MotoGP 25

"With my motorbike, we sometimes dance a Rock'n Roll or we are more into a waltz or tango. It depends. And it depends on the adrenaline and excitement of the moment. There are times when you like to fight with your machine." That's what eight-time MotoGP champion Marc Márquez said six years ago and it also describes my feelings every year when I am asked to review the MotoGP series. The game, not the motorsport.

Riding the motorbike is a dance, but it can also be a very violent dance where the machine doesn't really want to do what I want. But we'll come back to that, because I want to start with my biggest problem: Why is this an annual release? This is my feeling about every sports game, but some games make me feel it a little extra, and MotoGP is one of those. And it makes me scratch my head that they add and remove content every now and then at a completely uneven pace. Some games in the series have had great story modes where MotoGP 22 had a whole story about the 2009 season and MotoGP 19 offered Historic Challenges. There were 60 different challenges based on real races in four different categories: 500CC Heroes (years 1993-2001), The Dawn of the MotoGP (02-06), Great Rivalries (01-13) and The Modern Era (06-13). In MotoGP 25 there is nothing like that to be found. Instead, things have been added that I don't think anyone has asked for in a MotoGP game: the ability to ride minibikes, motards, and flat track motorcycles. If I could have put the 'But Why?' meme with Ryan Reynolds in here, I would have.

I don't know what whoever came up with this had been drinking, because it was a crazy idea. I also wonder if it was the same person who suggested that there should be an easier difficulty level for newcomers. Namely, for the first time, there is now what the developers Milestone call arcade physics, which simplifies motorbike riding. The only controls you need to worry about in this option are accelerating, braking, and leaning to turn. The developers want this to make it easier for players who are unfamiliar with motorbikes. The problem with this statement is that I find it very hard to see people who are not interested in motorcycles buying this game. This is a game for fans of the sport or machines just like those who buy MLB The Show are interested in baseball. If you want the old, full simulation feel, that option is still available.

To improve the driving experience, Milestone has started using the Unreal Engine 5 graphics engine in its games this year. Earlier this month, for example, Monster Energy Supercross 25 was released with this new engine. The difference between these two series is that Supercross skipped last year's version while MotoGP is chugging along as usual. A year's break to really fine-tune and add new content might not be such a bad idea. New for this year, however, is an improved soundtrack of the hum of the motorbikes. The developers have been on site recording audio in co-operation with Dorna (Spanish media company with commercial rights to MotoGP) and Audio-Technica (audio equipment manufacturer). So the sound is at least more realistic than before.

So what can you actually find in the game now that all those fun extra modes are gone? Well, you can race those other three motorbike types if you feel like it. Plus, you can play in split screen (two players), so you can sit and laugh together as MotoGP's top riders race on tiny motorbikes. Online, there are actually some fun things to check out. Twelve times a month there are LiveGPs (with ten events in each) where you can collect points and climb the leaderboard. Or run ranked races against players of the same level as yourself. This is in full cross-play regardless of platform. Offline, you can run single races or championships. But what's most worth checking out is the career mode.

This is one of the game's strongest cards every year, and this year is no exception. You can choose whether you want to start in Moto3, Moto2, or straight into MotoGP. Along with this, you get to choose what your goal is. Create a rivalry to become known among the other riders while building relationships with them. You can see what your relationship with other riders is like during the races with an icon next to their name. Or maybe you'd rather try to flirt with a better team by racing better than their current weak link. There's a lot of choice, which in a way doesn't make it feel like a conveyor belt of race after race. After each race, you can also talk to the mechanics to convince them how the bike should be improved. Different career choices and rankings mean that different amounts of points can be used to develop the bike. Ducati is the current leading brand, but if you put in enough work, your choice of motorbike could be the new king of the jungle. Most of it, however, is still about riding on the track. Practise, qualify, race. The usual formula. And on the track, the game is still great, especially with the new arcade option. Getting the turns right is like that dance Marquez described. Sometimes it flows very well and is very beautiful. Sometimes it's rough and passionate. Timing is everything.

MotoGP 25 continues on the same line the series has been on since its inception, basically. It's a good game for the die-hards of the sport, but doesn't do anything that will pick anyone out of their seat. A new graphics engine and better motorbike sounds are always nice, but the game would have benefited from having some extra game mode to sink your teeth into. Maybe a flashback to a specific season, something that has been in the series before. But if you're just looking to drive on the track and don't care about everything around you, you won't be disappointed.