Well, here’s a surprise. PS4’s best car game, suddenly available with bikes instead. Whether as DLC for existing Driveclub owners, or in its comparatively diminutive standalone state, this is very literally ‘Driveclub but with bikes in’. It’s the same tracks, same structure, same breathtaking graphics and same online competition. But it’s most noteworthy because it fixes modern bike games’ biggest problem – frustration.
In this post-arcade era where realism is king, a bike’s relationship with the road is too fragile to be fun, at least for most people. Clearly, in a game as fast and frantic as Driveclub, there’s no way the player could be expected to tiptoe around each bend like in MotoGP 15, gently applying the brakes and trying not to breathe too heavily on the throttle for fear of high-siding. Driveclub Bikes takes all that worry away.
It’s still possible to crash, but you either have to smash into a wall at significant speed and at an obtuse angle, or do a wheelie or stoppie (back wheelie) so outrageous you end up with the bike riding you. In either situation, you’re simply reset to the track in a flash, almost immediately back up to speed, having fun.
The unfortunate trade-off is that there are no “look mum, I’m wrapped around a tree,” ragdoll physics for you or the other riders, which cuts out a lot of potential spectacle. But presumably running down fallen riders, Road Rash-style, wouldn’t sit very well with PEGI and that 3+ rating. Still, it’s a shame that even the cars’ modest spills are more spectacular.
[“source-gamesradar”]