There aren’t many developers and studios that can brag of improving yearly franchises at every single new game, but Milestone can, especially in the last few years. MotoGP19 improves on every aspect, and in ways no one was expecting.
MotoGP19 brings back the passion for simulation, with major focus on realism, but it hasn’t forgotten the more casual players, and thus delivers an equal experience on different modes. What it does exceptionally well, however, is to train new players, or those who never had the chance to get that learning grip. It’s not obligatory to be a pro to be good at MotoGP, but the game will teach you how to, if you invest enough patience and time. This alone is simply wonderful!
Promptly when starting MotoGP19 players will come across the type of difficulty to choose, according to your experience, and it’s something that you’ll undoubtedly improve, so you can change this setting later. You are then brought to character creation. In this new game, character creation is not entirely associated with the career, as you can jump right into any championship.
This mode opens far more interesting gameplay styles, and also the opportunity to play single championships without the pressure of ruining an entire in-game career. How cool is that? Modes such as Moto3, Moto2, MotoGP and of course, Red Bull Rookies Cup are included, but those are not the only ones… This year we have MotoE, the ecological championship, featuring electric bikes, with fully licenced riders. It’s thrilling, unique, and amazing to have this mode included, and it’s my personal favorite!
The team behind the game changed the engine, going for Unreal Engine 4, and what a fantastic result, not only in the visuals, but also for pure performance. The developers really mastered the engine, with extremely responsive gameplay, and AI behavior. The AI is much more realistic, with adaptive learning, a technology that allows in-race opponents to gradually become self-aware of the track conditions and improve themselves. This is another level of realism, one we weren’t used to, and completely changes races, with player positions also becoming something AI will respond to tremendously well.
Every bike feels, sounds, and looks unique, and when it comes to mechanical details, MotoGP19 portrays each of the bikes like treasures. In Career mode, players will have a mix of traditional career with mechanical settings that may completely change the course of the race. With this, developers help players to feel closer to their bikes, and not just another thing you can race. The secret to a successful racer is the connection between man and machine, and in that regard, the game does a fantastic job. Obviously, presets are available, for those not interested in changing tires, or tweaking their bike.
Visually, MotoGP19 is another step ahead, with fantastic design and presentation. User menus and indicators are smooth, elegant, and simple to look at. Bikes and drivers look amazing, very detailed, and animations are so natural, it’s impressive to look at. Design choices for weather and tracks are very accurate, and the whole environment shines, with amazing far-distance visual quality.
Some other details such the heat shimmer mirage when racing under intense heat is brutal, and this applies to the bike’s exhaust pipes and long view of the road ahead. It completely intensifies each race to a whole new level, and the same can be said of rain and wetness, which may induce different degrees of visibility, particularly using first-person cameras. By the way, did I mention how other driver's water spree can affect your trajectory? Well, I have done so now, welcome to 2019! Superb.
Racing up and close can deliver some amazing effects, so overall the game looks great, and all the changes from the previous game are nothing but for the best. The online modes are pretty much the same, but this time we finally have dedicated servers, which is something fans have been wanting for a long time.
One would assume Unreal Engine 4 is a heavy engine, and it wouldn’t be wrong to think that way, however, Milestone really worked well on it, and from my personal experience, running the game with an entry GPU will deliver a fantastic experience, and if you get to experience high settings, it’s totally worth it. However, a good optimization goes beyond this, and I’m happy to say MotoGP19 features plenty of settings to tweak the game to your own experience. it’s well optimized and delivers a solid and stable gameplay with visual fidelity.
With a complete reinvigorated and dynamic career mode, that lets you customize your rider and bike (even if with some limitations), the new crossover between driving and tweaking your bike will surely add huge amounts of fun, and determine your place among the top. A solid performance, with great visuals, that go alongside the most polished and well simulated gameplay ever designed for MotoGP series!
MotoGP19 is the statement of passion and love for real simulation, and if I had to give a 10 out of 10 for a racing game, this would be it.
Highly recommended!