MXGP 2020 – The Official Motocross Videogame
The ‘apply your face to the mud’ beauty treatment
Last year’s game was already strong, but if it needed anything, it was a boost from 30fps to 60fps. And whaddya know? That’s exactly what this PS5 offering brings. However, considering how little the rest of the game has changed, whether the PS5 version is worth £49.99 is debatable, especially as there’s no free upgrade from the PS4 version.
Still, while it looks near-identical, there are some key changes over last year’s game. The occasional inexplicable understeer of last year’s bikes is gone, instead allowing for more extreme tilting before your rider falls off. This occasionally makes for unrealistic flapping of bike and rider at the top of particularly gnarly bumps (especially at low speed), but it does mean you’ll fall off less, reducing the risk of controller smashing. Respawn times are mega-quick, and there’s a flashback button, though using it may feel dirtier than the bikes.
As for the racing itself, it impressively provides the closest, most hard-fought racing on PS5 so far. Computer-controlled riders are skilful but fallible, and it’s possible to hound the leader for several laps before finally spotting an opportunity to slip through. Big thumbs up here.
But while the competitive element is strong, the realistically finicky bikes simply don’t make for as enjoyable a videogame as ‘motorbikes on mud’ might suggest. Helmet cam looks amazing as bright biker jerseys billow right in front of you, but it’s also a frenzy of clattering movement, so while the game clearly looks like MXGP should, it’s not always easy to play – or even to look at.
MXG-WHIZZ
The career mode is nonetheless engrossing and lets you compete in the MXGP2 feeder category before the faster main series. The extra speed does make the game more exciting, and stopping for corners becomes more important.
Last year’s Track Designer mode returns, only now with modest, predefined hills, and there’s another free-roaming Playground mode to explore.
The latter is the worst part of the game as it’s a less impressive setting than last year’s, and the game engine still doesn’t feel set up for highfinesse manoeuvring around barns and bridges in idyllic farmland. It looks and feels like a development test area instead of a premium PS5 game.
Unreal Engine’s usual idiosyncrasies like texture pop-in appear to be alleviated by the PS5 hardware. While the framerate can fall to an oddly long-lasting 30-ish fps during early laps of some races, when it clicks into its stride this is clearly an excellent simulation of the MXGP world. And since it’s trying to emulate the real sport, it deserves credit for its obvious authenticity.