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MOTOGP 20 (PS4)
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Publisher: Milestone.
Developer: Milestone. Released: April 2020. Genre: Racing. Other versions: XONE; SWI; PC. Posted 12th July 2022. By Tom Clare © 2022 |
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Unforeseen circumstances in the real world can, very occasionally, lead to a divergence in the events that play out in a video game based around them. There were when the COVID-affected 2020 Moto GP season looked like it might never get off the ground. When the season eventually did kick into life, it was heavily reliant on circuits around the Mediterranean, with back-to-back races at the same venues and an absence of spectators.
The benefits of the virtual world representation are clear in the stats: whilst the actual 2020 season itself would feature just nine circuits across 14 rounds, the game features a whopping 23, including all 12 that were eventually cancelled as well as non-calendar bonuses in the form of Donington Park and Laguna Seca. Most notable amongst them are Kymi Ring, a first outing for the track and a return to the calendar for the Finnish GP after almost 40 years away. There’s a rather snazzy night race in Losail that takes place under floodlights and Chang, a Thai track that doesn’t typically cross over into other motorsport disciplines and therefore doesn’t feature in a lot of other racers.
MotoGP 20 shows off impressive wet-weather effects, making a tricky racer that little bit more treacherous
A brief comparison with MotoGP 19 shows little noticeable difference in the appearance of the game’s bikes and tracks or the engine notes. Indeed, it’s left to the HUDs to differentiate between the two games. Like a lot of Milestone games, MGP20 has a slightly weird veneer to its visuals, similar to that of their Ride games. They’re somehow extremely impressive yet also rather clinical and bland looking. That said, the game’s visual design comes to life in wet weather, where visibility can be hampered and even greater care must be taken in the braking zones. I lost a good few hours making personalised helmet designs, whilst creating a rider’s number decal and signature race suits stickers is loads of fun.
Annual updates like this have long since given up trying anything adventurous to enhance the fun of the video game. Surprisingly, given the want for gaming experiences to mimic the logistics of the sports they’re emulating, Milestone didn’t include a revised version of the 2020 calendar in the form of an update. Granted, this might have proven comparatively underwhelming, but it would have allowed fans to recreate this unusual season, race by race. There seems to be a want from fans for small, quality-of-realism touches on top of familiar, pre-existing engines that aim for a decent level of realism, but one that stops short of full sim territory so as not to alienate the wider audience. The consequence of this is MotoGP 20 looks, plays, sounds and runs exactly as you’d expect.
Annual updates like this have long since given up trying anything adventurous to enhance the fun of the video game. Surprisingly, given the want for gaming experiences to mimic the logistics of the sports they’re emulating, Milestone didn’t include a revised version of the 2020 calendar in the form of an update. Granted, this might have proven comparatively underwhelming, but it would have allowed fans to recreate this unusual season, race by race. There seems to be a want from fans for small, quality-of-realism touches on top of familiar, pre-existing engines that aim for a decent level of realism, but one that stops short of full sim territory so as not to alienate the wider audience. The consequence of this is MotoGP 20 looks, plays, sounds and runs exactly as you’d expect.
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For fans, this also works to its benefit. There’s a superbly comprehensive roster of riders. The premier class allows the player to ride as 2020 World Champion Joan Mir, the legendary Valentino Rossi and Andrea Dovizioso in his final season at Ducati. You also get the fascinating sibling pairing of multiple champion Marc Marquez and his promising younger brother Alex, riding for Repsol Honda. This eventuality sadly never played out due to an arm injury ruling Marc Marquez out for much of the season. Junior categories are just as meticulously realised and in Moto2, you’ll encounter a raft of future stars and some busy grids of competitors, with fields numbering 30 or competitors. The Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup is a bit of a hidden gem for beginners, here you’ll find Spanish wunderkind Pedro Acosta, at the very beginning of his rapid ascent.
The gameplay impresses with what feels like a more challenging version of its direct predecessor. Make no mistake, it’s a tough game, where the rewind function will be on constant standby. The game rewards smoothness of control over bravery at speed. Snatching a brake will result in the bike collapsing under the rider, whilst going deep into corners heavily compromises exit speeds. It brings to mind the adage that the quickest performances are not necessarily the ones that look fast. Riding on the ragged edge rarely results in speedier lap times, instead making laps more untidy and the bikes unstable under braking. Minor lapses in concentration are punished in a definitive fashion. Dipping a tyre on the grass when riding out of a corner will see the player sent hurtling over the handlebars, whilst applying throttle too enthusiastically can result in a bucking high-side or at the very least, a big twitch, leaving you susceptible to being passed.
The gameplay impresses with what feels like a more challenging version of its direct predecessor. Make no mistake, it’s a tough game, where the rewind function will be on constant standby. The game rewards smoothness of control over bravery at speed. Snatching a brake will result in the bike collapsing under the rider, whilst going deep into corners heavily compromises exit speeds. It brings to mind the adage that the quickest performances are not necessarily the ones that look fast. Riding on the ragged edge rarely results in speedier lap times, instead making laps more untidy and the bikes unstable under braking. Minor lapses in concentration are punished in a definitive fashion. Dipping a tyre on the grass when riding out of a corner will see the player sent hurtling over the handlebars, whilst applying throttle too enthusiastically can result in a bucking high-side or at the very least, a big twitch, leaving you susceptible to being passed.
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To succeed, the player must learn how to manage fuel usage through different engine modes, as well as cope with degradation, interpret temperatures correctly and fit tyres best suited to the conditions. Remaining competitive at the end of races can be tricky if your tyres have gone off. The AI proves intermittently frustrating, having a strange tendency to drive super aggressively for the opening half a lap, braking far later on cold tyres and full tanks of fuel than they do at any other point during the race. Navigating the start can prove very difficult as riders regularly cause carnage lunging in at crazy speeds, occasionally causing pile-ups that are difficult either to predict or avoid.
The Career mode is another example of the modern humdrum of following an in-game calendar. Here, the player must juggle racing with low-level management, hiring crew, earning contracts and helping shape the development of the bike through development tests. Depending on your preferences, it will seem either pleasantly fleshed-out or a little arduous. Either way, it’s well conceived, with the player even able to set up and fund a team in the junior classes.
The Career mode is another example of the modern humdrum of following an in-game calendar. Here, the player must juggle racing with low-level management, hiring crew, earning contracts and helping shape the development of the bike through development tests. Depending on your preferences, it will seem either pleasantly fleshed-out or a little arduous. Either way, it’s well conceived, with the player even able to set up and fund a team in the junior classes.
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You can design your helmet to any level of intricacy you feel like, with as many as a thousand layers available
MotoGP 20’s Time Trial and Online modes function entirely acceptably, without setting the world alight. They could both have benefited from a little TLC, a bit of structure in the form of time challenges or objectives. The most interesting avenue outside of the Career is the Historic mode, where the player contests single races to amass credits that can be spent purchasing classic Moto GP teams and riders. Now, admittedly, a fair few of these are versions of Mick Doohan and Valentino Rossi, but it’s still really cool as the choices span the nineties up to 2011.
It isn’t the most spectacular foray into the world of motorcycling and there’s something more inviting about the route the Ride series takes with regards to circuits and handling. Whilst in a sense MotoGP 20 is business-as-usual as annual revisions go, it’s a very good game in its own right. A challenging riding model requires patience, but is both satisfying and rewarding, delivering plenty of options for fans to tinker with. The Career mode is admirably fleshed-out, whilst the Historic setup holds genuine appeal thanks to a raft of unlockable riders from the last thirty years. There is nothing wildly unexpected here, but I have to admit, the depth and quality of the racing really grew on me.
It isn’t the most spectacular foray into the world of motorcycling and there’s something more inviting about the route the Ride series takes with regards to circuits and handling. Whilst in a sense MotoGP 20 is business-as-usual as annual revisions go, it’s a very good game in its own right. A challenging riding model requires patience, but is both satisfying and rewarding, delivering plenty of options for fans to tinker with. The Career mode is admirably fleshed-out, whilst the Historic setup holds genuine appeal thanks to a raft of unlockable riders from the last thirty years. There is nothing wildly unexpected here, but I have to admit, the depth and quality of the racing really grew on me.
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VERDICT
"Whilst in a sense MotoGP 20 is business-as-usual as annual revisions go, it’s a very good game in its own right... I have to admit, the depth and quality of the racing really grew on me." OVERALL: 7/10 |