straight up throw you into a Lamborghini of the faster kind and says "race to the festival, good luck!". The difference, and source of "annoyance" with Ride 4's intro, is that instead of crashing into a tree, backing up, and getting going again, Ride requires you to actually learn how to handle the game, before it throws you into the races, and the constant falling off invites a way of "the game is against me progressing" and frustration.
Apart from changing the learner bike (and maybe track, Tsukuba is kinda technical, short version of Brands Hatch would be better), this is really the only way to learn the games handling model. It even lets you have tools to make it easier (3 or 4 settings of physics to begin with, ABS, Auto gears etc.). is it crude? Yes. But do you remember when you started learning to drive a car? You can't really slow down a racing game like you can a shooter to practise targeting, standing still and turning doesn't work here. The game isn't for everyone, but just like any other game, you walk before you run in this one as well, and I do not see people criticising Forza because "I haven't tried a racing game before, it's too difficult and I keep crashing". Neither do people jump into CoD and do 360 noscopes first try (is that still cool, I don't play those games anymore?).

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RIDE 4:
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Back in the day, when I was young and invincible at 14 years of age, I started riding motorbikes. Most of my mates had motorbikes, and we used to ride them to go to school and to sporting activities, and then on the weekend we’d ride for hours just for the thrill of it; the feeling of speed and the sense of freedom you experience by riding a motorbike is truly special. But there is one thing you also need to be aware of that all riders have experienced. . . falling off; you never know when or how fast you’ll be going when it occurs! So, I was really excited to give RIDE 4 a go and enjoy the reminiscing.
RIDE 4 is a motorbike sports simulation game developed and self-published by Milestone S.r.l. on the 9th of October 2020 on the Steam platform. The game is also available on PS4 and Xbox One.
The game consists of Career and Multiplayer modes, as well as the option of choosing to race on all available tracks (Americas, Europe and Asia) and their variants (some tracks have up to 4 variants) without starting a Career mode.
My first impression of RIDE 4 was not really great. I found the game very difficult to play in the beginning, due to the fact that I had decided to jump into the Career mode straight away. And that was not the right approach, because, as I discovered, you have to acquire a licence to unlock competitions and exhibitions. To give you an idea, whatever Regional League you decide to start with (Americas, Europe or Asian), you have to accumulate a certain number of points to unlock the first competition of that region. In my case, I went with the European league. I had to reach 72 points within 6 challenges, with three different motorbikes on three alternate tracks. It wasn’t easy at all, not only because each bike handles differently, but because you can’t have your wheels off the track at any time during the Time Attack challenge, otherwise you have to restart the session. And on the Track Test challenge, you accumulate penalties if you haven’t managed to go through all the flags at a specific speed and beat the clock to receive a gold medal and the maximum number of points. Each time you complete a race or a challenge you receive credits, which you can use to upgrade the motorbikes you own.
As frustration was creeping into my experience, I decided to play individual races with the bikes that were available in my garage. It took me a while to feel comfortable with each of the bikes, but then I started winning races and accumulating credits, which I used to upgrade these bikes. Then I went back to the Career mode and funnily enough, I started to beat the challenges and unlock competitions and exhibition races. Then new bikes became available, and if I had enough credit to purchase that bike, I would go back to the individual races and start learning about how the new bike handles itself before I went back with it to the Career mode. My experience with RIDE 4 started to grow on me, and I am now enjoying the game.
There are several camera views available in RIDE 4; I personally prefer the Onboard view (the one where you can see both of the rider’s hands), rather than the Third Person view, even though the rider animations in the Third Person view are fantastic while leaning to either side. The Onboard views replicate the feel of speed and the handling of the motorbikes far better than the other views, in my opinion.
In terms of customisation, there are plenty to play with. The Rider customisation is really good, as you can choose his/her style of riding and you pretty much have the ability to change his/her entire outfit if you have enough credits to spare.
In terms of bikes, there are 180 bikes from 18 different manufacturers that you can purchase at the dealership. You can modify 12 components in each bike as you see fit.
Regarding the level of difficulty with the AI, I strongly recommend starting with the conventional Easy difficulty, which is automatically set at 40% when you start the game for the first time. Then gradually move up the AI levels of difficulty. Same thing with the Driving Aids; keep the Simplified option on, then move on to Advanced or Realistic.
Expect to be involved in plenty of crashes, but don’t despair, as you can rewind a fair bit to learn from your mistakes, or simply take a photo souvenir of your crashes and then rewind.
I haven’t tested the Multiplayer/Online aspect of the game at this stage, and therefore I can’t comment on that specifically.
I like the fact that you can set up the race in terms of weather and day/night cycles, and it is really easy to implement. I really enjoy the graphics and scenery in RIDE 4, especially with the unconventional tracks, such as the French Riviera; it’s pretty stunning, I must say.
The gamepad is definitely my first choice in regards to the controls. I did have a few goes with the keyboard, and I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

Despite having been frustrated at the start, the game grew on me. I guess it’s one of those games that take a while to get used to, where only perseverance will get you through the first three to five hours of gameplay. Then you’ll see the light at the end of the tunnel and ride it through at full speed, screaming, “FREEDOM!”.
Positives:
~~~~~~~
+ Fabulous Graphics all around (tracks, scenery, bikes)
+ 180 bikes to purchase and upgrade
+ A significant number of tracks with some including up to 4 variants
+ Easy to set up weather and day/night cycle per race
+ Career and online modes
+ Several camera views
+ Good customisation (Bikes and Riders)
+ Challenging gameplay
+ Achievements and trading cards
Negatives:
~~~~~~~~
- The first few hours are extremely challenging, and frustration might get the better of you.
RIDE 4: You truly need to earn the right to ride! When you do, it is extremely satisfying!
7/10
Key provided by the developer/publisher for review purposes. Any opinions expressed are entirely my own!
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DONT CHANGE THE PHYSIC.
The game has a lot of bugs but its the best physic ive ever seen in a game,dont listen to people complaining just becouse they cant spend time in training,its a lot easier but still challenging compared to motogp,lots of new stuff,new graphic new sound.
Major con:
-motard rider animation broken
-rear brake acts like a trigger to tyre block,need to be fixed
-multiplayer needs to be more like motogp games,longer respawn time,longer time to change setup
Pros:
-This is the way to go milestone,this physic is the basic for the future physic upgrade inb the next games (maybe motogp21).

I've been playing Milestone games since SBK 2001 released, and every game got me exited for some parts and dissapointed for other parts, this edition is no different.
Pro:
-Graphics: Huge improvement, models are verry detailed al look alot better than Ride 3
-Physics: Alot better than Ride 3 imo, still not a sim, but alot more realism
-Content: -Superbikes: Most bikes starting from build year 2000 are included, aswel as alot of classic's
-Other bikes: Honestly I dont care, not to manny, but descent amount of nakeds
-Tracks: Good variety, altough i would like to see all the MotoGP tracks included
-Gear; Alot of suits, gloves, boots and helmets to choose from (and possible to make liveries)
-Online lobby system got alot better, still far from perfect but huge difference with Ride 3
-BIKES ARE NO LONGER LOCKED BEHIND STUPID CAREER PROGRES, just love this, if u got the cash, u can buy the bike.
Cons:
-AI is some of the worst i've seen in a long time, on easy they are stil Valentino regarding cornering speed, but they just don't accelerate on the straight. Not even mentioning their weird racing lines.
-Most career races are just stupid unrealistic setups
-Economy is broken (but just use Cheat Engine to get cash)
-Modifying got a huge nerf, now i'ts just generic upgrading
-Tyre degradation is just stupid, it's not a sim, so this feature just makes no sence
Thats it for now, i'll maybe update this review after 50hours , or if there is something else that comes up.
As for the price, I got it from a 3rd party (where i get most of my games) on releaseday for 15€, would not have given 50€ since i'm a cheapskate.

My first go at the Ride series.
In short, its Gran Tourismo for bikes.
Same principle:
Lots of bikes (would have preferred more though)
Quite a few tracks in multiple configurations
Upgrades
The good:
Graphics is awesome and it does HDR
Simcade... you need to practice and crash you will
Detailed bikes
Great racetracks that are well designed
The bad:
Sadly, Milestone default bugs and issues
Tires wear way too quickly
The AI loves taking you out... bit disturbing
In the end, if you love bikes you will love this.
Ride safe!