Driveclub Bikes is a new experience

Driveclub Bikes was announced and released in the same week. Does this expansion offer more thrills as the base game involving cars? Driveclub was far from a perfect game when it launched in October 2014. Aside from the network problems, the game itself was lacking features and was frustrating to play. Thankfully after many updates, it feels more like a complete game. The game received new tracks, a weather system and also a replay feature just to name a few. Now, a standalone expansion has arrived that allows you to drive bikes. It goes without saying that driving bikes is a lot harder than driving a car. The thing I feel that is really missing in Driveclub Bikes is some sort or tutorial. The game needed something to teach people how to drive a bike as this game can be difficult without practicing a lot. A few months ago, a game called RIDE came out. That game offered a comprehensive training mode that taught you everything that you needed to know to drive a bike. It gave you advice on turning, balancing and more. However, the physics in Driveclub Bikes is squarely in the middle. It's not a full simulation, but it's does not have a fake arcade feel either. You can also do some tricks on bikes too such as wheelies and stoppies. The great thing about this standalone expansion is that every track from the original game is playable here. The game has over 78 tracks and there is another Tour mode for you to complete that has over 42 different events for you to participate in. The Tour mode is great because it's more than just racing. To progress in this mode, you have to earn stars by completing objectives. The objectives are diverse keeping the game feeling fresh without getting too repetitive or boring to play. Aside from placing third or higher, there are objectives that you can earn by getting fast lap times, performing wheelies and stoppies as well as cornering well. If you are not good at racing, you can do the other events in hopes of progressing through the tour. Driveclub Bikes also offers you to race in different viewpoints. There are several "first-person" perspectives that allow you to see what it is like racing on a bike. However, this mode can make some people have motion sickness. There are two third-person views to choose from if the others perspectives aren't your thing. In terms of graphics, it is exactly the same since this is just an expansion of Drivelclub. The graphics in this game have always been great and it also has the most realistic looking weather effects in any video game I have ever played. If there are any flaws to this expansion, it's that the bike selection is pretty low. There are a total of only 12 bikes that are available, although they do come from real life manufacturers like Yamaha, Ducati, Kawasaki and more. Overall, Driveclub Bike is an enjoyable standalone expansion. It may not offer much in terms of bike selections, but it gives you access to the full range of tracks and a whole new Tour mode for you to play through. Just remember to practice a lot because bikes are harder to drive than cars... Verdict: 8.0/10