Developer: Kylotonn
Publisher: Nacon
Platform: Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC
Tested on: Xbox One, PS4
TT Isle of Man 2: Ride on the Edge – Review
Motor racing on the Isle of Man is one of the most dangerous, nerve-wracking racing that motor racers can experience. It’s racing on an island that’s situated between the UK and Ireland, but with very high speed and on roads that were not built for that type of speed. The TT Isle of Man games try to simulate what it’s like being a daredevil like this, two years after the first part, it already got its second game now.
Story
The TT Isle of Man game series zooms in on the TT Isle of Man event. This motorcycle racing event has a following that’s looking forward to the unique characteristics of the races where speed and daring are the keys to success. So it’s only logical that this game strives to imitate all of these qualities as well as it can. Realism is everything it seems, and for the story, this means that you get to build your own career out of nothing. You start out as an ”amateur” to the pro scene with some minor races and tournaments. The ultimate goal is to build your path and participate in the TT Isle of Man.
Graphics
Graphically TT Isle of Man 2 shows two sides of the same coin. On one side, the coin is polished and cleaned nicely, like the beautiful trailers of the game that raised your expectations. Mostly, this is noticeable in the perfect 3D scans where motorcycles come to life with every detail and shiny metal sticking out or when looking at all the different models that make up a real street. On the other side of the coin however, and this might just be a huge difference on Xbox One compared to PC as well, the game looks rough and unpolished. The environmental models have some rough edges, the character models have poor textures, and because the team behind TT Isle of Man works hard on realism, the sun even looks a bit dark without any brightness settings to change this. But again, we tested this on Xbox One, for PC there might be more to tweak.
Sound
To improve the realism, there’s no background music during races but the game does have a kick-ass rocking soundtrack while in the menu. Other than that, the game is nothing but pure motor engines revving and gears switching up and down. Which is nice, for a game that’s trying to express its love for motorcycles.
Gameplay
So TT Isle of Man 2 is a racing simulator. Or at least, it tries to be a simulator. Tries to, because it doesn’t really fully simulate the riding well enough to feel like much more than an arcade game. Sure, you get to follow a career that leads to the exciting TT Isle of Man race, and with the multiple game modes that include free-roaming and multiplayer, the framework contains all that’s needed to have a good game. That being said, the racing itself, which is the core gameplay, makes the entire framework not worth that much.
TT Isle of Man 2 has a tutorial and a small amount of learning ready for you, but eventually, it all boils down to sitting on a motorcycle without having any proper connection to it. The controls make you go right, left, faster and slower, and you can even switch gears manually like in any decent racing game. None of that absolves the ease with which you fall down or crash, or the little control you actually have over steering, hanging low, or the motorcycle itself. To top things off, there’s a big chance that with the slightest touch of a grain of dirt or a small bump from a bush, you might just send yourself flying through the air. It’s a different type of realism and realism that by the lack of control also destroys the enjoyability of the racing experience.
To make things even scarier for newer players and make you feel even less in control, the game is determined to give you fewer rewards each and every time you try to restart the race. There are perks that can influence a little bit of the difficulty, and of course, you can start over your entire career if you want to, but the main gameplay and the poor control can’t really be changed.
Conclusion
TT Isle of Man 2: Ride on the Edge is, like the previous game, a love letter of sorts to the TT Isle of Man event as well as to motorcycling. The graphics are lacking at certain places, and this could be overlooked were it not that the main gameplay does not feel right. Everything around the main gameplay is solid and could be the framework for a good simulator, but the physics in general just feel too wonky to be either a proper simulator or an entertaining racing game.
TT Isle of Man 2: Ride on the Edge - Review,
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