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Riders republic shack daddy challenges8/11/2023 What's clear is that this extreme sports game, like those before it, is best played with friends. I had fun playing the Riders Republic beta and I'm eager to see how the game evolves between now and launch. It's also worth noting that every purchasable item in the Shop (located in the social hub called Rider's Ridge) is cosmetic-only so there's no paying out of pocket to earn advantages. Events are sponsored by Red Bull and I spotted a few Clif Bar banners - details that, in a sports game, make you feel as if you're living the life of an athlete. When you win an event, you'll unlock new gear from name-brand manufacturers, like a pair of Faction skis or a Marin bike. In my preview, it involved racing on wooden mini skis.Īnd yet, there is an authenticity that pro athletes and extreme sports enthusiasts will appreciate. You can equip your character with bizarre costumes the few cutscenes I saw involved someone saying the words "Holy shizwissle" and there is an event called Shackdaddy where you use "twisted gear" called funkies. License to be wackyĪ recent trip to the arcade reminded me of how games can serve the singular purpose of bringing fun, so it was refreshing to see how Riders Republic doesn't take itself seriously. I wanted to feel a strong rumble when I landed face-first in a pile of snow or to see a reaction when my character collided at full speed into a tree. While this can lead to some memorable moments, a certain weightlessness makes collisions and landings seem insubstantial. When players collide, they ragdoll to the ground, arms and legs flailing in random directions. However, these frequent crashes highlight an area I hope to see improved before launch. Dodging piles of bodies on my way to the front of the pack was one of the most rewarding moments during my play session. I was among the dogpile early on but learned to stay composed, keep my distance, and choose the right times to engage sprint. Mayhem ensued as dozens of bikes, snowboards or gliders piled up as they rounded a corner, sending people flying in every direction. What didn't get old were the Mass Race events, where more than 50 players on PC and current-gen consoles unite in a crowded, crash-heavy competition. By the end of the beta session, I was yearning for power-ups and shortcuts to add a new dynamic to the races. The races were also quite linear, so knowing the route wasn't an advantage. I just worry whether these straightforward activities will feel fresh in the long run without new abilities or moves adding layers of strategy. Don't get me wrong, I had fun in fast-paced races, skidding around corners or boosting through checkpoints on a glider. The simplicity of the controls allows newcomers the chance to finish on the podium, but there are too few actions to perform. Mountain biking consists of sprinting, drifting and doing basic flips wingsuiting and rocket wingsuiting use inverted controls, with the latter adding a boost function skiing and snowboarding have the highest learning curve, requiring button combos to execute mid-air spins, flips and grabs. Each sport has its own set of controls, each with varying complexity, though none took more than a few runs to master. But when it comes to gameplay, Ubisoft Annecy kept things simple - perhaps too simple. With a large map, more than 50+ players (on Xbox Series X and PS5) and five types of activities, Riders Republic is undoubtedly ambitious. And when a team controls an entire zone, they can score huge points by landing more tricks in the "District on Fire." My team got crushed, but I was yearning to give it another shot after I'd learned how the mechanics worked. Adding a twist to the formula is a multiplier boost that engages when teammates are close to each other (a laser beam will link them when they're in close proximity). Sounds a lot like Graffiti, right? Well, in Riders Republic teams win by gaining the most points, not by controlling the most ramps or rails. Two teams of six are fighting to take zones on a map by nailing tricks on objects, which then turn the color of the respective team (red or blue). Perhaps the most creative mode in the game, Trick Battles felt like a mix of Tony Hawk's Graffiti and Battlefield's Conquest. It includes Trick Battles and Free for All as well as Shack Daddy events and Mass Races (the latter two I'll describe later). That said, PVP mode is where Riders Republic could really shine. Ubisoft told me there are 33 events in the snow tricks career alone with three more career modes to unlock afterward, so there should be plenty to do. Unfortunately, local co-op, a staple of the classics in this genre, is not supported. Career mode consists of beating races or freestyle events either solo or with a group of up to five players.
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