DriveClub’s scintillating sense of speed has only been amplified by the bikes’ arse-clenching acceleration: prepare to have your reaction times tested, as the intensity of DriveClub Bikes often demands WipEout-style reflexes. It sounds like a simple requirement for a racing game, but the bikes in the expansion are frightfully fast. Cornering still requires some finesse when you apply the power when exiting a tight bend, but getting a feel for the bikes feels instantly intuitive and is nowhere near as demanding as MotoGP and Ride’s careful balancing act of brake and throttle control to keep the bike stable at speed. Taming the bikes is an absolute joy thanks to DriveClub’s beautifully balanced handling that hasn’t lost any of its responsiveness or accessability in its transition to two wheels, yet there’s still plenty of nuance to get extra speed from tapping the rear brakes without the fear of falling off and mastering the racing line and braking points. What could have been a throwaway add-on actually highlights some of DriveClub’s best assets – it’s such a natural fit, you’d be forgiven for thinking bikes have always featured in DriveClub. What’s most remarkable about the expansion is how seamlessly bikes have integrated with DriveClub. More bikes are also incoming, if the blacked out menu teasing future content is anything to go by.
DRIVECLUB GAMEPLAY PS4 1080P FREE
Featuring 12 meticulously modeled bikes (15 if you count the free EBR expansion) from assorted manufacturers ranging from Yamaha, Ducati, Kawasaki, KTM, Honda, Bimota, BMW and MV Agusta, there’s an emphasis on supreme superbikes capable of insane speeds approaching 200 mph – although admittedly there isn’t much to distinguish each model if you’re not clued up on bikes compared to the cars distinctive shapes and specs. The bike selection isn’t exhaustive, but Evolution have adopted the same approach as the core game with a firm focus on quality over quantity. All that’s missing is a cheery announcer exclaiming “checkpoint!” every few minutes. In many ways, its approachable handling and unflinching speed plays like a throwback to old-school arcade bike racing games of yesteryear such as Super Hang On and Moto Racer (which is incidentally getting a sequel of its own this year). It’s something that Evolution fully embrace however, as DriveClub’s more arcadey approach makes bike games fun again. To be fair to Milestone, creating convincing riding physics in a game is no easy task, but the developer’s strict adherence to realism tended to sap all the enjoyment out of biking. Two-wheeled triumphįor a discipline that’s so exhilarating, it’s strange that racing games in recent years haven’t managed to replicate the excitement of bike racing. However, the inclusion of bikes in a first party game like DriveClub gives the genre some overdue publicity beyond the specialist audience Milestone’s games are aimed at.
With its focus road bike racing, Ride is arguably the closest competitor to DriveClub Bikes currently on the market. What they have done however is effectively revitalised a genre that’s been left untapped for too long.īike fans have been relying on Italian developer Milestone as the sole providers of bike racing games in recent years, a studio best known for their officially licensed MotoGP and MXGP games and their new IP Ride. Sadly this means there are no Project Gotham-style races mixing the two (Evolution previously mixed bikes with cars and just about every other vehicle type in MotorStorm, so this idea wasn’t too far-fetched). DriveClub Bikes (wouldn’t RideClub have been a more appropriate title? Or maybe MotorCycle Club – oh wait, that’s already taken) is different, though, because all bike-related content is contained in a separate block of the menu, prompting you to choose between cars or bikes.
The release of DriveClub Bikes is hugely significant in the realm of racing games: not since the days of Project Gotham Racing, Test Drive Unlimited and Burnout Paradise have bikes converged with cars in a racing game. True to form, no-one could have predicted the surprise announcement and simultaneous release of DriveClub Bikes at Sony’s Paris Game Show, wheelieing onto the PSN store as either a downloadable expansion for existing players or a standalone game to entice newcomers – all for the very reasonable sum of £11.99 and £15.99 respectively. Since launching in 2014 the car count has more than doubled with monthly packs adding vehicles you seldom see in racing games, from obscure concept cars and thoroughbred track cars, to a novelty buggy lifted from Evolution’s MotorStorm series. There have been plenty of surprises during DriveClub’s exemplary post-release support that have kept us hooked on Evolution Studios’ stunning PS4 debut well over a year after release.
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