Developer: Milestone S.r.l.
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One (Reviewed)
Genre: Racing, Simulation, Sports
Publisher: Milestone S.r.l.
MotoGP 20 is the super realistic game version of MotoGP which is the motorbike racing championship. The goal of it is to be as life-like as possible which the game does achieve with extreme realism and quite a polished affair with great sounds effects too. This is the first time I have played a motorbike game and the first time I have experienced being on a motorbike in a game in a long time. I do however play lot car racing games quite poorly which set me up for this quite well.
After numerous hours of slipping off the bike in courses based around the world, I have concluded that I should never take up professional racing of any sort. I did, however, enjoy the experience.
First off, the game’s core is centred on the motorbike driving experience, they have achieved this. It’s quite a spectacular sense you are there when you mount your bike and navigating each turn and power through the long straight sections of tracks, you feel an immense sense of speed. This is really pulled off superbly through amazing attention to detail and some of which is just going to go over my head. Lots of things like tuning your bike, choosing which tyres and lots of fiddly features are available for the well versed or professionals. To be honest, I didn’t understand every tweak so went with stock motorbikes and whatever the default tyres were.Â
Whilst on the bike you can choose multiple views from a first-person view all-the-way up to varying levels of the third person view. The first person view and the ride are just awesome, it’s immersive. The sounds of engines, the noises of the track and other racers just add a real sense of presence at a racecourse. The graphics aren’t amazing throughout but the gameplay and main layout and HUDs are well animated. Some of the cut-scenes could do with a polish, these are where the graphics and presentation fall flat but take little away from the game.
The challenge of controlling the bike is fairly frustrating to start with, even with a race line as a guide you will still need to put the hard work (many hours) in before you resemble anything that looks like a rookie driver let alone a pro. This is where the super-realistic games excel in terms of realism, it’s that feeling that it’s tough just be to okay. Put the hours in, it’s well worth it. One handy feature is the rewind feature which is a lifesaver when you have competed for several laps and manage to fall at the last turn. The rewind feature was a lifesaver!
I’m not an avid MotoGP fan in real life but this didn’t detract from the gaming experience. The game mimics the whole Grand Prix and career mode of a season in MotoGP, you can tweak your bike, you can attend practice laps, you can compete to start higher in the grid on race day. For me, I loved the fact that I could just compete in one practice (or none) before playing the Grand Prix itself, the 3-day race Grand Prix is just a bit too much work for me, similar to the whole career mode. If you love MotoGP this may be right up your alley. There is also the ability to play a quick course or play online if you manage to pull yourself away from career mode, I mainly sat in career mode.
The game is a really well put together racing game that has all the spills and thrills of the racer but you will need to put hours in to get to a point where you won’t fall off at every corner. If you are into customisation the in-depth detail of MotoGP there is tons to discover.
Overall: 8/10
Enjoys more than the odd game, long time gamer, somewhat a technologist and everything else in between.
Also enjoys a good solid game of FIFA online. Currently PS4, XBOX 360 and STEAM.
