With the release date of March 19th, 2020 fast approaching, the first TT Isle of Man 2 gameplay video has been released, along with some interesting new details about the road racing game.
So before you dive into the footage below, the interesting new is that the new TT Isle of Man – Ride on the Edge 2 will feature classic bikes. Those named so far include the MV Agusta 500 Three which is synonymous with motorcycle legend Giacomo Agostini, who won the world 500cc title from 1967 to 1972 on it.
Also named is the rotary Norton NRS588 which Steve Hislop rode to victory in the 1992 Senior TT race. This was the year of an epic battle between Hisop on the Norton becoming the first rider to record a lap faster than 120mph, and narrowly beating the Yamaha of Carl Fogarty.
The TT-winning Suzuki XR69 will also be in the game. Not only was it a hugely successful bike at the start of the 1980s, but it’s still winning the Classic TT events now. And good news for fans of the ringing engine noise of a two-stroke racing motorcycle, as the 1970s Yamaha TZ750 will also be included. Let’s hope the engine noise has been replicated accurately.
Lastly, but certainly not leastly, TT Isle of Man 2 will also include the 1978 Ducati 900 ridden by Mike Hailwood. The legendary Hailwood hadn’t competed in full competitive motorcycle races for 11 years. But the 38-year-old won a hugely popular victory in the Formula 1 race, which is still talked about today.
Pre-order TT Isle of Man 2 and you’ll get the Ducati 900 as a bonus reward. Which suggests that otherwise it will be part of a Mike Hailwood 1978 Ducati 900 DLC Pack and extra purchase. The PC listing has both the Ducati 900 – Mike Hailwood 1978 DLC listed, along with a ‘Pro Newcomer Pack’ which includes 7 Level 2 upgrades, tyre warmers, optimum fall management to get back on your bike quickly, plus bonus experience and reputation points for your team and podium finishes.
In total, TT Isle of Man will be including 17 additional tracks alonside the TT course, 18 different motorcycles including the classics, and the new open world for testing bike settings.
First TT Isle of Man 2 Gameplay Video
The video is basically split into two parts. The first features the 109 BMW S1000RR of Davey Todd, with the 1978 Ducati 900 and Mike Hailwood for the second half.
Initial thoughts are that it looks alright. Obviously the Isle of Man TT course hasn’t changed since the first game was released, and the graphics look as if they’ve evolved a little bit, but there’s no massive changes immediately apparent.
The two key things are that you’re really hanging off in the helmet view, and that it’s now possible to lay black lines by spinning the rear tyre without immediately launching yourself into a tree or brick wall.
Being able to use the throttle more realisticlly to tighten your racing lines will be a very welcome addition to the game. But the helmet view does feel slightly odd – as if your eyes are slightly further back than in real life, which is why you see the top and bottom of the helmet aperture at the same time.
Having ridden bikes for years, and owning a variety of helmets from various manufacturers (including big names like Arai and AGV), I don’t remember having many where you would see both the top and bottom of the visor at the same time – your eyes are generally too close to it for that to happen. Plus you’re essentially looking up when crouched on the tank, for example, so you’re see more of the top of the visor area, and less of the bottom.
It’s also possible I have an odd-shaped head, of course.
Either way, the main thing we all want to experience is the new handling model, so it looks like a potentially big improvement over the previous game in that respect, even if the graphics and sound haven’t moved on as much as we might have hoped.
You can now pre-order TT Isle of Man 2 with the Game Exclusive Mike Hailwood Ducati 900 DLC for the Xbox One, PS4 and Nintendo Switch (although the website doesn’t mention the DLC bonus for the Switch at the minute, so you may want to confirm it – it also shows a later release date of 31st May 2020.). Amazon pre-orders don’t include the same DLC bonus, and neither does Steam for the PC.
And you can keep up with all the latest news, info and our first impressions of TT Isle of Man 2, here.
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