MXGP The Official Motocross Videogame

The team over at Milestone has been known for creating fun arcade racing games, as well as more realistic ones. The Italian developers also tend to dabble their feet in any sort of version of extreme racing. So, when the team announced that MXGP The Official Motocross Videogame was releasing in 2014, motocross fans around the world were ready to see what Milestone had in store for them.

Time to Kick Some Dirt

When I think of motocross, I first think of how difficult it would be. Then I think of how much fun it would be to be kicking up dirt and flying off jumps at full speed. MXGP certainly offers you that feeling when playing – to a certain extent. Before you load into a race, you’re given a rundown of the track you’ll be riding on. It plays a real clip of riders on that exact track. This immediately increases the immersion a bit, which is appreciated, especially if you don’t already know the track.

Once racing, you’re treated to a beautiful motocross experience. The sun will glare during certain turns, the crowd will blow their horns, and the sound of rival bikes behind you will always get your blood pumping. Speaking of blood pumping, the rock-heavy soundtrack surely does its best to keep that extreme vibe alive. That being said, there are downsides. Most of the stages offer similar views of tents, signs, and the crowd. These stages aren’t entirely unique outside of their track design, which is a bit disappointing.

Also, track deformation is severely lacking in MXGP. You would think for a game that wants to be more realistic, you’d have the ability to rearrange dirt and cause new obstacles when racing. Think about it: you come around a turn and hit a small mound, causing it to collapse a bit. The next rider comes behind you and wipes out on that same exact mound, making you feel like you just missed (and caused) a crash. The suits that the riders wear are also a bit static. They don’t flow in the wind or adjust when crashing, making them look robotic. However, they do collect dirt on them over the race, which is much appreciated.

Ready to Ride

Where MXGP shines is in its gameplay. The dual-stick control system has been expanded from Milestone’s MX vs. ATV series. You’ll control your bike with the left stick and your rider’s balance with the right stick. This system means that every turn will require a precise move of either stick. This leads to a more realistic experience but is also a lot of fun to master. On higher difficulties and physics settings, you’ll really have to practice each track to really master them.

While racing, you’re bound to make too wide of a turn or take a bad angle on a jump that leads to a crash. When this happens, your rider will fly off the bike along with ragdoll physics and then respawn on the track shortly after. There’s no damage system for your bike, which is a bit of a letdown. If they were going for realism, that would have been a great addition.

For game modes, you have your usual suspects. Instant Race is where you can get into a race quickly. Grand Prix lets you choose your own tracks for a short series of races. Championship mode allows you to choose your favorite tracks for a full season. Finally, Time Attack lets you practice while also recording your times on the track, which can then be compared to against riders worldwide.

Rise in the Rider Rankings

The main mode of MXGP is the Career mode. If you’ve ever played a Milestone game before, you’ll know what to expect. Your goal is to rise in the rankings with your created player, all while unlocking new bikes and apparel for your rider. This is completed through a series of weekend races. You’ll also choose a team to represent, as well as a rival. This is supposed to make the mode more immersive, but it doesn’t exactly help.

Lastly, there is a social feature where you can see what fans are saying about the races. Once again, this doesn’t add much to the immersion. If you needed to interact with fans to increase some sort of fame level, then I could see where this makes sense.

Pros:

• Controls and fun to learn and hard to master
• Sound and graphics are great
• Lots of tracks and riders to choose from

Cons:

• Could use more unique game modes
• Lack of damage system for bikes
• Career mode could use more depth