MotoGP 22 Review

I’m a huge fan of motorsport, regardless of the competitive level, the competition itself, or the vehicles involved. Sure, there is great fun to be had watching the very best drivers in the world battle it out in F1, but I’m someone who’s just as easily entertained watching my local destruction derby racing. The pinnacle for me however has to be MotoGP. Let’s be honest, racing takes balls, but to get on a bike and line up on track knowing you’re going to need to push your machine through well over 150 mph with nothing but your crash helmet, hump, and the material of your rider suit to protect you if you falter, that takes something from another planet. Each year, the MotoGP games that arrive courtesy of Milestone attempt to translate and recreate this unique experience to our screens and recent days have seen the arrival of MotoGP 22, but just how much of it accurately represents what you see on TV, and is it close enough to the pinnacle of racing to be worthy of your hard-earned cash?

Jumping into MotoGP 22 there is one clear point of interest. That interest is an all-new game mode titled Nine: Season 2009. As you can probably assume, this mode is an attempt to take players back to the raging excitement of a bygone era to focus on the incredible battle of machinery, courage, and competition between the likes of legends Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo, and Dani Pedrosa. As a returning player to the series, this mode is a lot of fun as it brings back classic riders from one of the very best seasons ever and takes you through many of the events in a documentary style effort worthy of its own TV show, with commentary that focusses on the true nature of each battle during that fantastic championship.

Within this mode, you’ll find each race brings new objectives, however, these are mostly asking you to reach a certain position or hold a gap between yourself and another particular rider but whilst these are very basic requirements, it’s the cinematics and documentary commentary that will have you wanting more. Whilst it captures the era fantastically, there is one immersion-breaking issue that does take away from the experience, however, and sadly that is the gameplay of this mode. Basic objectives are never going to cause an issue, but when you’re asked to finish second and keep a gap between you and third and realize you can tick off both objectives of this historical event with a first-place finish that has no resemblance to what really happened at all, it does feel a little pointless.

Aside from the new game mode, players can expect to find all the usual offerings that come attached to each year’s release, with a full multi-season Career mode, Multiplayer options in the form of public and private races, and Quick Modes including stand-alone Grand Prix events, Championship, Time Trial and Split Screen.

Whilst each of these options essentially speaks for themselves, it will be the Career mode in which players will get the meat and gravy of the experience away from the new NINE season.

In Career mode, players begin as a new custom rider, starting out amongst the ranks of the 250cc Moto3 category, before eventually working up through the Moto2 championship and on to the official 1000cc MotoGP teams and bikes, whilst fighting for the coveted world title amongst the very best there is to offer. Throughout the journey to the top, you’ll need to focus on various other things besides on track performances such as technical staff management, contract management, and research and development with a host of upgrades possible to ensure your bike really is the most effective and competitive it can be when out on the track.

Away from the game modes and onto the gameplay and the biggest talking point has to be the braking. I won’t beat around the bush here, last year was far from accessible. The series took a turn from open to all abilities, to hardcore sim extraordinaire. This year things have changed back a little, however, not much, and not for the notably better either. You see the only real change we have to manage the independent front and rear braking is the addition of a bunch more assists that look to control the experience for you, and delving too far into those seems to mean you essentially no longer really control your bike whatsoever. Take them all off, and you’ll find yourself needing a whole ton of time before you repeatedly graze your face against the gravel. In fact, braking is without a doubt my biggest gripe with this year’s title, and that is only worsened by the fact that the cornering markers or driving line (whichever you prefer) are significantly inaccurate. Sure, some racing games previously have been known to sometimes fail to react to a ton of sudden upgrades in your vehicles, however, to have most markers tipping you to brake too late or too early just seems like there has been no care or passion placed into making these tracks an enjoyable experience whatsoever, and whilst I am fortunate enough to know most tracks more than well enough having spent years playing racing titles, anyone using these assists to get to grips with a track rather than the vehicle in use is going to be sure to find themselves unable to complete most laps without at least one or two accidents minimum.

Aside from the braking issues though and MotoGP 22 is a blast to play. With over 20 official circuits from around the world and some fantastic battles to be had out on the track, this is probably the closest we’ve got to experience the true thrill of race day in a while. There is now more of a risk than ever when it comes to pushing your bike for that extra bit of speed out of the corners and there is rarely the feeling of complete safety when taking on any corner of a track which goes a long way to pushing towards the danger of the real thing. Whilst there is still a way to go before we see the ultimate MotoGP experience, this year’s efforts aren’t a poor showing and with the incredible documentary-style efforts of Mark Neale, the gameplay experience certainly feels improved upon.

Visually, what more could you want. This game certainly looks the part. I’m not someone who often delves into photo modes or anything that can showcase the looks of a game, but with MotoGP 22 I couldn’t help but spend a little time looking over the bikes at the start of a race as this is without a doubt a game that looks absolutely awesome when showing off its likeness to the real thing.

The audio isn’t bad either with each of the engines roaring to perfection as pull through the grid. Whilst I would never say I’m someone who’s even remotely well equipped to know the difference between engine sounds, the sound I often hear booming through my living room when the highlights are on is certainly similar to that found in this year’s entry, and It’s more than adequate enough to sell the real race day experience.

Conclusion

Overall, if you look to MotoGP as your go-to racer of the year, then 2022’s effort certainly won’t be a bad way to spend your time. If you’re looking for innovation and a unique experience, however, the new NINE season will surely be a breath of fresh air, but with flaws of its own, there is very little to warrant an entire £60 worth here, and you’d probably feel a lot happier picking this one up with a little knocked off the total price. That said, there are many bike racers available on the Xbox Store and MotoGP 22 will can easily sit comfortably up there amongst the best on offer.