TT Isle of Man 3 review: Ride on the hedge

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TT Isle of Man 3 is the closest we can get to experiencing the world’s most dangerous motorsport, but does the game do it justice and can I stay upright long enough to enjoy?

It never fails to amaze me how brave the TT riders are. Or is that crazy? For the legendary Isle of Man race, star of TT Isle of Man – Ride on the Edge 3, one small mistake can and sadly does mean that raw talent leaves this world earlier than expected.

But it is that same danger and glorious speed that both keeps fans hooked and creates bemusement as to how it still exists. Wearing an Aberdeen Angus beef suit and swimming with sharks would be safer.

Offering the closest fans can get to participating, we have TT Isle of Man – Ride on the Edge 3. Otherwise known as ride on the hedge because this is not an easy game to complete even one full lap of the 37.730-mile (60km) road-based Snaefell Mountain course.

Though the third game in the series, Kylotonn is no longer behind the wheel, I mean handlebars. As with the official WRC games, it was for a change and developer Nacon Studio Milan – a division of RaceWard Studio of RIMS Racing fame – is at the helm.

Please note: This is the script from my YouTube video, click play above to watch or go here.

Freeroam feels

The biggest change to the series is that you can roam around the Isle of Man (situated between Ireland and Great Britain), completing various time trials, qualifying, temporary events, custom events, face-off (not the movie) duels, online multiplayer and races as you see fit.

This includes the big race itself, either on Superbike or Supersport two-wheelers as an official rider. For diehard fans, you can jump into the bigger courses early or familiarise yourself with the smaller sections TT Isle of Man 3 offers. Whichever path you take, complete events to unlock more.

While you can press icons within the map menu to save time, it is beneficial to drive between destinations if only to get to grips with the bike handling and course layouts. Like with the Nürburgring, memorisation is no easy task – especially if you want to set fast times.

But avoid getting carried away with dreams of rivalling the 16 minutes and 42.778 seconds record lap time and average speed of 135.452mph set by Peter Hickman in 2018. Just take it steady and try not to crash – you will thank me later.

Try being the operative word because you will really have to try. Yes, TT Isle of Man 3 has a more forgiving ride than MotoGP 23 and Ride 4. Braking feels more potent and it is harder to wheelie and highside into oblivion.

Yet delicate inputs are beneficial and the margin for error is slim. Almost microscopic in the narrow course sections. Not only that, we are not talking about a minute or two a lap, oh no. Think at least five times that for the big courses. Staying consistent for that long takes nerves of steel.

TT-ake no prisoners

And that is why TT Isle of Man 3 is faithful to the real race. Many a time I pushed my luck too much and ended up smacking the rider’s head into a wall, barrier or tree. The only difference is that I get to walk away if I mess up.

Blitzing along narrow roads as you try to avoid deadly kerbs and get your entry and exit speeds right while leaning into bends at the right time really is digital motorsport heaven and hell if you are a beginner. Even with various optional assists holding your hand.

Largely predictable handling and an utterly brilliant sensation of speed play their role in bringing the Tourist Trophy to life. Especially when using the rider cams, which see you leaning through corners and bobbing in and out of the windshield as you hang on for dear life.

The visuals

Speaking of bringing things to life, TT Isle of Man 3 is not as pretty as a Forza game obviously and it does suffer from some noticeable pop-in, even at maxed out settings on PC. Thank you, RTX 4090.

Some texturing, particularly clothing, is pretty low-rent too. A hangover, I suspect, from the fact the game uses the same Kylotonn Engine as before. I also dislike the current lack of field-of-view adjustment, camera position height and the basicness of the user-interface.

The Isle of Man environment is, however, detailed and beyond just trackside. Signposts, trees, hedges, kerbs, electricity pylons, speed limits, housing, barriers, grassy fields and even traffic lights – the developer has done an impressively faithful job of capturing the unique setting.

Not only that, at 4K with the mini-map, speedometer and other head-up display information removed, plus that improved helmet-cam view, there is a sometimes life-like quality to it.

With some sneaky post processing effects, I reckon you could fool some people into thinking it is real TT footage. Especially in the rain and with the highly useful directional marker disabled.

Also real is bike modification. Here, you can swap bike parts earned by completing events or adjust the current configuration such as tyre pressures and gear ratios. It is not the most comprehensive tuning experience, but it does add depth.

No VR?

Given the excitement of the TT, it is a shame that virtual reality (VR) support is nowhere to be seen as it would elevate the game to unrivalled levels of immersion. As the developer noted though, getting over motion sickness would not be easy.

The AI is also not my favourite. The time trial times seem fair, as in avoid crashing and riding like an arthritic grandma and you have a good chance of being competitive. But the racers can be a bit kamikaze and unpredictable. Sometimes to your benefit, other times to your misery.

Thankfully, the ‘01’ update has improved matters as well as fixed issues with the manual transmission, Steam achievements and the slipstream effect. Hopefully efforts continue in the quality of life department. But nothing yet in terms of classic bikes. I smell a DLC.

As for online multiplayer, I tried to join a few games but I got a ‘could not connect’ message and was taken back to the open world. I suspect a low player number is currently to blame.

Should you buy?

For fans of the TT or bike racing in general, TT Isle of Man 3 is likely to provide high-octane thrills. And for racing game fans in general who relish a challenge, its more accessible handling model and sheer sense of speed could keep you hooked for a while.

It is just that the novelty of the Snaefell Mountain course can wear thin fast, especially due to its sometimes lonelier time trial nature, and that it has relatively limited content compared with Ride 4, the forthcoming Ride 5 and even the MotoGP games.

In addition, despite the positive inclusion of an open-world, it feels more like a way to make a small change look like a big one to draw in punters. More could have been done to bolster the experience, though I do respect the attempt to break up one of the world’s hardest motorsport events.

The too long, did not watch summary? Despite some quality issues and weaker amounts of content than its rivals, TT Isle of Man – Ride on the Edge 3 puts you on the edge of your seat, with fluid and predictable handling helping you tame some of the most intense speeds a racing game can provide.

TT Isle of Man 3 screenshots

TT Isle of Man 3 review: Ride on the hedge

Verdict

TT Isle of Man 3 is the best interpretation of the legendary bike race and can be exhilarating despite less content than its rivals and occasionally dated visuals.

Positives

Sense of speed

Natural handling

Uniquely challenging

Negatives

Some iffy visuals

Bland presentation

Rivals offer more content

73

The Score