MotoGP 22 PlayStation 5 Review

Every year, Milestone releases a new edition of the MotoGP, the world's most prestigious competition for motorcycles. This year is no exception. This annual series is notable for formulating the nuts and bolts of the fastest motorcycles around the racetracks. MotoGP 22 has several upgrades, as expected from a game released annually. This year, the game includes several tutorials explaining how things function for the beginner's joy. Veterans will witness a refined design, especially the character models, and a more realistic gameplay experience. This series has been bringing one of the most realistic motorcycle simulations for years, and MotoGP 22 continues to grow on that track. Though the current-gen console owners will point towards the visual department, can the game please them with gameplay improvements?

 

When it comes to the gameplay, series veterans will feel MotoGP has improved in many ways. However, anybody unfamiliar with the game will indeed feel the difficulty. For newcomers to appreciate the gameplay as much as most veterans, Milestone has made it easy to get started with the game. The game offers the traditional time trial mode for practicing the circuits for unlimited times. At the same time, training with basic lessons allows us to learn how to control the essential parts of the bike, and a mode with advanced lessons will eventually help us become great riders.

Of course, as long as the necessary effort is given. This does not stop there, as MotoGP 22 introduces the MotoGP Academy mode, where we can practice circuits by sector. This new mode lets us pick any of the 21 official tracks, which we find significantly difficult, and practice there. This is unquestionably a tremendous accomplishment that will allow anyone to improve every aspect of the track, especially the long-time fans. At the same time, they can even go further to break all existing records.

MotoGP isn’t a game that you pick and starts to play unless you’re a fan of this sport. Controlling high-speed motorbikes isn’t as easy as it may seem. So, individuals who have never played MotoGP would benefit from the tutorials most. Like the initial driving school sessions, it teaches the game's fundamental elements. Then there’s the MotoGP Academy for the series veterans, individuals who have not competed in MotoGP 22 but believe they can develop even more in future races.

 

There are several challenging tracks where players can work on improving their driving technique. Knowledge of the bike will grow as we learn more about the tracks, the bends, and the optimal trajectories. We will be able to shred every single meter of asphalt to discover all of its secrets. This is a well-organized, straightforward, and intuitive framework. Although not everyone will need it, its arrival is unquestionably a welcome addition.

We can feel the bike's weight at various times, particularly while leaning against anything. Even though the break system has improved, the motorcycles in this game are more difficult to control than in some of Milestone's previous games. As a result of their weight, which is more than 346 pounds, Grand Prix motorbikes take more time to turn than dirt bikes, resulting in a more systematic style of racing that does not depend on last-second turns before entering a curve in the road.

Thanks to the Dualsense feature and other improvements made in this release, the movement is exceptionally realistic. Body shifting, knee position, and feeling the centrifugal force while cornering all felt enhanced due to the PlayStation 5's DualSense. The sense of speed and sheer horsepower of the bikes, combined with the purposeful handling, creates an exceptional racing experience unlike any game of this genre.

 

Proper mechanics that blur the boundary between gaming and realism may be challenging to achieve for a title and series like the MotoGP brand. One of the key features of MotoGP 22 is the newly introduced and upgraded track surfaces and suspension package. These two improved features are just explanations for the better physics in the game, and they have increased the pleasure on tracks. The enhancements to the bike handling feeling in the controller provided a more substantial sense throughout the course and helped visually identify mistakes and areas to improve.

In terms of content, the most notable addition this year is a new historical mode called Nine Season 2009, which depicts a memorable season in which the renowned Italian speedster Valentino Rossi won his ninth and last MotoGP title. Because it celebrates the season from the perspectives of four now-retired legends: Rossi, Casey Stoner, his teammate who looked to surpass him in Jorge Lorenzo, and the diminutive Dani Pedrosa, who looked to prove that he could be successful on the larger bikes, this mode stands out and is quite remarkable in its execution. This more intimate viewpoint distinguishes it from many modes in sports games that seek to commemorate the most important events on a larger, more impersonal scale.

Rossi haters need not be alarmed; MotoGP 22 offers many alternative options. Among these are the quick modes, including Grand Prix, Championships, Time Trial, and the new Shared Screen for local battle. Also, the multiplayer lobbies and the newly redesigned Training and the MotoGP Academy allow players to learn the secrets of all the top racers in MotoGP. If you, however, like Rossi, you get to relive the joyous moments of Rossi's triumphs, but you also get to follow the seasons of all four riders, who experience both victory and sadness along the way.

 

The superbly created video packages that serve as bookends to the multi-part races also contribute to the overall appeal of this mode, which is particularly noteworthy. As a result, Milestone created this for its most ardent fans, and the developers aren't hesitant to delve deeply into the minor nuances that made that particular season so compelling. The tremendous effect racers felt from transitioning from Michelin to Bridgestone tires to unpredictable weather conditions that forced riders to select whether to pit and utilize their spare bikes is discussed in detail. This mode might have easily been a simple celebration of Rossi's feat. Still, instead, it serves as a love letter to an investigation of the whole sport, including the human riders that contribute to its spectacular nature. However, Milestone has included cross-play this year, so this should increase the number of players available to choose from.

The career mode provides a comprehensive and in-depth insight. While the career mode may seem familiar to the veterans, it still provides entertainment and realism. It is a highly extended mode that gives us total control over the game environment. Once again, the MotoGP series offers the player the option of beginning in Moto3 and building a reputation or jumping immediately into the MotoGP championship itself. You can either start from scratch or join an official team.

There are options to hire or dismiss engineers, managers, data analysts, and other professionals. A lot is going on, and while you play, you'll be able to enhance your bike and its components. Even though it's more time-consuming, starting from scratch is more fun. Choosing to form a team definitely widened my career mode, allowed me to operate the R&D department more prominently, and distribute income from weekends more independently. If you're a huge fan of motorcycles and MotoGP, there are many options and information to get lost in.

 

If you're looking for customizations, MotoGP 22 has got you covered. The game provides an accurate and realistic simulation, from brake adjustments to speed modulation, line definitions, electronics, fuel, etc.  Although trying to please everyone can frequently result in big hassles, MotoGP 22 provides a separate setup for each sort of player to choose from. Its possibilities are more than its previous version, which already offered many options. Some of the hiccups, on the other hand, have returned. It will take some time to figure out the first configuration, and the experience won't be gratifying until it's found. Keep patience since it's time to experiment and tweak until you discover the optimal setting.

Continued innovation is the visual redesign of more than 20 licensed circuits, which encompasses not only the grounds of the tracks themselves. They are brilliant in their style. Each of the motorcycles looks and sounds fantastic. It would be good to see just a bit more energy in the surroundings. It's not a big ask, especially considering the capacity of the current-gen consoles.

However, a significant difference can be seen between this year and the previous year in visual presentation. On the other hand, character modeling remains a work in progress when contrasted with the qualitative increase in technological capability. There's no question that MotoGP 22 looks better than ever in terms of animations, 3D modeling of the characters, and other areas, which have all received another visual boost thanks to Unreal Engine. Still, it's also evident more should have been done to refine some portions.

 

Despite MotoGP 22 being developed using the Unreal Engine, in terms of realism, it does not manage to use all of the features that the engine has to offer, leaving the impression that more could've been done. MotoGP’s AI has always been its failure to comprehend complex situations efficiently. The AI has yet to simulate the behavior of actual pilots accurately. A variety of factors are working against the AI drivers this year, including the falling part. The fall should be addressed since it appears to be caused by dummies. Also, there is just a lobby system and nothing more about online multiplayer: no online championships or anything else to keep the online gaming more eventful.

MotoGP 22 accomplishes an incredible simulation in terms of playability, and only a few games will be able to replicate the authentic sense that we had when playing the game. The driving experience is impressive, and the additional modes bring something unique. With some excellent new features and a special PlayStation 5 DualSense controller implementation, it is the best method to race bikes available for fans right now.

However, several key things are lacking to make us thrilled with this year's edition. There's hardly any doubt that the series has reached a decent level; however, this year's improvements over the previous versions are still insufficient to consider this release a landmark. The game does take a significant step forward in the proper direction by including the NINE - Season 2009 mode. It remains a standard that riding enthusiasts will appreciate in style.

 

Azfar Rayan (@AzfarRayan)
Editor, NoobFeed