KT Racing is a really known developer when it comes to racing games. They have some of the best racing games currently available to play including the WRC franchise, V-Rally 4 and the Isle of Man TT. Their latest release is TT Isle of Man – Ride on the Edge 2 which is the second title in the franchise focusing on the world’s most challenging race held on the Snaefell Mountain Course on the Isle of Man. This is our review of TT Isle of Man 2 in which we strap on our helmet and get ready to experience the thrill of riding a motorbike at 180MPH through the Isle of Man.
If you are into motorbikes and follow the racing championships, chances are that you’ve already heard of Isle of Man and its famous Tourist Trophy help every year at the Snaefell Mountain Course. TT Isle of Man franchise focuses on this very event however it also brings with it tons of other bike racing content for you to enjoy at your own leisure. This is one of the toughest events in the world however with TT Isle of Man 2, you can enjoy this brutal event within the confines of your home without any trouble.
TT Isle of Man 2 features an extremely impressive Career mode this time around. You have a complete calendar that works like a season and allows you to take part in different events as you prepare yourself for the main Tourist Trophy. These events range from time trials to different races around the three locations in the game as well as championships where you can win Signatures. You can complete the events in the sequence they appear in your calendar and as you progress, sometimes you get more than one event. When it happens, you can pick between them to get better rewards. Some events give more reputation and money but they are harder to complete while some events are easier to complete but they give less reputation and money.
In your Career mode, you have three resources that you have to manage. These are Reputation, Money, and Perk Points. Depending on the type of event you complete, you will earn these resources and will use them to unlock Perks, upgrade your bike or purchase new ones and earn reputation to take part in more advanced races. As you continue to perform better, you will also sign more contracts who will allow you to use their bike for racing and liveries. Completing objectives will reward with unique bike parts that can be equipped on particular bikes.
Perks work in a very different way in the game. You do not just equip them and be done with them. After completing each race in the game, you earn Perk Points or PP. These PP are used to have the perks equipped in different races. Before starting the race, you are allowed to equip perks in four different categories. These include Engineers, Mechanics, Insurance and Influence. You can only equip a single perk in each category. Depending on how many perks you equip, they will cost you a certain amount and this amount is deducted from total PP bank. These perks are a great help in the race and give you a clear edge in races so they are worth spending the PP.
Apart from winning races and performing better in normal events, you can also participate in the special championships and earn Signatures. These are also an important key in making a name for yourself and ensuring that you get into the final event. The Career mode starts in July while the Tourist Trophy takes place in June so you have a full year’s worth of events to take part in and prepare for the final event. You can complete as many seasons as you like in the Career mode and replay the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy as much as you like after qualifying for it.
TT Isle of Man 2 also features a complete map of Ireland that you can explore freely. If you head over to the Quick Race menu, you can choose a track and jump in the race after choosing your favorite bike. You have plenty of locations to choose from. You can pick the Snaefell Mountain Course, its sections, head over to Europe and race on any track or simply jump into the open world of Ireland to explore the beautiful countryside. There are also tons of tracks on Ireland based on the same open-world map so you can race in Ireland as well.
The gameplay of TT Isle of Man 2 is one of the strongest aspects of the game and KT Racing has worked really hard to improve the gameplay this time around. I played the original TT Isle of Man when it came out and this time around, I feel a visible difference especially when it comes to terrain response of the bikes. Cold tires will give you less grip but once warmed up, you can really rip them on corners and straights. Similarly, you will need to watch out for terrain changes on the road and if you go off-road, you will lose control and fall instantly. Upgrading bikes also make them better in certain departments. These differences are not too apparent right away but as you continue to upgrade the bike, you will start noticing various improvements in how the bike handles and its straight-line performance as well.
Visually, I am still not impressed, however. TT Isle of Man 2 looks a lot better than its predecessor but I will still say that the game does not really look good on the consoles. The plants and grass in the distance look very weird and pixelated while character faces are funny as well. The bikes on the hand look really good in the game. I don’t know this is because the liveries hide their design or they are actually made to look this good. If you look at the overall picture, the game looks very good but if you focus on a particular object, say a bush in the distance, it looks pixelated.
The game also comes with a pretty decent selection of bikes. You have some of the best Supersport, Super and even some cool Classic bikes thrown in the mix as well. You have the likes of 1972 MV Augusta 500 Three and 1982 Suzuki XR69 in the Classics lineup. If you need a more modern experience you can jump in different Supersport bikes such as the 2016 Honda CBR600RR or the 2017 Kawasaki ZX-67. If you really want to step up the game, you can drive some of the meanest Superbikes currently available in the market such as the 2019 BMW S1000RR and the 2015 Suter MMX 500.
TT Isle of Man 2 is a really stable game as well as I did not really encounter any sort of glitches or bugs while playing the game. The loading times on a standard Xbox One console are pretty decent and while playing the game, I did not encounter any sort of crashes or glitches that would ruin my gameplay. Even crashing is quite fun in the game as the screen turns black and white until you respawn in the game. TT Isle of Man 2 also comes with multiplayer however I could not try as I could not find any lobbies with players in it to try it out.
Final Verdict:
TT Isle of Man 2 is a solid step in the right direction. It is a great improvement over the previous TT Isle of Man both technically and visually. The game offers silky-smooth gameplay and despite the somewhat mediocre visuals, it looks okay for a bike racing game. The level designs are better and the terrain response while driving the bikes is amazing. It also offers plenty of game modes to keep you busy for a long time even if you are unable to play online. The Career mode is really well made and will keep you entertained for quite some time as you try to reach the Tourist Trophy on Isle of Man. There have not been many bike racing games lately so TT Isle of Man 2 – Ride on the Edge is here to satisfy your thirst for bike racing.
Final Score: 8.2/10
