Isle of Man 2 (2)

Motorcycle games haven’t exactly been tour de force examples of why two-wheeled racing is the best racing. Between the likes of Ride, MotoGP and Motocross games doing the bare minimum between annual releases, there’s a certain layer of excitement that is lost in digital translation that robs the sport of its adrenaline rush.

And then there’s 2018’s TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge, the sole exception to this rule which took the majesty of one of the deadliest races on the planet and injected a layer of grace into it that was seldom seen outside of a Bolshoi ballet performance. It was grace and beauty, a moment of serenity at 120MPH and still able to grip your heart as easily as your virtual wheels did on the tarmac below your rider.

Isle of Man 2 (4)

Developer Kylotonn is back with another crack around the Snaefell Moutain Course, but this time the end result is two gears forward on multiple fronts and a slip of the clutch in other areas. It’s still an absolute beast of a sequel, one that adds a whole lot more precision to all 37 miles of the infamous isle and its scenic roads.

The most immediate of these changes is the feel of jumping onto some pocket power. For anyone who has ever gambled their life on the road with 1500cc of pure merciless engine power, there’s a sense of familiarity here that highlights just how important it is to sit correctly on a bike, to lean into corners and to anticipate several streets ahead of you just how much throttle to squeeze and push forward with.

Isle of Man 2 (5)

It’s definitely emphasised for the better in TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 2, as you find that sweet spot between gravity and speed with the mechanical beast you’re straddling, passing through corners with the precision of a threaded needle and finding your line. Ask any biker with an eye on taking the best of Yamaha or Triumph out for a spin and they’ll tell you that you have to feel the power of a bike to truly understand why they love risking their necks so much.

TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 2 doesn’t just nail that sensation, it reminds you to respect it unless you fancy decorating the road with your nipples.

Isle of Man 2 (3)

One of the other big changes to the sequel? There’s a lot more to explore than just a certain cult classic Celtic circuit. Liberally borrowing a few pages from this generation’s best racing game, TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 2 adds a two-wheel flavour to Forza Horizon 4’s sandbox experience and throws in a few zones of its own to explore. It’s not as good and the inspiration is evident, but there’s a certain charm to crashing through speed camera checkpoints in a bid to set a quick time on a nearby stretch of road.

They’re not as bountiful as what you’d find in Microsoft’s pedigree racing franchise but they certainly do make for a nice breakfast run with a few distractions along the way. TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 2’s sandbox is a more tempered and down to earth collection of roads to explore, bundling the best of the British countryside into scenic hotspots worth touring.

Isle of Man 2 (8)

On top of that, there’s a far beefier career mode to experience, tasking you with earning your spot on the Isle of Man race. It’s still as fun as ever, but that enjoyment is muddied by a new perk and upgrade system that feels like a last-minute idea slapped on top of what was already a solid gameplay mode. Likewise, TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 2 doesn’t build on the decent visuals of the original game, sticking to a 30fps offering even on my almighty Xbox One X.

The awful in-game music’s only positive attribute was that it helped me remember that Spotify on console was an option, but customising my audio experience was far simpler when compared to several glaring glitches and bugs that smacked of tight budgeted production values. Even with those flaws, there’s still a lot to love about TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 2.

It’s an easier game to approach for first-timers and lapsed riders, it feels terrific and the authenticity of its source material is unmatched. Yes dad I know you had one of those Yamahas when you were my age gawd stop telling me this

Kyloton’s approach to speed in TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 2 is one that still carries with it absolute love and reverence for one of the greatest races on the planet, mixing a passion for performance and geography into a thrilling spectacle.

xbox-one/tt-isle-of-man-ride-on-the-edge-2

9170

Last Updated: March 24, 2020

Kylotonn’s approach to speed in TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 2 is one that still carries with it absolute love and reverence for one of the greatest races on the planet, mixing a passion for performance and geography into a thrilling spectacle.
8.0
was reviewed on Xbox One
75 / 100

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Check Also

Xbox Series X Restock Update Today: Track on Twitter, Walmart, Best Buy and More

New consoles are on the horizon, and while Sony and Microsoft have spoken plenty about wha…