MXGP the game preview
The official demo of 'MXGP the game' should have been released the day before yesterday, March 20. As a gaming nerd and passionate motocross fan, I could barely contain myself. However, it was immediately a disappointment when the news came that the demo would have to wait another day. Some last-minute bugs had to be fixed, which delayed the demo release. Yesterday it finally happened, could 'MXGP the game' make everyone forget the flop of 'MUD the game'?
With a terribly critical eye I watched the demo from the inside and the outside. The experienced gamer in me almost immediately found flaws. Even though it's 2014, not everyone has a widescreen screen, but that's what they think at Milestone. For example, I cannot choose my screen resolution (1280×1024) and I have to make do with 1280×960, and the associated black band at the bottom and top of my screen. Even before I had started a race, I immediately got 'the wubbes' as they say in this region, from the menus. After clicking endlessly, I realized that I had not yet set up my controller. So instead of starting the match I could go back 7 menus.
The controller setup looked perfect at first, just as I imagined it in my wet dreams. Until I realized that I only had one button left... The place where I put my clutch in another motocross game now had nothing at all. This motocross game has no link, my jaw dropped in amazement. However, after playing the game, the connection was not immediately something I missed. After tapping my keyboard 8 times I could start. With Clément Desalle I was determined to win the Matterley Basin GP.
When you a race Once you have started, you enter a pit box, where you can view the progress of the sessions on screens and adjust your engine. This menu immediately reminded me of games like F1, Grid, MotoGP... in short, this is just great. Since it was my first race, I skipped the setup and jumped right on the bike. Then there is a nice feature, you can choose your starting gate. This option immediately put a smile on my face. Once we left, without a clutch, it took a lot of getting used to.
You would wonder how they do it, in a game like this motors still give it their own character. And yet they get it done. Milestone deserves a big compliment for accomplishing this task. Milestone actually deserves a whole chicken's worth of kudos. The controls feels so good and nice that everyone can enjoy this game. Not only the typical gamer, but also the motocross fanatic. For example, line choice is very important, especially towards the end of the series as there are more tracks on the circuit. Indeed, the circuit changed during the racing. But other aspects of the typical motocross event are also important, leaning on jumps, cornering, scrubbing properly and so on... Yet they have managed to bring all this in a way that everyone, motocross fan or not, , can get into this game and have hours of fun. Unlike other motocross games, 'MXGP the game' doesn't need unrealistic stunts or other nonsense to make their game interesting. The pure racing is good enough to make this game interesting and addictive. However, and here comes the critical gamer again, I wiped my glasses and looked at the graphics.
The graphics of 'MXGP the game' are mediocre. Perhaps the best we've ever seen from a motocross game, but that's where it ends. Compared to other games that came onto the market in 2014, it is still a few years behind. This makes you feel like you are racing in a cartoon. The shadow and light effects are quite bland and there is a lack of detail on the riders and motorcycles. Even when you stand still, the fenders seem to be made of some kind of rubber. They flap around harder than 'flappy's bird's wings. However, the environment is quite realistic and beautiful. All the constructions you see at a Grand Prix now also appear. This gives you a realistic GP feeling. Unfortunately, the details are not fully worked out here either. In any case, you have one advantage: you can easily play the game on the highest settings.
The decision.
'MXGP the game' is a game that both the gamer and the motocross fanatic in me would buy. When I told my family that, I immediately got the reaction “What?! You, buy something?” so it must be worth the money! Even though the graphics are not detailed, they are still better than other motocross games. It's also great to know that my computer can handle the game without having to tinker with the settings. The steering is nice, ready and pure. By pure I mean that it really gives the feeling of a motocross game. Not from some circus where you have to do tricks to go faster. Hopefully Milestone's competitors now understand this too. The structure of the menu is debatable, but the short loading times, the loading screens, the promotional videos in between and the clean finish ensure that the whole thing comes out well. The gamer in me is strict and gives a 6,5/10, but the motocross fanatic shouts loudly TEN OUT OF TEN and BUY IT!
Text: Frederik 'VePix.be' Van Eeckhoven
Screenshots: Ruben Kuilder
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