Written by Anthony L. Cuaycong
Title: TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 2
Developer: KT Racing
Publisher: Bigben Interactive
Genre: Racing
Price: $59.99
Also Available On: NSW, Steam, XB1
The Isle of Man TT has rightly been counted among the most dangerous races in the world. As an annual spectacle, it has no peer; held at the Snaefell Mountain Course, some 60 kilometers of public roads closed by an Act of Tynwald precisely for the purpose, it’s a set of time trials across race classes that dares to push the boundaries of how fast man can go in a motorcycle. It has been around since 1907, and, notwithstanding all the deaths that have occurred over time, it figures to continue for the foreseeable future. Not this year, though, and with reason; quarantine and social distancing measures aimed at containing the new coronavirus pandemic have led to the cancellation of its 2020 staging originally scheduled in late May and running through the middle of June.
In this regard, adrenaline junkies looking for a suitable alternative can do worse than turn to TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge. The PS4 offering from Paris, France-based Kylotonn Entertainment certainly tries to stay faithful to its real-life version, with 25 riders and 38 machines on tap to recreate the the experience of negotiating all 264 bends of the course. The rendition is painstakingly done on a 1:1 scale, and gamers are required to go through the entire length, over 20 minutes or so at speeds of up to 320 kilometers per hour, for the race proper.
The good news is that TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge’s controls are intuitive and easy to master. The bad news is that the course itself isn’t. Practice sessions (make that lots of practice sessions) are required, during which chunks of the layout can be memorized — first for survival, and then for success. As an aside, it boasts of a Career Mode that has gamers entering fictional races across the United Kingdom. The purpose is clear: repetition breeds familiarity and, hopefully, intuition, particularly with the interface and mechanics. In this regard, it doesn’t help that the artificial intelligence barely provides incentive; it’s either easily beaten as an opponent or infallible, and thus proves lacking or frustrating, or both, as appetizer to the main dish. Indeed, multiplayer online races are where the meat can be found.
All told, the value of TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge depends on gamer preferences. If the intent is to experience the iconic race short of actually being in the British Dependency, then it’s a steal at $59.99. Casual gamers on the lookout for a quick arcade run would do well to look elsewhere, however. It’s not for the faint of heart or for those with short attention spans. It’s akin to a hothouse flower that asks for much with the promise of more. Invest time in it, and it will deliver. Benefits by way of extreme eye candy abound, from the starting line at TT Grandstand on Glencrutchery Road, along such villages as Braddan and Greeba, through countryside glens, to the highest point 422 meters above sea level, and then descending to the residential outskirts of Douglas for the finish.
THE GOOD
- A faithful recreation of the famed Snaefell Mountain Course
- Excellent audio-visual presentation
- Poetry in motion
THE BAD
- Extremely difficult to get the hang of, let alone master
- AI is either very easy or very hard to beat
RATING: 7.5/10
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