Motorsport fans across the world have never had it so good when it comes to virtual representations of their favourite racing series.
Almost every major international category you can think of has some form of representation on either PC or console. And that’s true for both four-wheeled as well as two-wheeled racing.Now Italian developers and motorcycle specialists Milestone take their officially-licensed MXGP franchise into the next-generation with the new release of MXGP 2020 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC (Steam), plus PS4 and Xbox One.
Based on last year’s FIM Motocross World Championship season, MXGP features all teams and riders from both the premier MXGP class and the MX2 junior category across the full pre-pandemic calendar of 19 rounds.
There’s no pit strategy, complex rules or restrictions to have to get your head around – simply crank the throttle and ride as hard and fast as you can.
If you’re a newcomer to motocross racing, you’ll be pleased by how accessible and intuitive the handling model is. You can choose between standard and advanced physics, but the level of precision control offered means it’s relatively easy to get up to speed.
While usual racing line theory still applies in motocross, the skill lies in finding the best lines around the banked turns, the ideal trajectories over jumps and the most efficient route over the rhythm sections.
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Although MXGP 2020 is relatively easy to pick up there is, unfortunately, a lot of assumed knowledge of the player on behalf of the game. As an official game of the series, it’s perhaps not surprising that the game takes your familiarity with the sport for granted. However, it’s a little disappointing that there is no guidance available to explain, say, how to properly scrub jumps, how to best approach rhythm sections or when and how it’s best to shift your rider’s weight using the right analogue stick.
There’s no official tutorial to help teach these techniques that are crucial to reducing lap times by seconds and vital to winning races at higher difficulties. If you’re an MXGP novice, you’ll be left trying to figure that out on your own.
MXGP 2020’s career mode is by no means as involved or detailed as those of its contemporaries, but it is better to have it than not at all. Performing well earns you currency, which allows you to unlock a plethora of cosmetic customisation items for your rider and bike. While you cannot change designs and colours to your liking, the sheer volume of real-world items from actual manufacturers available to unlock for your rider is genuinely impressive. If you ride in real life, you’ll likely be able to buy the exact same items for your virtual racer in this game that you have on your own bike.
To help players get accustomed to riding, MXGP features a vast, open ‘playground’ set among the fjords of Norway where players can ride around at their leisure and get used to their bikes without any constraints or. It’s a fun way to give players a chance to try different techniques and just enjoy riding around in an open space.
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Graphically, MXGP 2020 runs at a dynamic 4F and 60 frames per second on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. While not the most visually stunning racing game ever made, MXGP 2020 does make excellent use of the Unreal Engine, with the course deformation and degradation over a race particularly impressive.
The game takes advantage of the PS5’s DualSense haptics to deliver more detailed feedback, with different surface types having a distinctly different feel to them. The adaptive triggers also add an additional element to the sensation of riding, making it easier to tell where the limit of traction is, especially in wet conditions.
As a very first entry of the series on a new generation of hardware, though, MXGP 2020 is a solid game. Milestone have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to make quality two-wheeled racing games, and the latest addition to their roster offers plenty of racing fun.
RaceFans rating
Buy MXGP 2020 – the official Motocross videogame
MXGP 2020
Author: Milestone
Publisher: Milestone
Published: 16th December 2020
Price: £49.99
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James Brickles (@brickles)
7th February 2021, 16:40
Any racing game with a track editor feature gets a big thumbs up from me!
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
7th February 2021, 17:29
@brickles I used to spend ages on the track editor in Jaguar XJ220 on the Amiga.
Super Nashwan (@squeakywheel)
7th February 2021, 18:13
Wow haven’t thought about that game in a long time!
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
7th February 2021, 18:05
I love milestone’s games. Shame there is generally always some polish lacking.
Twigster
9th February 2021, 11:50
There’s 40 riders on the start mostly Will. The only exceptions are GP events where the cost of entry means they don’t fill the lineup.