The Motorcycle Speed World Championship started in March with two wins for Enea Bastianini, at the top of the riders’ standings. Milestone, a shiny Italian, wants to continue down this path with MotoGP 22. The simulation features a new historical mode, split screen and some gameplay fixes. Enough to erase the disappointment of MotoGP 21?
If the Frenchman Fabio Quartararo stopped the Spanish hegemony of the rider trio Mir-Maquez-Lorenzo, who have been surfing in the world speed championship since 2012, the king of the motorcycle on consoles is Italian. Milestone introduced Moto GP in 2013, but with its tarmac simulation it’s a little less dashing than the muddy roads of MXGP or Monster Energy Supercross. The course of the new generation of consoles is difficult, MotoGP 22 has the goal of creating a coherent work, especially in the viewfinder compared to last season.
new blood…
The doctor in action
On the ground after MotoGP 21, the licensee wanted to put some gas in his engine again this year. The content is a little denser this time the arrival of a scripted mode called Nine: Season 2009. This traces the mythical season that pitted Valentino Rossi, Dani Pedrosa, Jorge Lorenzo and Casey Stoner against each other. An epic four over 17 grand prix battle to experience or relive with this nice idea. Nine alternating voice-overs, stock images and challenges performed with the 4 champions. The sequence works very well and offers excellent immersion in the races, but above all a historic mode that was missing last season and disappointing in MotoGP 20. Of course, we’re careful not to reveal the end result of the 2009 season if you haven’t seen it in front of your TV, so you can enjoy it in the moment like the Netflix series Drive to Survive.
The other small change isn’t a mode, it’s a feature. It is now possible to play in split screen with a friend, data that was not present during the last operations. The anomaly will now be fixed in 2022, although we regret the lack of a circuit maker available in several other Milestone games. Crossplay is also accessible between console generations, another smile for PS4/Xbox One gamers looking to battle with the lucky PS5/Xbox series owners.
… with old
The research and development of the quarry is still there.
Good additions as green lights, but MotoGP 22 is held back by multiple elements and a stagnant mode. The career certainly goes beyond the simple sequence of races, but it’s still too close to what the software previously offered. You can start in a lower category (Moto 2, Moto 3), join an existing team or join a completely new team, but only do research & development (improve your car over several weeks, deliver technicians) and manage your contract some depth. Otherwise, We always lack screenwriting, variety in animations on and off the track and therefore immersion, which is where the problem lies in most Milestone career modes.
As time goes by, we marvel at the studio’s ability to surprise in terms of content and visuals. MGP22 is consistently 60fps, with far less bugs and aliasing than before, but we would have hoped for better visuals on the PS5 or Xbox series. The production time between two parts is certainly quite short, but It will take a leap to this level someday to surprise the regulars.
Milestone and MotoGP looking for ambition?
There can be no question of a stop that was more in line with MotoGP 21, but rather of a tentative recovery. In addition to Nine: Season 2009 and the split screen, this opus convinces with its artificial intelligence. The KI ANNA, chaotic in her last appearance, is now more reliable. Get rid of the bumper car mentality, computer-controlled opponents overtake more cleanly, even if the advantage when pushing is a little too favorable for the human player. With menus that are always sad, MotoGP 22 is a good entry point into the series for new fans of motorcycle racing, as the balance between challenge and discovery is well respected, but fans of the saga will not be surprised. Which is a shame because we seem to be saying that a little too often in recent Milestone games.
Points cont
- All licenses, from the circuit to the pilot
- Many historical runners
- ANNA AI back to the level
- The tire/fuel management aspect
- A very nice Nine mode
- Playable in split screen
- The impressive career…
weak points
- …but not improved!
- More and more MotoE
- Circuit editor is missing
- overview menus
- A graphic performance that runs out of steam
It’s a small leap that Milestone offers with MotoGP 22. The official simulation of the motorcycle speed world championship is better made than the previous installment, but fails to take the series to a new level. The bug with a graphic quality in the game, with an engine that is beginning to age, without forgetting that the license is stagnant in the animations and their career mode. However, the title manages to arouse interest with its new “Season Nine” mode that retraces the mythical 2009 season, a convincing artificial intelligence and a split screen finally available. Italian studio limits the damage awaiting benchmark titles for MotoGP.
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