I’m currently obsessed with shooting the virtual bike for a few hours each day. No current game pulls off that rattling sound quite as well, and no game feels anywhere near as good when you put the bike into a corner and gently accelerate out of it. At no other point do the machines feel so alive, reacting to the slightest mistake, causing the rear wheel to skid briefly before you just catch it.
I recently tried the Milestone simulations again, which, thanks to lead foot, still have an unusually thick stone in my board. But their steady swim across the tarmac just doesn’t ignite like my daily dose of RiMS Racing.
Ah… right. Of course, it’s not TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 3 that I’m playing right now. After all, that won’t appear until May 11th. And it’s not its predecessor either. A completely different team developed it, whose work the current studio Raceward does not simply continue. Rather, Raceward takes over the physics that made its debut a year and a half ago in the form of RiMS Racing.
Now, in contrast to RiMS and at least on the easy settings, the third TT Isle of Man is not a tough simulation, but a rather relaxed racing game – definitely one for demanding players, as physics designer Andrea Valenti explains to me, but also one that forgives occasional falls and where only the tires wear out, but none of the other components. But the important thing is that driving on the Isle of Man feels so great because it is based on the best driving physics currently available in a two-wheeler video game.
In any case, that immediately picked me up when I played it, where I only recently waved my hand at Milestone & Co. and also at the predecessor. I was able to try out Ride on the Edge 3 at Raceward for a few hours, mainly riding at the middle of three simulation levels. Once you have developed a basic understanding of how a motorcycle works (I actually started almost from scratch after the bikes left me cold for a long time), then it goes really well.
It helps that there is a dynamic ideal line in the Raceward titles that makes it easy to find the right track and set braking points very precisely. You can also adjust the strength of the traction control, the ABS, the engine brake and the anti-wheelie system at any time in order to drive more safely or to be a little faster with a greater risk.
So, as I said: new team, new game – which not only refers to the physics, but also to the concept. In TT Isle of Man 3, for the first time, there is no open world like in Forza Horizon, but there is an “open road”. Which means nothing other than that the developers have transferred almost all major roads of the entire island into the game, which is why you can drive on the entire Isle of Man at will. There is no traffic there, which robs the whole thing of the “real” exploration a bit…
… in return, there are numerous events on the island that you discover when you start driving. In addition to time trials, duels and freely configurable runs, this also includes pure information points where you can find out details about the history of the Tourist Trophy. After all, that’s what the TT stands for, because of course the breakneck race around the entire island is the highlight of your career. Before that, however, you have to earn your spurs in 16 prescribed races and you can also take part in the events scattered around the island.
Upgrade points are sometimes offered as a reward, with which you can improve the nine components of your bike in five steps at a time. This includes the engine, chassis, tires, suspension and more. Apart from that, Raceward will offer both weekly and monthly challenges. You can also create your own lobbies for up to ten participants.
There are two categories: Superbike and Supersport, between which you can switch at any time. A total of 32 routes are available, many of which are comparatively long circuits due to the real road layout. According to Physics Designer Valenti, you should experience a long and correspondingly motivating career, whereby you can also skip exploring the island if you are not interested. Only the 16 fixed runs on the way to the Tourist Trophy are central, but they are arranged in random order at each start of the game.
I think that Raceward, where several former Milestone employees have found a home, consciously wants to put its stamp on the genre by setting new standards, especially in terms of driving feel and engine sound. In any case, racing around on the rattling fire chairs is a lot of fun, can be adjusted to your own ability in several stages and, with the principle of the open road, even looks towards Forza Horizon, The Crew and Need for Speed, what else in terms of two-wheelers represents a novelty.
Since there were relatively few races unlocked in the early version, I’m curious to see how the finished career feels and I also really hope that TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 3, unlike RiMS Racing, will also be playable on Steam Deck is. Raceward does not support its gamepad interface to this day, although it is actually part of the standard today. But good: First of all, it must be said that motorcycle fans can paint May 11th red with a clear conscience.
