MotoGP 21: New Generation Racing Game

It may not be one of those games with a barrier to entry access to all users due to its clear approach to simulation, but once you internalize the handling of motorcycles you will discover that MotoGP 21 is undoubtedly a delight for all. followers of the sport of two wheels. We take a look at the latest iteration of the Milestone saga.

It is said of many games that are easy to handle but difficult to master and, without a doubt, MotoGP 21 can clearly fit within this definition. If you are a fan of the sport of two wheels, surely the first thing you want to do is put on your virtual jumpsuit, fit the helmet, and hit the asphalt. But soon you will realize that, as happens in real life, mastering a motorcycle is not something innate and that not only is it worth accelerating to the maximum but, in this case, you have to know the machine well. mounted and the] effect we have on her and her driving.

Because yes, an undeniable characteristic of this MotoGP 21 is that it faithfully represents the behavior of the athlete on the motorcycle thanks to a system of physics that will make us have to put all our senses to balance on the two wheels, especially when we take or exit a curve. The title indeed offers different levels of assistance in this regard, but none of them in any way comes close to what would be a more purely arcade experience.

Concerning what was seen in previous deliveries, this year they wanted to give more emphasis to everything related to tires and braking. Let me explain: not only will we have to choose wisely which one to use in the race, but we will also have to be aware of its wear (in the case of the tires) or the level of warm-up. In addition, an additional effort has been made to better represent the suspension of the bikes on the asphalt, which is especially noticeable when our future in the race takes us away from the path we should follow.

As you can see, there are many aspects to consider to master the motorcycle and, therefore, we cannot recommend you enough that, first of all, you go through the extensive tutorial where we will be taught not only how to handle it, which in itself does not it is excessively difficult since it is based on the proper use of the triggers and analog sticks but rather on considering aspects that may displace more than one such as the selection of an automatic braking system or other factors that have already debuted in past releases such as the control of the fuel we carry on our motorcycle. Because yes, again we can be thrown millimeters from victory if we were not proactive when filling our tank.

However, I do not want to scare anyone here: MotoGP 21 is a title that knows how to reward the user’s effort to try to master it and, based on patience and not letting ourselves be carried away by that innate impulse to reach maximum speed, we will be entering the path and we will start to gain positions in the final leaderboard of each race. As we have commented previously, the game strives to give you help mechanisms so that the experience is somewhat lighter (which, fortunately, can be disconnected if you are looking for purer sensations). Before starting each race (or training session) we will be able to adjust details of our motorcycle such as the braking system or, as we have mentioned before, the amount of fuel that we will carry. If we are not very clear about which option to choose, MotoGP 21 asks us if we have noticed any type of problem (for example, that we do not take the curves well) and suggests certain modifications to solve it.

Once on the asphalt, the game indicates to us utilizing a series of arrows superimposed on the road the ideal path that we should follow to leave our rivals behind. A color code gives us clues about how fast we should be at all times: blue indicates that we accelerate, orange indicates brake; red is a clear indication that either we slow down, or we will see the ground closer than we would like. That said, even in this case all would not be lost since MotoGP 21 once again makes use of the rewind option through which we can go back in time and return to that moment when things were still going well for us. Yes, I am not going to deny that this takes away realism from what the race itself is but, since its use is completely optional and limited to the experience of a player, it does not hurt. And, on a personal basis, it may ease the frustration of some in those early races where they have yet to dominate the title, giving them a second chance to continue their chances of victory.

Of course, even if we manage to master the bike, with time and skill, do not think that winning the races is going to be a walk in the field at all. We are not alone on the track (we can have up to 22 rivals) and our adversaries are once again governed by that artificial intelligence system based on neural networks called ANNA. And at this point I want to confess that the rivals have seemed quite competitive to me, why deny it. They do not shy away from contact and on occasion, we have both ended up on the ground trying to find that millimeter in the curve that would allow us to get ahead.

They do not give up and, like us, they will take risks that, at times, will take them off the track and hitting the ground. And this is where another of the novelties of this MotoGP 21 comes: those magical reappearances are over, which respawn in a typical FPS. Here we will have to get up, get on the bike and rejoin the track on our own (and, of course, having lost previous time).

Following the look of the latest installments of the saga and other sports titles from other specialties, MotoGP 21 incorporates a career mode (here called trajectory) that will undoubtedly be the one that will star in the most intense and long-lived gaming sessions. Similar to last year, it is not simply a succession of races but offers us the possibility to manage all aspects of our team and the motorcyclist that we embody. As soon as we start our first game, we are asked to create the character that we can configure in a similar way to what we do in an RPG through a short editor.

The first thing we will have to do is choose a manager and team and we will begin to realize that, as in life, nothing comes for free. Having better wages and, therefore, more resources will only be possible by achieving certain results on the track. At this point, I want to emphasize that we will not only have to worry about the salary of our character but that MotoGP 21 puts us in charge of our team and that, therefore, we will have a whole team of professionals at our disposal (Data Analyst, Chief Engineer or Team Manager) who, of course, will have to be fed with the fruit of our efforts. The title offers as a novelty the power to have a Junior team from which we will train those promises that in the future will cover the covers and podiums. Unfortunately, the Career mode does not have any kind of narrative which, without a doubt, would have been interesting to better illustrate the progression of our rider.

It really amazes me for the better the synergy between different game genres and how a sports title can seamlessly and seamlessly integrate RPG mechanics. At this point, the title indeed requires that we have some prior knowledge of mechanics since, although it explains more or less briefly the impact of each of the changes we propose, perhaps most laypeople in this aspect can go blindly and make wrong decisions.

It is the race mode that has taken up most of the hours that I have dedicated to this MotoGP 21 and, honestly, I am unable to estimate its duration. By way of estimation, completing the first category (the one that is supposed to be the simplest) has taken me about five hours; yes, at the beginning I suffered a lot but little by little I have been taking the title and I have really noticed a progression in terms of my skills, which speaks very well of how Milestone has raised the playability of his work. In addition to the aforementioned career mode and the possibility of running a championship, the title offers the option of racing against the clock. Except for the first one, in the rest of the modalities, we can also choose some of the classic riders such as Mick Doohan, Valentino Rossi, or Álex Crivillé, although the possibility of carrying out certain events under their skin has disappeared.

Speaking of championships, MotoGP 21 has, of course, the official Dorna license and we will have access to all the official riders and we will race on the championship circuits, counting on the novelty of Portimao but with the absence of Brno. At this point, and due to the sanitary circumstances that we are experiencing, it has been chosen to offer the user the possibility of competing in both the original championship planned for this year, in which the Austin and Termas del Río races would have to be played (being the which would be held in Finland still pending the homologation of the circuit), as in the one that is being carried out and which has had two competitions already held in Qatar.

MotoGP 21 multiplayer

The video game also has an online multiplayer that lets us choose between three options: create a room, join an existing one or enter the race director mode where we can set certain options (weather, number of laps, circuit) for the races that we will run. The great novelty of this year comes in that the number of motorcyclists on the track has been increased to 22 and that we are allowed to complete the list of participants with rivals managed by the AI.

Once on the asphalt, and perhaps because there are still no really expert players in this MotoGP 21, I had the feeling of being immersed in a kind of Battle Royale. Let me explain: to get good positions in online racing it is almost more important to survive than to go very fast. Human rivals are more aggressive even if it is possible than artificial intelligence and during the first curves, we will see various mounds that we will have to avoid if we want to prosper. At this point, it is true that, due to the penalty associated with hitting the bones on the asphalt, I have seen how many of the competitors left the game when they had no chance of victory. Something that overshadows the taste for competition that makes me not think of online as an option for the future if this does not improve.

It is not that online multiplayer is the panacea in terms of options, but it seemed quite straightforward and easy to find a room in which to beat the copper against other competitors; With whom, by the way, we can talk through voice chat.

 MotoGP 21 delivers on what it promises and I have been able to enjoy it on PlayStation 5 at brand-new 4K (dynamic, yes) and a robust 60 fps but I have not noticed a great improvement over what was seen in the previous generation beyond these figures. And it is not because a good job has not been done, it is that perhaps it is not the title in which the new generation can get muscle given the limited content of the scenes shown to us.

Yes, motorcyclists look realistic and move completely smoothly. During the race we will witness good lighting effects; in fact, I would like to highlight how well the effect of rain has been represented on the asphalt. But the truth is that once at the controls of our bike I have not noticed much difference compared to other previous titles except regarding the handling itself. Because this is one of the titles that begin to take advantage of the exclusive features that incorporate the controls of the new consoles. In addition to good use of haptic vibration, MotoGP 21 excels in the use of adaptive triggers in the case of the DualSense, they will be good companions when making the critical decision to continue accelerating or not and, therefore, avoid the dreaded asphalt. Where the muscle of the new generation is also noticeable is in the practically instantaneous loading times, preventing the rhythm of the game from breaking.

One of the negative points of the title, which is repeated concerning the delivery of the previous course, is related to what the competition itself involves. It is true that the scenes before and after each race correctly represent all the paraphernalia of the official competition but I have not stopped having the feeling that everything that surrounded the race was quite empty. Yes, I have seen a grandstand here and a monument there, but nothing that makes me feel that I am in a high-level competition where I am risking something. The few fans are located in very specific areas of the circuit and, the truth is if you blink you will miss them. The artistic setting is complemented by a compliant sound aspect: during the races, we will only hear the roars of our engine while the previous moments will be seasoned by comments in fairly generic Spanish that inform us about the circuit or the next stages of the championship. The rest of the time we will spend navigating between menus where we are accompanied by a melody as pleasant as forgettable.

Conclusion!

MotoGP 21 is, without a doubt, the simulator of the two-wheel sport par excellence. It has the official license that gives it access to all the official bikers and circuits but, above all, with a great job behind it that allows it to offer a pure and demanding simulation experience but that knows how to reward the player’s effort. The package is surrounded by a technical section that gives lukewarm progress for the new generation and, above all, by the presence of that career mode that can become a real sink of hours. If you are a follower of the genre and, above all, if it has been years since you approached the saga, it is a title to consider.

5 things you should know:

• It has the official license of the world motorcycle championship with 20 circuits and more than 40 available riders.
• Expanded career mode with the ability to create a junior team and configure the bike to your liking
• Adequate next-gen performance, smoothly reaching 4K and 60 fps
• Good use of DualSense especially in terms of adaptive triggers
• Everything that surrounds the race is still at a very precarious level.