MotoGP 24 Review – An Addicting Thrill Ride

Milestone’s MotoGP series returns this year with MotoGP 24. Milestone has served as the primary developer of the series since 2013. Before that, the series can be traced back to MotoGP which was released by Namco on the PlayStation 2 in October 2000. That game itself was inspired by Namco’s 1998 500GP arcade cabinet. Needless to say, this series has almost as storied a history as the actual MotoGP circuit.

While Milestone may have been releasing this series on a near-annual basis for over a decade, this was my first experience with the series. I reviewed Milestone’s Ride 5 last year and enjoyed it, so I was excited to have the opportunity to jump into another one of their series. Does MotoGP 24 continue to meet the high standards of their developer or does this year’s title crash and burn? Let’s find out as we take a look at MotoGP 24.

Gameplay

Upon entering MotoGP 24, the first thing you will need to do is choose your Game Experience setting. You’ll get the chance to experiment with each of the four options: Simplified, Intermediate, Advanced, and Pro. As a newcomer, I started on Simplified, which has the new Neural Steering, Neural Throttle, and Neural Braking all enabled. I felt this was way too easy, and my bike was almost driving itself. I moved up to Intermediate, and now I couldn’t even make a single turn.

After messing with the options, I left Neural Throttle and Braking enabled but turned Neural Steering to Moderate. This made it so I was now controlling where on the track my bike was going, but the game assisted me in braking so that I didn’t fall over during every turn. I recommend everyone experiment with aids like this to find the combination that makes the gameplay experience most enjoyable for you. With the extensive list of options, you’re bound to find a combination that fits your experience and playstyle.

 

The new Adaptive Difficulty option also helped keep the gameplay challenging for me as my skills progressed. After a few races, this system will adjust the computer racers’ abilities to match your performance. During those first few races where the computer was gauging my skills, I was winning races by over 10 seconds. Then, all of a sudden, I saw it kick in and I was now battling just to keep up with the pack. This helped me get better at the game because I could now pattern my play after how the computer was playing. By watching my opponents, I learned when to throttle, brake, and turn to stay competitive.

Once you’ve chosen your settings and calibrated your difficulty, driving in MotoGP 24 feels incredible. It takes a fair amount of time to get used to the controls and figure out when to time your turns. Once you figure it out, it’s an amazingly satisfying experience. Seeing my bike hug a tight curve and accelerate out of it got me so excited.

The effect the weather has on your bike is also incredibly well done. There are times when the weather will change either before or during a race, and you’ll have to adjust your bike setup to match the conditions. Sometimes, a Flag to Flag event will occur, allowing you to return to the pits to swap your bike for one better suited for the new weather.

Even when your bike is fitted for the current weather, you’ll still feel its effects from time to time. There were multiple times I took a turn a bit too fast in the rain, and my bike would begin to fishtail. Most of the time, it led to a wipeout. However, the times when I was able to regain control of my bike and keep going were some of the most intense I’ve ever had in a racing game. I can’t remember the last time any video game had me literally sweating from how invested I was, but almost every race of MotoGP 24 had me drenched.

Game Modes

The primary game mode in MotoGP 24 is Career Mode. The major new feature of the mode this year is the Rider Market. Career Mode begins with your driver in Moto3, tasked with finishing up the final three races of the season. Players can choose to have the Rider Market first occur after these three races, after the next season, or have it disabled.

With the Rider Market enabled, riders can change teams during the offseason. If you are in Moto3, you’ll also have the chance to move up to either Moto2 or take the big jump to MotoGP. You’ll also be able to view offers from the teams interested in you. You’ll be able to see what each team’s expectations are, as well as what drivers are currently on their team.

Once you pick your team, Turning Points and Rivalries will reveal themselves during the season. These can include things like becoming the top rider on your team or finishing higher than your rival in an upcoming race. You can also call out either opponents or teammates on social media. While this may not seem like much, it does add that extra bit of intensity to the races. I had never heard of a captain armband before playing this game. Then I had the opportunity to earn one for my team by finishing better than my teammate, and there was no way I wasn’t going to get it.

 

When you reach the midpoint of the season, you will start to hear rumors about what riders will be looking to do in the Riders Market that off-season. You can decide then to start pursuing other opportunities. You can also stick with your team and look for options to improve it. Having good relationships with other drivers will come in handy in the Riders Market. Being respectful to them on social media will make it easier for you to join them on another team in the offseason.

One other feature I really enjoyed was the guided setup option. This feature allowed me to tell my engineer what was wrong with my bike, and he would adjust for me to help fix the issue. I’ve always wanted to utilize the in-depth tuning options in racing games like this. However, I felt that I would likely just be doing more harm than good. This feature lets me tune the bike how I want it without having to constantly test over and over what setting, or option was the right one to tune.

Outside of Career Mode, there aren’t many other options in terms of modes. In single-player, there are Time Trial, Grand Prix which has you go through a full weekend for a single track, or Championship which allows you to play an entire MotoGP season. There’s also MotoGP Academy, which allows you to learn how to tackle every section of every track in the game. You can earn medals based on how quickly you finish each section. Once you have earned a medal in every section, you can try to earn a medal on the track itself. I can see some hardcore completionists dumping hours upon hours to get gold in every section of every track in this game.

For multiplayer, there are private lobbies, as well as LiveGP. In LiveGP you compete against others online in unique events to try and climb the leaderboards and be the best in the world. It would be nice if there were some more options, especially for multiplayer. It feels like once you get tired of Career Mode, there might not be much to keep players engaged.

Presentation

The presentation in MotoGP 24 is very well done. First off, performance-wise, the game ran incredibly well. I reviewed the game on my PlayStation 5 and had a super smooth frame rate the entire time. I didn’t notice any significant bugs or issues during my time with the game.

The presentation during races is simple but effective. I like the shots of all the cars and people on the track before the race. The camera shots from the bike itself, when I’m either crashing or swapping out bikes, are also really cool. The HUD does a good job of providing information without getting in the way of what you should be looking at, the bikes and the course.

 

MotoGP 24 looks and sounds incredible when you’re out on the track. Like with Ride 5 last year, I had to leave the sound on for this game as revving of the engines in straightaways and rumble as you slow down around a curve was just too satisfying to miss out on. The courses look really good, and the weather effects and lighting help immerse you even more in the experience.

Verdict

MotoGP 24 is an exhilarating success in the motocross genre. The game looks and runs incredibly well, even by the highest of standards. The gameplay is addicting and difficult. To make up for this, the wide range of tuning and assistance options make sure new players aren’t chased away by the skill curve. Career Mode is incredibly exciting. The Rider Market and Turning Point situations helping keep your blood pumping both on and off the track. While a few more game modes would probably cause me to stick around a little longer, I can’t help but appreciate my time with MotoGP 24.