Common Sense Media Review
By Paul Semel
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Fun, realistic motorcycle racer tests your driving skills.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 11+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Ride 3
What's It About?
Like other motorcycle racing games, RIDE 3 doesn't have a story. Instead, when playing the career mode, you engage in a series of races against computer-controlled riders, or against the clock in time trial events. Doing well in races, or beating the clock, rewards you with stars that you use to unlock the next level of events in hopes of making it all the way up to the final event. Players have the option to unlock and purchase more than 230 bikes from 30 manufacturers, and can test their skills across 30 tracks around the world. They can also take part in challenges based around racing magazines, giving players perspective and context about the machine they're on or the track they're zooming across.
Is It Any Good?
While the gameplay isn't easy for casual riders, this motorcycle racing game has even more of what made previous installments fun for serious bikers. Ride 3 is a racer that has you engaging in multi-lap races against other people online or, if you work your way through the career mode, computer-controlled racers and the clock. All of which take place on real tracks or closed streets that have been specially altered to make them more fun for motorcycle racing. This also boasts the kind of options you find in most good racing games these days, including assists for your steering and braking.
As for what's new, this new model expands the career mode. The game has six levels of events, each of which have multiple sections that, in turn, have lots of different races. Except you don't need to win, or even do well, in every event to unlock the next level; you just need to succeed at a bunch of them to gain access to the next level. While this gives career-minded individuals a lot more to do, the controls are still very unforgiving, even if they are better than in previous games. Unlike other racers, turning on all of the optional control assists still doesn't make this feel like an arcade game, though they do make a difference in corners or during braking. Also, the load times can be excruciatingly long. But if you don't mind all the waiting, or this being more of a motorcycle simulation than a game, you'll enjoy taking Ride 3 for a, well, ride.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about motorcycle safety. In Ride 3, all of the riders wear helmets and protective gear, so what does that say about riding a motorcycle safely? Does it make you think you should wear your helmet when you go bike riding?
Being a good loser and a good winner is important in any competitive situation, so if you won a motorcycle race, how would you behave? What if you lost?
Game Details
- Platforms : PlayStation 4 , Windows , Xbox One
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : Milestone S.r.l. All rights reserved.
- Release date : November 30, 2018
- Genre : Racing
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : October 5, 2020
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