Yeah but you could still play much of it solo. That doesn’t seem to be the case with Riders Republic.
In what way? Like the events are mostly multiplayer only events? Not races against the AI, time trials, etc?
Doesn;t look like it, from its own site:
Squad up with your friends and take on downhill races, dominate maps in team vs team competitions, or challenge yourself in PvP modes and Events.
And all it talks about is multiplayer modes. No mention of AI.
Again, just like Steep. Riders Republic is no different. You’re always online, but there’s nothing “multiplayer only” about it.
-Tom
Yeah you’re right. I did a little digging and found this:
" All world map races and events in Riders Republic can be played in Versus mode against other players, or in Solo mode against player ghosts."
So I’m glad to be wrong, I just wish this was made more apparent is all.
It’s their usual dopey MMO formula. The best you can say about it is that it doesn’t force you to actually play with others, but it makes damn sure you know they’re there.
-Tom
So is anyone actually playing this that can report in? I loved, LOVED Steep but eventually ran out of things to do, and that seems far less likely here given the larger size and wider array of activities.
You’re wanting to know if you’ll eventually “run out of things to do” in Rider’s Republic? I’m assuming you will at some point, but that’s probably not something anyone can report in yet. But I’ll let you know if it happens to me.
In the meantime, I’m enjoying the new bike stuff well enough. Everything else is familiar from Steep. But there’s no meaningful progression. You just level up your stats for whatever activities you’re doing, and it all feels very hands-off, like leveling up a character in a JRPG. I also don’t get the sense the world is built for exploration. It’s built so you can push the A button to just “next activity” your way through the content, without ever having to travel or explore anywhere, and without it even mattering whether you win an event. It all just unfurls before you, as if it were a snowy mountain you’re sliding down with minimal resistance.
-Tom
Huh, I liked the exploration and such in Steep, to be honest.
Hmm this sound like the opposite I want from a game like this. I have the same problems with the Forza Horizon series, winning or getting better doesn’t matter enough. Competition is not at the core of these games.
Yeah, Forza Horizon 4 doesn’t even track which events you didn’t win. I mean, track it for the player. I’m sure it tracks it internally since there’s probably an achievement for winning every event like there was for past FH games. So if I do an event, I always kept retrying and retrying and retrying until I won, otherwise I couldn’t track which ones I came 2nd or 3rd in.
Martin Robinson really enjoyed it and recommends it.
The first hour sounds terrible though.
It’s annoying, too, especially at first when the overlong tutorial takes hold and refuses to let go for the best part of an hour. This is one of those extreme sports games that overlays its action with grating voice overs, the dialogue more likely to give you a nosebleed than any of the highest altitudes you’re invited to scale. Given how pervasive that voiceover can be in the first hour, I wouldn’t be surprised if it proved an endurance test too far for most players. Persevere, though, and it’s then often remarkable how eager Riders Republic is to get out of the way.
I was about to jump on this and then I remembered Forza Horizon 5 comes out on Friday.
The thing is, I don’t necessarily want a game like this to get out of my way. I like structure and progression. I just don’t want the stuff that gets in your way to be obnoxious, which unfortunately seems to be de rigeur for these sports/driving festival games.
You can knock out the intro in 20 minutes. You can also turn down the dialogue volume and you’ll never again hear the obnoxious DJ and narrator and sidekicks. You can even turn off the crazy ghosts/heat map that gives the world the illusion of multiplayer activity.
As for progression, it’s pretty hands off. It just happens without any input from you. You simply grind by playing, which unlocks better gear and additional events. If you want structure and progression, it’s here, but it’s not anything you can interact with or affect.
-Tom
So this is on sale on the Epic Game Store, FYI, so I bought it. Can’t wait to try it once I’m back in town.
It’s supposed to be a free preview weekend on Xbox Live gold, but the other two games have the install option, but not Rider’s Republic. It seems like someone screwed up turning the right switch.
Oh well. There is a sports sale going on right now on Xbox. I already have Steep, but I bought the gold edition for $12, since it has all the DLC like X-Games and stuff. It looks like the PyeongChang Olympics DLC is not available anymore and therefore not part of the Gold edition anymore. That’s a shame. I wish I’d known that was going to be a limited time DLC, I would have bought it.
Just picked this up on offer on the PS5 and I am really enjoying it. It’s like Forza Horizon on Snow. They have added BMX’s to the game and as 50 year old it brought back some memories.
Not far in so far but really enjoying it and it looks excellent as well.
I am crap at it though :)
I’m going to feel really dumb when I reinstall this, aren’t I?