Review: DRIVECLUB Bikes

Driveclub is the most beautiful racing game I’ve played. I will argue this point with Forza fans, too. I will also agree that both Driveclub and Forza are gorgeous to play. Driveclub Bikes is an expansion to last year’s Driveclub, which had a rocky start, but ultimately was an excellent game that put the PlayStation 4 to its paces. A year later, through patches and feedback from the community, Driveclub is the best racing game on PlayStation.

Evolution Studios is back with Driveclub Bikes. While not a sim like Gran Turismo or an arcade racer like Need for Speed, Bikes has a different feel to it that just seems to work. I haven’t enjoyed racing a bike since Road Rash.

There is far and few motorcycle games available to the gaming community. Driveclub Bikes doesn’t offer many rides to choose from, but the offers the same levels available in vanilla Driveclub. There is a handful of manufacturers on hand, but, these manufacturers are some of the best. These include Bimota, Yamaha, BMW, Honda, Kawasaki, Ducati, and KTM. These bikes look superb and sound so, so good. I can’t appreciate the noise a bike can produce enough.

The bikes handle just right. I can’t stress this enough though because driving these bikes made me smile. Evolution has done well to ensure that each ride feels different. I love riding bikes. It’s that simple!

The weather effects and dynamic rain is excellent. I can’t say I’ve seen anything as good as what Evolution has achieved with their system. From rain-slicked roads to pitch black roads that feel real help define what Driveclub is trying to be. These conditions put in place are excellent and adapting to each condition helps the overall feel of the game.

The same modes offered in Driveclub return here with Bikes. Tour mode is where one would go to unlock new bikes in maps spread out all over the world. Faster and better bikes are unlocked the further you progress through Tour mode unlocking championships and frustrations as some of these races are infuriating. The challenge is there, though, and the best way to overcome a challenge is to practice! An essential part of Tour mode is completing tasks, each race has three separate tasks to complete and are crucial to advancing in this Tour mode.

Driveclub Bikes had few hiccups in the time I played. The multiplayer works well, the social features are neat, and the game didn’t lag. These three things combine for a great experience.

Driveclub Bikes works well as an expansion to Driveclub and adds tons of content to the vanilla game. I will say that riding a bike is easier than mastering the cars and feels like the definitive bike game for anyone who needs that itch scratched. Luckily there are two ways to purchase this expansion, either as DLC to the base game or as a standalone. Either way, this shouldn’t be missed.