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RS: Riding Spirits for PlayStation 2
RS: Riding Spirits for PlayStation 2 is a motorcycle racing game in which you build your own collection of road bikes. You ride machines from Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki, among others, ranging from older models to sports bikes from the period when the game appeared. In the career you earn points through races. You spend these on another motorcycle, new parts or clothing for your rider. Some races impose requirements on the manufacturer, engine capacity or type of bike you bring.
On the track you work on braking points, corners and when to open the throttle again. You can let the game handle the rider's lean and weight transfer automatically or control them yourself. Gear changes can also be automatic or manual. Training helps with these choices: first you practise the basics, then ride short sections of circuits against the clock. In the garage you compare motorcycles and take a test ride to assess a setup before entering a race.
Alongside the career there are individual races, time trials and duels against a computer rider. Two people can race simultaneously on a split screen. Each uses their own DualShock 2 controller; a Multitap is not needed. The large selection of motorcycles gives you room to try different riding styles. Buying a powerful machine does not solve a difficult corner by itself: each time, you learn again how much speed you can carry into the turn.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 2 games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
This edition of RS: Riding Spirits has a PAL case with a French age rating on the front. Please therefore expect French text on the packaging.
Manual
RS: Riding Spirits for PlayStation 2 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of RS: Riding Spirits
The Japanese studio Spike developed RS: Riding Spirits for PlayStation 2. The game appeared in 2002; BAM! Entertainment published it outside Japan, with the European release in October. At the March announcement, BAM! presented it as a new step in its young PS2 range following Driven. Spike was also known for Fire Pro Wrestling at the time. With Riding Spirits, the studio worked on a different kind of sports game, centred on real motorcycle manufacturers and the engineering of their machines.
According to the original release announcement, Spike worked on the project for around two years. The official motorcycle licences shaped both the appearance of the machines and the attention paid to their sound and performance. It did not stop at bikes: brands such as Shoei and Alpinestars provided recognisable rider equipment. That combination put the enthusiast with their own garage in the foreground. Rather than simply following the entry list of one official Grand Prix season, the game gathered motorcycles from different periods.
BAM! linked the American introduction to a partnership with Yamaha, involving advertising and a competition at the time centred on the YZF-R6. That campaign shows how strongly the publisher also wanted to reach real motorcyclists. The early announcement still mentioned over 150 bikes; the final release announcement listed more than 200. The PS2 game described here is the original Riding Spirits from 2002. The later Riding Spirits II built on it, but is a separate game.
Similar games for PlayStation 2
Tourist Trophy on PlayStation 2 also centres on real motorcycles and taking corners precisely. Polyphony Digital places particular emphasis on the movement of rider and machine and uses a broad selection of circuits. Riding Spirits gives buying motorcycles, parts and clothing a clear place in your career. In both games you get to know a machine through repetition, but the way you build your garage follows a different route.
Namco's MotoGP 3 on PS2 uses official Grand Prix riders, teams and circuits. You therefore race within the recognisable world of motorcycle sport. Riding Spirits chooses road bikes from different periods and lets you collect purchases and upgrades yourself. Both demand attention to braking and leaning, but here you choose a personal collection of machines rather than a favourite championship rider. This is not the similarly named MotoGP game for the original Xbox.
MotoGP 4 expands official racing on PS2 with the MotoGP, 125cc and 250cc classes from the 2004 season. Parts tests between races also give it a technical side. Riding Spirits likewise offers setups and different motorcycles, but connects them to your own shop and garage outside such a season licence. The difference mainly lies in the context: an official racing field versus building your own collection of road bikes.
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec on PlayStation 2 also lets you gradually fill a garage and learn to handle different vehicles. The cars stay on four wheels; in Riding Spirits, the rider's posture and leaning play a greater role in every corner. The shared enjoyment lies in practising, comparing and improving. You use the same idea of careful preparation, but put it into practice with different weight distribution and different steering movements.
MX vs. ATV Unleashed brings motorcycles, quad bikes and other off-road vehicles together on PS2. You ride on dirt tracks and through large areas where jumps and changes in elevation recur. Riding Spirits keeps the focus on road bikes on racing circuits and on braking points and cornering lines. Both let you learn to control different vehicles, but one chiefly demands a feel for terrain and landings, while the other revolves around a controlled lap on tarmac.
