We know this rating seems a bit negative, and we’re sorry. MotoGP 21 isn’t a bad game, on the contrary, it’s a very competent motorcycle racing title that does exactly what it’s supposed to do. It does its mission, but it doesn’t take any chances and there is its problem. For the third time in a row and after reviewing and playing the last titles in the same series, the 2021 rate remains the same as the others. It looks like last year. And the last year looked like the previous one. And the previous one? You can imagine.
If you want to pick a driver and stand up to the game’s AI, you need to offer modes for solo races and championships. It also features online multiplayer that allows up to 22 player games, a good increase from 13 last year. And apart from that, we have the main focus of the Moto GP 21, its career mode. This time around, Milestone added the manager profile to this modality to add extra depth. The truth is that as fans of all kinds of management games, the idea seemed like a dream come true.
F1 2020 implemented a method some time ago where you had to put together your own team, hire drivers and do whatever you need to do to lead a team. It wasn’t perfect, but it worked. We liked it. Lots. With Moto GP 21 we found something similar, but nowhere that deep.
When you choose the team you want to compete with, everything is the same. There are some shortlisted teams that you can sign for. There are a number of objectives to be achieved in the contracts they propose to you. If you can’t get there, don’t hesitate to fire you. Best of all, you are always trying to be in the top 15 just in case. From here on we thought we could take control of the whole team, but what a mistake. Yes, it is possible to perform certain technical tasks as a data analyst and take on other roles, as well as developing motorcycle parts to optimize fuel consumption or to have more control when cornering. Not bad, but that was already in Moto GP 20.
The biggest difference we found is that in both Moto2 and MotoGP you can also build a second team or a satellite team. It’s not the pinnacle of innovation, but it does allow you to hire pilots, directors, and managers. From there? Lots of encouragement and fingers crossed that the team does well. We would like Milestone to explore this facet a little more and delve deeper into it for the next year. Perhaps a look at the F1 2020 model would be good for you.
Another novelty this year is a fun little sequence that starts when you fall off the mountain. Instead of magically transporting yourself back onto the track, you can now race to get back on your bike and start rolling again. The brake temperatures are making a good debut and are something to handle which, by the way, is quite a lot of fun. It is important that you adapt your riding style while also controlling the engine power of your motorcycle, for example with simple keyboard shortcuts. The key in games like this is that you don’t put all the emphasis on being the fastest of them all, but on driving your head and most importantly, dominating the corners. This is where most of the time is won or lost where most of the time is invested in your learning.
The graphics and sound areas correspond to what everyone expects from this series. Very generic music and engine sounds. The graphics have very good things and very bad things as we mentioned in our Moto GP 20 review. From the bikes to the riders, everything looks great on the track. The rest? Let’s say what’s outside could improve a lot.
Of course, if you are an avid fan of the sport, you will find plenty to enjoy here. However, if you’ve played previous titles in the franchise, it’ll be difficult for you to distinguish Moto GP 21 from the previous ones, with the exception of small, minuscule microscopic improvements. Over the past few years the series has been noteworthy and has stopped moving from there. There’s nothing really new, but the game does what it has to do and just provides the most realistic MotoGP experience possible. And yes, it’s still a very competent title.
