The first thing you would like to do with a motorcycle game like Milestone’s MotoGP 20 is to get driving without wasting too much time. This is all very true, however, when you begin to comb through the menus and become familiar with the more managerial aspects, you will begin to change your mind.
The management component of the new Milestone title is so accurate and well designed that the desire to get behind the wheel almost ends up being overshadowed. However, will the rest of the game be a complete let down, or does it stand out from its predecessor? Here is my MotoGP 20 review on PlayStation 4.
CAREER ON TWO WHEELS
I noticed when doing my review on PlayStation 4 that MotoGP 20 proposes and perfects all the managerial parts that they already introduced in some previous chapters of the series. First of all, there is a career mode with a 52-week calendar. On the occasion of the race weekends, even before arriving at the race, it is possible to undertake free practice to try out the various settings the game has to offer.
This is definitely something that I recommend not to ignore, as this will help you improve those skills. Even before moving on to the calendar of competitions, it is necessary to find a manager and sign a contract with a team. When it comes to staff members, it is possible to select your chief engineer and technician more or less specialized in sectors such as the engine, chassis, aerodynamics and electronics.
You can improve these same categories under the section dedicated to research and development. The latter works with “trees” of enhancements for each category to be improved by assigning staff from your own entourage, reducing development times to use them in the race as soon as possible. Under the research section, you can also assign personnel to collect data.
For the more impatient players, the game also offers three quick modes. The first is individual races, the second is time trials, and the third allows you to embark on a new championship. So this is the general picture of the options and possibilities offered by the career mode. The management aspect of MotoGP 20 is an imposing superstructure that consumes options, choices and strategies.
The attention placed by Milestone on this aspect is definitely appreciable, but at the same time I noticed when doing my MotoGP 20 review on PlayStation 4 that it could scare less experienced players. MotoGP 20 is in fact the dream of every motorbike enthusiast, but it certainly does not seem to favor the less experienced.
In particular, there is a lack of a tutorial that can gradually introduce players to the various management options since, in most cases, they entrust much to intuition and logical skills, but the descriptions given by various voices in the game is obviously not lacking. I must say that tutorials sometimes don’t even bother me but, in this case, I really needed it, and so will you.
PHYSICS OF GAMEPLAY
From the gameplay point of view, MotoGP 20 still tries to meet newbies. The various options allow not only to reduce the number of laps and the damage to the motorbike but also to reduce the consumption of tires and fuel and to lower the artificial intelligence of rival riders.
In MotoGP 20 we find the same AI that already characterized the previous title and that at higher levels is able to adapt to the driving skills of the player to make competitions even more realistic. Graphically, the game performs its task without particular issues, remaining overall well defined thanks to Unreal Engine 4, which is also able to manage the atmosphere in a rather realistic way.
I noticed that rain looks and feels great and the response from tire physics was really good. In general, the wear of the latter, together with fuel management, have improved. You will definitely immediately notice the level of detail in the bikes, the suits, and the helmets. The latter elements are fully customizable with your own creations that can be saved and shared with other users.
The physics of the game engine ensures a feeling of driving and speed fairly adherent to reality. This feature, combined with efforts in terms of artificial intelligence, represents an excellent combination to emphasize the feeling of realism within the game. One of the strengths of the Milestone title is represented by the use of official licenses, both in terms of drivers and teams, and not random ones.
The historical mode returns which allows you to tackle some of the most iconic races of the world championship with riders who have made history, together with teams from the past that you can also buy on the market through money earned by reaching the first three places in the various races.
MULTIPLAYER
I noticed when doing my MotoGP 20 review on PlayStation 4 that Milestone updates both the prizes and the challenges day by day in order to guarantee a certain longevity and avoid that everything turns out to be too repetitive later on. If MotoGP 20, in general, shows some improvements in all respects, the same cannot be said for the multiplayer.
The multiplayer mode is available only and exclusively in the online version without giving the possibility for two players to compete with the split-screen in a local cooperative. The absence of this mode does not seem to have any justification, and it is a pity that this has not yet been implemented by calculating that it would have allowed to increase the longevity even more.
And also considering that not everyone, necessarily, could have a PSN subscription available to play online to therefore take advantage of a fundamental part of a racing title such as that of multiplayer. I really hope that Milestone can take this aspect into consideration for the future.
CONCLUSION
Milestone’s MotoGP 20 is mainly dedicated to those who are passionate about managerial aspects like the career mode. The options to manage the technicians and the staff prove to be enormous and requires special attention. At least the more casual players can take part in championship and timed challenges that allow you to go directly on the bike, such as custom motorcycles, without having to manage budgets, salaries, and development of new technologies.
MotoGP 20 is extremely accurate and detailed, but the managerial part can discourage that average group of players forced to become familiar with the menus independently in the absence of a rather specific tutorial that allows you to analyze the potential in depth. However, the developers have improved the physics in the game to add a greater realism, for example in the consumption of brakes and fuel.
To help the less experienced players a bit, they have some options to lighten the load, such as lowering the AI of the opponents or deactivating the damage. Finally, this new edition also proposes the historical mode. I will say it now, and I will say it again: MotoGP 20 is the best in the series so far!
Do you want to try Milestone’s MotoGP 20? What do you think of my MotoGP 20 review for PlayStation 4? Please Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Are you feeling some racing vibes and interested in more racing games? Check out our reviews for TT Isle of Man: Ride On The Edge 2, Monster Energy Supercross 3, and GRID.
