There are few certainties in the gaming world, a sector that has seen production rhythms and times change over the years, pursuing the incessant need to keep up with new technologies. One of them is the arrival on the market of licensed titles that, year after year, see development teams committed to completing a product that is based on a delicate balance between innovation and tradition.
It must be recognized that releasing a game every 365 days, given the current times, is not so simple, especially if we take into account that in a year the developers have to pull something out of the hat that can arouse curiosity and convince users. Buy players the new chapter.
In this MotoGP 23 Review we will take you to discover the new products designed by Milestone, the undisputed queen of licensed titles on two wheels that arrives on time to the event with some new features that promise interesting changes capable of cushioning the repetitiveness of the imposed periodic cadence.
Complete package
The Spanish company has demonstrated over the years a Unlimited passion for the world of two wheels., with products of the caliber of Monster Energy Supercross, MXGP and SBK, without forgetting RIDE, one of the most successful games among all the titles dedicated to this world. Working under license requires different attention, clearly curtailing creative freedom so as not to deviate from the official sports championship and the reference category.
MotoGP 23 makes no exceptions and is presented as the title we expected, made up of the classic sections: Career, multiplayer (local and online), quick modes and training. The strong point, as always, is the official content, with the inevitable update of riders and tracks designed to reflect the ongoing World Championship of the main series, in addition to Moto2, Moto3 and MotoE.
With regards to multiplayer, there are the classic online races that, thanks to the crossplay function, can have a very high number of players and pit players from various platforms, even from different generations, against each other. Although it is not new, in MotoGP 23 we find the much appreciated split screen mode, with which we can play with a friend side by side on the same console or on a single PC.
This chapter was not limited to carrying out a lazy task, updating the list of riders and the progression of the tracks: MotoGP 23 in fact introduces some innovations capable of arousing the curiosity of veteran players who confidently await the new title every year, and those users who are not willing to buy licensed titles annually, but decide from time to time based on what's new.
Towards the world title
As we said above, the heart of MotoGP 23 is undoubtedly the career, the most important content to address annually. Being a licensed title, this segment must reflect the official championship, but it is the how that makes the difference: although Milestone has its hands tied and must faithfully respect the real world, it has a wide margin on the activities to propose during the race towards the title. , that is, the key to stopping the repetitiveness of races.
In recent years, many sports titles have sought the right formula to entertain the public, giving more and more control to the player, who can decide the set-up of the vehicle and must pursue various objectives during the race for the world title. In this chapter, in fact, in addition to choosing the compounds, the set-up and the possibility of asking the team to intervene in braking and stability problems, there are the Rivalry, or the need to place above a certain driver or, more generally, to be among the top 15 or 10 during qualifying and races, for example.
In essence, if you decide to start a Race, we will find ourselves facing the last Moto3 races, the decisive ones to make a name and a good reputation before moving on to Moto2. In addition to achieving team goals, theatteggiamento will determine the contract proposals we receive and, in the small part inherent to social media, our responses, whether dismissive or cautious, will determine our reputation within the paddock.
In addition, Milestone has decided to introduce an interesting peculiarity compared to other sports titles: Only the first rider can decide the development of the motorcycle., something that should push the player to improve quickly and conquer this even more coveted place in his team's hierarchy. Finally, we appreciate the fact that you can upgrade or continue in the same class until you feel ready enough to move up.
in the saddle
Although these innovations have pleasantly impressed us, the most important part of the game is represented by the driving model, a bete noire that for many has sometimes represented an insurmountable obstacle to fully appreciate the world of two wheels. This chapter presents the Neural Aids, artificial intelligence support that intervenes during driving, helping the player in braking, acceleration and grip management.
This feature can help both beginners and those who have already tackled the series, helping them learn the correct trajectories and correct braking points to perform braking with perfect timing. However, the proof in hand is the acquisition of this sophisticated AI. More than teaching, it eliminates any possibility of intervention. for the player: neural braking, for example, allowed you to simply pull the trigger to accelerate and little else, without "teaching" anything concrete.
It's a real shame because MotoGP 23 is really difficult even for the most experienced players. The driving model that aims to be more advanced and realistic every year collides with a quite steep learning curve which requires some time before you can face a race and obtain good results. Beginners only have to spend the necessary time within the Academia MotoGP, a section of the game dedicated to the study of the circuits, with help and instructions to familiarize yourself with the circuit and the motorcycle you ride.
However, fans will be happy to know that one of the features that has been clamored for over the years has finally arrived; we are talking about Flag to flag. Due to the introduction of dynamic weather, it will now be possible to return to the pits during the race to switch to the bike with a dry (or wet) setup depending on weather conditions. Unfortunately, everything is currently completely automated and there is no possibility to control the jump from one chair to another, but we certainly appreciate this first approach which will probably be explored in depth starting in the next chapter.
New game, same problems.
The innovations introduced in MotoGP 23 are undoubtedly interesting and manage to refresh the progression of an annual title that inexorably runs the risk of boring race after race without something to bother the player in the climb to the world title. Milestone has thus found the right formula, the same one that fortunately is being consolidated in all the titles dedicated to two and four wheels. The pace is adequate, but unfortunately this attention is not yet appreciated on a technical level.
One of the main problems that has always plagued titles of this genre is the behavior of theIA from the rest of the drivers on the track, aggressive and not very "intelligent" to the point of avoiding forced contacts. Also in this chapter we must point out that, although there is greater tolerance for small contacts when braking, the artificial intelligence is still quite mischievous, effectively ignoring our positioning on the track most of the time.
Although the difficulty levels have changed, both in the game in general and in the percentage of skill of the rest of the drivers, they circulate on pre-established tracks and have not given us the impression that they have become more correct or capable of challenging us. quite a bit in the curves or even on the straights. Fortunately, contacts don't always cause a disastrous crash or opening the throttle while leaning over to dismantle the bike: Milestone decided to turn a blind eye and let you ride at the limit, aware that this would actually lead to you quitting and shutting down. of the zero points race.
Por último, la graphic sector It has not undergone major improvements compared to the past, given that the engine on which it is based is the same. Of course, we were more than aware that this chapter would not make a leap in quality and considering everything the performance of the bikes and the tracks is excellent, which unfortunately cannot be said for the facial models that now look very dated. As for fluidity, on a PC with an i7-13700K and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070Ti on board, we witness notable drops in frame rate in the most frenetic phases, a condition that does not change even by lowering the image quality . Updates will likely be needed to optimize the code.
Conclusions
Tested version PC with Windows digital delivery Steam, playstation store, Xbox Store, Nintendo eShop Price 59,99 € Holygamerz.com 7.5 Readers (11) 7.8 your voteMotoGP 23 is presented at the annual event with some tasty new features, capable of arousing the curiosity of everyone, both beginners and the most experienced players, the latter surely happy with the arrival of the long-awaited Flag to Flag. The rivalries and social media influence introduced in Carrera are the right compromise to break up the Championship's repetitive succession of races, but some issues with AI return with a vengeance this year. The introduction of neural aids does not mitigate what remains a harsh driving model with a decidedly steep learning curve. In conclusion, this chapter is excellent in many aspects, but at the same time it also establishes a necessary change of pace.
PRO
- Renewed career thanks to Rivalries
- Simple graphic editor with a wide variety of options.
- Solid driving model
AGAINST
- The neural aids did not convince us at all
- The AI is still quite aggressive
- The graphics were a step behind
