TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge 2 from Nacon is a racing game that will challenge you to take on the ultra-technical and dangerous track on Nintendo Switch. Learn more in our TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge 2 review!

 

In TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge 2 from Nacon, the sequel to TT Isle of Man on Nintendo Switch, you’ll be taking on the dangerous bike track on Snafaell Mountain, a 60 km track with a ton of twists and turns which, at the high speed you’ll be racing, can prove to be fatal after a single mistake. The sequel improves on its predecessor by adding 17 additional tracks, 18 motorbikes, and revamping the physics of riders, reproducing their movement and motions while riding for the thrill of their lives.

The inaugural Isle of Man race took place way back in 1907, and it’s a grueling and dangerous course that takes riders around the island on a track with many twists and turns, going from sea level to up to 1,300 feet, making it a race that takes its toll on those who dare take on its challenge. Victor Surridge was the first person to die when riding his motorcycle, and since then hundreds of racers, race officials, and even spectators, have lost their lives at the races surrounding this event.

 

Before you can take on the game proper, TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge 2 will first ask if you want to play the tutorial, which I highly recommend you do! Completing the tutorial will allow you to learn the basics of this motorbike racing game, as you speed up with the ZR button, braking with the ZL button, and moving your bike down the track with the left analog stick. You can also change the camera with the D-Pad to race from a fast-paced first-person view. Whenever the tutorial wants to show you something new, it will slow down the action and add a monochrome filter to the whole screen so that you can take a second to read the new instructions. Braking is a must in TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge 2 because a single mistake will send your rider flying off from its bike – which would kill it in the real race!

Because of the highspeed nature of TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge 2, the game will provide you with a path to follow that will ease you into things. If the path, made of a bunch of arrows, ever turns red, then that’s your cue to hit the breaks and slow down, because you’re going too fast and will miss your turns and will end up crashing! You can also switch between Amateur or Pro driving styles so that players of all skill levels can have a chance to enjoy this one. There’s a big difference between the two, so be sure to try them out to see which one is best for you. Driving around is hard as is, and in Pro, you’ll have to shift up and down as needed to stay on the road in one piece.

 

As for your gameplay options, TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge 2 features a Career Mode, Quick Race, Time Attack, and Free Roam. Quick Race is for taking on smaller chunks of the game so that you can dive straight into the action right away. Time Attack, as the name suggests, will have you trying to get the best time possible in a race. Career Mode is the meats and potato of this Nintendo Switch release, offering players a chance to add their name to the history books by competing to earn the Tourist Trophy by racing in the Isle of Man.

For Career Mode, you’ll start by creating an avatar, giving it a first and last name, as well as a nationality. You will start from the bottom, right after getting your license. To participate in the proper Isle of Man TT race, you’ll have to earn your way into the competition by completing specific objectives. You’ll have to select your first bike by taking into consideration its different stats for torque, horsepower, weight, engine size, engine type, max speed, acceleration, and braking because each one will feel different when you’re out racing.

 

As you compete in races, you will earn money and perk points, as well as boost your reputation – hopefully from a solid performance with as few crashes as possible! You’ll be able to plan your career from the Race Calendar, where all the season’s races will be displayed. There will be more than one race available for each slot in the Race Calendar, with an Easy, Medium, or Hard difficulty attached to each one of them. The higher the difficulty, the bigger the rewards you can earn, but the risk of loss will also be much higher. The time of the day for a race, as well as the weather conditions, will also vary, so don’t forget to pay attention to those as well!

As for Free Roam, this is a mode that allows you to select the time of the day, weather conditions and overall temperature, as you pick the race category, bike model, and rider for a casual stroll around the Isle of Man. While you ride around the island without a timer and other racers, you can take the time to leisurely watch the scenery and take in all the beauty of the Isle of Man. You will find farmers sitting on the sidelines, watching as racers run by, as they tend to their cattle. Trees will gently move with the breeze as you move towards the next area, as birds fly over the horizon.

The game looks great on the PlayStation 4, and it was to be expected that during the transition from Sony’s home console to Nintendo’s hybrid console – minus the Nintendo Switch Lite being portable-only -, there would have to be some compromises to consider. The sense of speed is still there, which is what is certainly needed for a racing game like TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge 2, but the overall graphic fidelity has certainly seen a hit. Models feature lower resolution textures, the foliage doesn’t feel as robust as on PS4 due to a lower density, and the overall framerate is, of course, lower than on Sony’s console, but it still looks good when playing in Docked, Portable, or Tabletop Mode.

TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge 2 is a solid racing game on Nintendo Switch that dials up the challenge to 11, offering a lot of content for this full retail release. Taking on the Career Mode is not going to be a walk in the park, but at least you can customize your experience based on your skill level to have a shot at earning the Tourist Trophy. Add Free Roam, and you have a good racer that is only hurt by the trade-off of downgraded visuals to get the game running on Nintendo’s console. TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge 2 is out now on Nintendo Switch for $59.99.

Disclaimer
This TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge 2 review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by Nacon.