Exclusive: Ride videogame first-look plus full bike, track listing

Published: 25 February 2015 Updated: 25 February 2015

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We’ve managed to get our hands on an exclusive listing of the entire set of unlockable bikes that will be made available in the new, Ride videogame.

MCN were the only biking publication in attendance at the official launch of the new game from Milestone – the makers of the current MotoGP title – at Triumph’s Hinckley factory yesterday. And whilst all of the other gaming titles were concentrating on framerates and the quality of the ‘soft particle’ lighting, we cut straight to the heart of the matter – the bikes and the tracks.

The Bikes

It was confirmed yesterday that the title will feature over 100 motorcycles from 14 manufacturers and that all of these initial bikes will be available to unlock within game, some as rewards for progress of certain ‘challenges’ and some as in-game ‘points’ upgrades.

In addition to this there will also be a series of models available to purchase via downloadable content [DLC] through the PlayStation and Xbox networks. The two packs that are currently confirmed are from Yamaha and include next year’s 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1, YZF-R1M and YZF-R6, as well as a ‘classics’ pack that features the 1998 and 2012 R1’s and the 1998 YZF-R7. It’s expected that the majority of the new 2015 releases from manufacturers will follow.

Tracks

The track listing isn’t quite as exhasutive as some would have hoped, and sadly, we can now officially confirm that there will be no TT Mountain course for the release. But fans of British roads should be able to take solace in the ‘North Wales’ circuit which – although not confirmed by the Italian developers that we spoke to yesterday – appears to be a fairly solid reproduction of the wooded, twisty roads of Hollyhead and Anglesey.

Other road courses of note include the Stelvio National Park and the Californian mountain range of Sierra Nevada.

Customisation

Whilst much of our play test yesterday revolved around showcasing the Triumph bikes available, there were some intriguing titbits of information that came to light with regards to rider and bike customisation.

Clothing and equipment manufacturers such as Dainese, Alpinestars and Arai have made their catalogues available for use within game, as have Rizoma, Akropovic and Arrow (to name a few). This means that as well as being able to customise the clothing of a rider, the player will also be able to tweak and refine changes to their machinery too – from the purchasing of quickshifters, right down to the type of oil used.

So how does it play?

From a videogame perspective all of the expected elements are in place. There is customisation aplenty, game modes ranging from full online play through to split-screen ‘vs’ modes are all available, as are a series of challenges within the game, which upon completion will see the rider rewarded with new equipment or machinery. Tinkerers and those with a fixation on details will be mightily pleased.

We spent time with various Triumph employees yesterday, who were also taking their very first look at the game, and all seemed impressed at both the level of detail of the bikes as well as the sound of each individual model that we rode. It’s fair to say that nothing is going to come close to the visceral experience of riding a Daytona R through the streets of Milan in real-life, but the ‘helmet’ view of our rather rapid jaunt of the virtual same left us pleasantly surprised.

The handling of the virtual bikes does take a little getting used to however.

In the group of gamers I found myself within, I was routinely and savagely beaten in the quick lap stakes and had to check my ‘style’ in order to get close to being competitive. Whilst the physics and dynamics – that the developers claim to be the most accurate ever within a biking title – seem to be correct and are a lot more forgiving than the MotoGP titles, the disconnect between the rider and the bike is a mental bridge that needs crossing before you can really get the most out of the game. It certainly doesn’t play like a car game (thankfully), but it’s not *exactly* like biking either. The best way I could think of describing it would be to imagine that you’re simply ‘operating the controls’ rather than ‘riding the bike’. This may sounds slightly contradictory but I spent too long worrying about the rider’s lean angle and getting the virtual *me* to feel like he was ‘tucked in’, rather than just making sure that the breaking and corner entry speed were perfect.

Once I’d made that adjustment everything else seemed to click into place.

Gamers – and bikers – will be able to judge for themselves from March 20th (UK Release date), but it’s encouraging to see a game developer taking a chance on a bike riding title of this scale. Sure there are elements that we would like to see improved (fingers crossed for a TT license and there’s no weather attributes that we could see) but as a solid stake in the ground, Ride is as close to real biking that a videogame has ever got.

TRACKS/COURSES:

Magny-Cours
Sugo
Circuito de Almeria
Imola
Donington
Salt Flats Speedway
National Park of Stelvio
Kanto Temple
French Riveria
North Wales
Sierra Nevada
Miami (City)
Milan (City)

BIKES/MANUFACTURERS:

Bikes	Manufacturer	Bike Name	Year
1	Aprilia	RS250	2001
2	Aprilia	RSV4 APRC ABS	2014
3	Aprilia	Rsv4 Factory APRC ABS	2014
4	Aprilia	RSV4 R APRC – Racing Version	2014
5	Aprilia	RSV1000	2003
6	Aprilia	RSV1000R	2003
7	Aprilia	RSV1000SP	1999
8	Aprilia	Tuono V4R APRC ABS	2014
9	Aprilia	Tuono	2004
10	Bimota	Tesi 1D	1990
11	Bimota	Tesi 3D	2014
12	Bimota	Tesi Naked	2014
13	Bimota	DB8	2014
14	Bimota	DB8 Oronero	2014
15	Bimota	DB8 Italia	2014
16	Bimota	DB9 Brivido	2014
17	Bimota	DB9 Brivido S	2014
18	Bimota	BB3	2014
19	Bimota	BB3 Racing Version	2014
20	BMW	S1000RR	2014
21	BMW	S1000RR – HP4	2014
22	BMW	S1000RR – HP4 Racing Version	2014
23	BMW	S1000R	2014
24	BMW	F800R	2014
25	Ducati	1199 Panigale S	2014
26	Ducati	1199 Panigale Superleggera	2014
27	Ducati	Desmosedici RR	2006
28	Ducati	1098R	2008
29	Ducati	998R	2002
30	Ducati	Streetfighter 848	2014
31	Ducati	Monster 1200S	2014
32	Ducati	Diavel	2014
33	Ducati	Monster 696	2014
34	Energica	Energica EGO	2014
35	Eric Buell Racing	1190RX	2014
36	Eric Buell Racing	1190RS	2014
37	Honda	CBR1000RR Fireblade	2014
38	Honda	CBR1000RR Fireblade SP	2014
39	Honda	CBR1000RR Fireblade Racing Version	2014
40	Honda	CBR600RR	2014
41	Honda	VTR1000 SP1	2001
42	Honda	VTR1000 SP2	2005
43	Honda	CBR1000RR Fireblade	2004
44	Honda	CBR600RR 2006	2006
45	Honda	CBR900RR	1995
46	Honda	RVF750 RC45	1994
47	Honda	VFR750 RC30	1987
48	Honda	NR750	1992
49	Honda	CB1000R ABS – Barracuda	2014
50	Honda	CB1000R ABS	2014
51	Honda	CB650F ABS	2014
52	Lightening Motor	LS-218	2014
53	Kawasaki	Ninja ZX-10R	2014
54	Kawasaki	Ninja ZX-10R Racing	2014
55	Kawasaki	Ninja ZX-6R 636	2014
56	Kawasaki	Ninja ZX-10R	2006
57	Kawasaki	Ninja ZX-6R	2004
58	Kawasaki	ZX-7RR	1996
59	Kawasaki	Z1000	2014
60	Kawasaki	Z800	2014
61	Kawasaki	ZRX1200	2006
62	KTM	390R	2014
63	KTM	390R Racing Version	2014
64	KTM	1190 RC8R	2014
65	KTM	1190 RC8R track	2014
66	KTM	Duke 690	2014
67	KTM	Duke 690R	2014
68	KTM	990 Super Duke R	2014
69	KTM	1290 Super Duke R	2014
70	MV Agusta	F4	2014
71	MV Agusta	F4 Racing Version	2014
72	MV Agusta	F4 R	2014
73	MV Agusta	F4 RR	2014
74	MV Agusta	F3 675	2014
75	MV Agusta	F3 800	2014
76	MV Agusta	F4 1000S	2006
77	MV Agusta	F4 1000R	2006
78	MV Agusta	F4 750	1998
79	MV Agusta	Brutale 1090	2014
80	MV Agusta	Brutale 1090R	2014
81	MV Agusta	Brutale 1090RR	2014
82	MV Agusta	Brutale Corsa	2014
83	MV Agusta	Brutale 800	2014
84	MV Agusta	Brutale 675	2014
85	MV Agusta	Rivale 800	2014
86	Suzuki	GSX-R1000	2014
87	Suzuki	GSX-R1000 Racing Version	2014
88	Suzuki	GSX-R1000 1 million edition	2013
89	Suzuki	GSX-R600	2014
90	Suzuki	GSX-R1000 K5	2005
91	Suzuki	GSX-R Srad 750	1998
92	Suzuki	GSX-R600	2000
93	Suzuki	TL1000R	1998
94	Suzuki	GSR750	2014
95	Triumph	Daytona 675	2014
96	Triumph	Daytona 675R	2014
97	Triumph	Daytona 955i	2004
98	Triumph	Speed Triple	2014
99	Triumph	Speed Triple R	2014
100	Triumph	Street Triple 600	2014
101	Triumph	Street Triple R	2014
102	Triumph	Speed Triple 955i	2004
103	Yamaha	YZF-R1	2014
104	Yamaha	YZF-R1 Racing Version	2014
105	Yamaha	YZF-R6	2014
106	Yamaha	YZF-R1	2002
107	Yamaha	YZF-R6	1999
108	Yamaha	YZF-R1	1998
109	Yamaha	YZF-R7	1998
110	Yamaha	FZR 750 R OW 01	1989
111	Yamaha	MT07	2014
112	Yamaha	MT09	2014
113	Yamaha	MT09 Street Rally	2014
114	Yamaha	XJR1300	2006

By Steve Hunt