REVIEW – New year, new adaptation, again from Milestone, who might as well lose the license already because I have a sneaking suspicion that they rotate features back and forth between their games every year, and after that, it would be better if they gave someone else a chance, similar to WRC because, after a while, things will become utterly stale altogether.

Wow, there is management. Wow, 2009.

2009

Why should I write the same thing year after year? I’ll highlight the new points, then be done with it. I’m not going to drag it out. So, one of the big new things this year is that the 2009 season has been recreated (and I think it’s a rather idiotic name: NINE Season 2009 if I remember correctly…), where the greatest riders of the era (Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa being the four most important) raced on 800cc bikes, and it’s all wrapped up in a sort of documentary format with commentary by a British filmmaker, Mark Neale. For Formula 1 fans, I don’t think I have to say anything other than Drive to Survive. True, compared to the Netflix (who have been getting a significant amount of flak lately) series, the emphasis here is on the racing rather than the drama. But the problem with that, as with other such games (F1 2021: Braking Point, GRID Legends: Driven to Glory), is that they’re one-offs, and next year, whoosh, they’re nowhere to be found. But at least it’s not some made up, scripted nonsense like Braking Point (you can win all your races, but alas, it’s still a close race…?).

The Italian developers have thoroughly carried over the 2009 season, but, as expected, the 2022 season is also complete with all three categories. But I think maybe it was the 2009 season that motivated Milestone to give the beginners more options to stay on their feet because I think you can ask the computer/console for help with the brakes and the steering and shifting your weight. There’s also a new feature: in addition to the Mandalika circuit in Indonesia, the chicane version can be tested in front of the drivers on the Red Bull Ring (they will be riding on the Austrian course in August). You’ll also have to watch out for the brakes, where the physics have been modified compared to last year’s game. There’s less bouncing, you can adjust the height of your bike at any time, the separate handling of the front and rear brakes is essential for more professional driving, and yes, it takes some getting used to, but the result is probably better than before. The faces of the riders are much more authentic than last year. The MotoGP Academy is a fair tutorial mode for beginners (finally, for once), and the managerial career is very similar to what we saw in the WRC series. Our staff are responsible for developing the engine, electronics, aerodynamics and chassis. Still, it would be better if we didn’t have to race alone or if we could be managers rather than riders. I think the physics of RIDE 4 is better.

II

Speaking of RIDE 4, there was dynamic weather shifting. Why not here? Why can’t you race on drying or increasingly wet tracks? Codemasters has been doing this in F1 games for YEARS. If we fall off our bike, we have to run back to it to get on the road (a new feature from last year…)? Why can the AI get away with teleporting back on their bikes as nothing happened? They’re stuck with the pre-2021 respawning nonsense. Why is there DLC on release day again? They charge 5 euros to get multiplied reputation points and research data in career mode!? Why don’t others speak out against these paid cheats? One euro for two additional race suits… that’s ridiculous, as is the fact that you can casually drive through the advertising boards next to the courses. The game can’t quite tell when I’ve cut a corner. The F1 series is better at this too. Why are there just plain face shots in the manager career mode instead of 3D models? Why do I get the feeling that it’s all outdated? We have split-screen multiplayer. WOW! Is that what you have to rely on when advertising a game? The multiplayer is just the usual private and public lobbies, and I think it too will only keep the hardcore gaming crowd in six months, and everyone else will move on to something else. The career mode en bloc is the same as one, two, or many years ago. At least there’s an adaptive difficulty level, so for the most part, it’s a fundamentally fair experience, but I firmly believe the developers can do better than that. They either can’t or don’t want to improve.

61Y62

…was the original name of the 63 bus line in my home city, and let this be the score, i.e. it gets a six out of ten. MotoGP 22 has little new to offer apart from management and the 2009 season. At least there is a little more detailed help for beginners, which is good because not everyone is a hardcore rider getting on two wheels on the first warm spring day. So the game is primarily up to par, but again, the surroundings are so minimalistic and minimal that I’d say it’s worth getting at the most for cheaper, or maybe not even that. Hopefully, this game won’t end up like what Electronic Arts and Codemasters did (F1 2016-18? Can’t buy them anymore. Denuvo? They’ve kept it in them.) You can guess how they will advertise the game in its 2023 edition…

-V-

Publisher: Milestone

Developer: Milestone

Genre: MotoGP license video game adaptation

Release date: April 22, 2022