Has Milestone met expectations with their second motorcycle game of the season?
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Every year at the start of summer, Milestone releases their annual instalment in the MotoGP franchise. This year the Italian studio has brought two titles to the market in quick succession, both dedicated to racing on two wheels. MXGP3 launched a few days ago, and this time we turn to the tarmac for MotoGP 17, a title that offers realism rarely seen on consoles, and that takes advantage of the 1080p resolution and runs at 60 frames-per-second for the first time. Surprising, given the current rate at which technology is advancing.
Visually, the details are much more refined than before. The realisation of the various settings is not impressive per se, but the level of detail in the tracks and bikes is staggering. The drivers and the mounts were often criticised in the past for their uniformity, but they can now be recognised more distinctly, and the experts among us should be able to tell the differences between most of the motorcycles on display.
But don’t think for a second that the game engine has changed. It’s still Milestone’s homemade engine, unlike MXGP 3, which opted to use the last iteration of Unreal Engine 4. As for the audio, the improvement over previous releases is noteworthy. The developer went as far as to record the sounds of almost every motorcycle. It’s more than just a detail for the purists, and it’s already the case in MXGP 3. The result is thrilling; you could buy the game just for the sound design and not regret it.
The user interface has also been updated and simplified. The menus are clear and exploration is more intuitive. Nevertheless, loading times are excessive which spoils these welcome improvements.
In terms of content, MotoGP 17 has put aside several elements of the previous entry (which was dedicated to Valentino Rossi), such as ranch, rally, and flat track, which somewhat impoverishes the title and takes away a significant part of the variety in terms of the experiences on offer. Besides that, focusing only on its racing/motorcycling offering, this new version still offers several modes, over 160 different riders, along with all the tracks and bikes from the current season of motoGP, moto2, and moto3. We also happily welcome some historic motorbikes, namely the 125cc, 250cc and 500cc two-strokes and Moto GP four-strokes, which makes a total of more than one hundred bikes available.
The big addition for this year is undeniably the Career Team Manager mode that allows players to lead the double life of both rider and team manager. Seeing how complete this new mode is, it’s a wonder that Milestone has also retained the Pilot Career mode. Each race will earn you reputation points and credits to improve your organisational structure, from the mechanics to public relations. But in order for everything to work, everyone will have to pull in the same direction, be it the five riders of your team or the mechanics responsible for pampering your bikes. The mode also offers you the choice of some extra activities, such as giving interviews, managing your image on social media, or directly dealing with the fans.
An online co-op mode is also available, which allows you to play in the same team as your friends. A very welcome novelty, which we were not able to try on our own, as at the time of writing no other players were available online. Also worth mentioning is the esport MotoGP Championship, accessible on the PS4 and PS4 Pro, which will offer players the opportunity to compete against other people around the world and demonstrate the full extent of their talents. The world’s top 16 riders will qualify for seven online events before the grand finale, scheduled for the Valencia Grand Prix. The winner will receive nothing less than a BMW M240i.
We kept the most important aspect till the end, which for a sports simulation, is the gameplay. Unsurprisingly, it is very realistic; the motorcycle responds very well to player commands, tilts better than before when making turns, and the grip now really depends on the weather conditions. A wet track will require you to take more precautions, and you’ll be able to use the full power of your ride on a dry and sunny day. Depending on your skills, you can also select the level of the AI. It has been deeply reworked and can offer, if you so choose, a much greater challenge. The AI doesn’t hesitate to use elbows when necessary and can be as tenacious as it is in MXGP 3.
As for the realism, it’s on point. From exiting the pit, where you can see the final preparations of your rider before he is raring to go on the starting grid, to the track, where it’s as close to the real thing as you can currently get. We especially recommend using the view from behind the handlebar and helmet, which allows you to experience the race much more realistically. Generally speaking, it’s a pleasant and rewarding experience and it will satisfy novices as well as veterans, although the latter will always have things to complain about because the title isn’t flawless by any means.
Some aspects of the riding can lack realism, largely because of the often bizarre physics of the bike itself. You can adjust it via the standard, semi-pro, or pro settings, just like you can enable or disable control assists. Collisions with opponents are also affected by this and it can sometimes produce unexpected results. Another issue, something found in many of Milestone’s games, is the lack of immersion. Even in the Career Team Manager mode, we’re given text instead of cutscenes that could have allowed us to dive engage in the experience.
The truth is, when we finally get to see some videos showing the cities hosting the races, or illustrating a major victory, they are even more disappointing. Some of the images look like they’re lifted from the last generation of consoles, not to mention loading times worthy of a PlayStation One.
We’ve enjoyed this new entry in the MotoGP series, despite a couple of setbacks. It has abandoned all of the extra features from last year in order to solely focus on the racing experience. The racing is enjoyable and the content included has enough legs to last. Nevertheless, if you already own Valentino Rossi: The Game, we wouldn’t recommend rushing to buy MotoGP 17. Even though it benefits from a year of additional development and it improves the previous experience, the new features are simply not worth the high price tag. On the other hand, if you don’t already have a two-wheeled simulation, we recommend it because it’s a quality racer.
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Keyword: MotoGP 17