MotoGP 19 Review

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Game Details

Title: MotoGP 19
Developer: Milestone
Publisher: Milestone
Website: https://motogpvideogame.com
Genre: Racing, Simulation, Sports
Platform: Xbox One
Audience: PEGI 12
Release Date: Out Now
Price: £49.99 – The reviewer purchased this title himself.

It has been a few years since I have covered a Moto GP game, a lot has evolved over the years in both real life MotoGP although the constant is Marc Marquez dominating the field. For MotoGP 19 from Milestone Games, we have a revamped engine, dedicated servers for online, inclusion of the new Moto E (electronically powered bikes, similar to those of Formula E) and historical challenges.

Covering the presentation of MotoGP 19, the game is easy to navigate around, menus are straight forward, and the UI is as simple as it gets, Milestone is always well known for making their games easy to understand while explaining the complexities of simulation style racing. The colour palette also lends a bright feel to the whole game of red and white, and menus are easy to understand, you can go straight to creating a custom helmet or each format of the game. What I have found lacking in racing titles of recent years is customisation of helmets and character faces. I guess there is a compromise to be had in including any or both of these.

Milestone has managed to include a complex and well thought out helmet design tool. There are over 2000 options ranging from country flags, tie-dye backgrounds to lots of different letter and number styles. What is also great to have is some of these locked behind completing challenges in either career or the historical aspect. I spent at least an hour creating my helmet, a mixture of the Union Jack, flames and a green number selection. Still to be improved however is making the riders face to be customisable, here’s hoping for next year.

The career mode is the most comprehensive and time-consuming aspect of this years game. It can be daunting to complete 100% with everything (like I did) however you can shape it however you want to. You can start with the Red Bull Cup which introduces you to a sample selection of tracks, or you can go straight to Moto GP and race with the big boys. Racing full weekends are always thrilling, much like the Codemasters F1 series of games, each track will feature challenges and milestones that once you complete such as learning all the brake zones or get a lap within a specific range will give you points which helps improve your teams bike and contract status, it really helps you when you do this. I found at the end of my Moto 3 season I had that many offers to jump straight to the main series or the Moto E class. You can tailor your progression in pretty much every way. In total, I spent 8 hours in each class with five laps for the race.

Sadly for viewers wanting to watch the Moto E World Cup, we have to wait until later on this year to watch for the first time due to a tragic fire that destroyed all the machines at Jerez. The class in the game provided me with a different feel compared to the main classes, and I felt more enjoyment embracing the challenge of the engines and mastering a driving style to get the most out of them – difficulty ramps up as you progress through. It took me half a season in my Ducati to get to par with the Repsol Honda of Marquez, in a way I felt guilty of beating my favourite rider but got so much joy in defeating him for the title.

Online is much more improved. Dedicated servers help boost the enjoyment of playing with others online. Gone are issues of previous entries of severe lag and dropouts that dampening the experience. I have had over ten races with zero issues and playing with other gamers where genuine respect of style and no argy-bargy tactics.

Finally, we have the new addition to the franchise called Historical Challenges, and these are scenarios of past races from years gone by split into four categories. 500cc Heroes, Great Rivalries, The Dawn of MotoGP and The Modern Era. Each one of these is jam-packed with scenarios that fill you with nostalgia depending on how much and for how long you have watched Moto GP. You earn Gold, Silver or Bronze medals depending on the race and challenge.

I spent a good 9 hours playing this extra mode and what better way than to relax and enjoy playing as Rossi as he ripped through the field to become world champion and to fight back from a near impossible loss to win. If you pre-ordered from select retailers, there are additional moments to play. Upon beating a challenge, you get to unlock additional liveries and stickers for your custom helmet design providing, even more, tweaking to the game.

MotoGP 19 sets a bar for biking games, and Milestone continues to raise their game for simulation while never forgetting about the gamers who play no matter of their experience. It will be hard to top this year’s entry and for any racer this year to beat.

Rapid Reviews UK Rating

You can purchase MotoGP 19 for Xbox One at the Microsoft Store on the following link, https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/p/motogp-19/c3vcwtxhwn1z?activetab=pivot:overviewtab