MotoGP review 14

Official licenses and… back to the old days!

Back in the saddle at full throttle 

Le new mode they are really great and well thought out for true MotoGP fans who don't miss any races; but let's go in order to avoid confusion. Among the standard ones we will have, as always, Instant Race, Grand Prix, Time Trial and Championship, in which we will be able to choose an official driver of any class and aim for the victory of the world championship.

Back there again mode Career together with Customization of your rider: after having entered our personal details, we will be able to choose a nickname, our number on the bike, helmet, gloves, boots and wear them as desired; it will also be possible to select our preferred driving style, including the old one. After that, we will have the first offers from some teams and, continuing, we will receive others that are more and more prestigious or less depending on our skill. By leveling up with our pilot, moreover, we will be able to unlock exclusive images and videos made by Milestone, as well as new pilots for use in timed challenges or other modes. Our goal will be to win the Moto3 World Championship to be able to move to Moto2 and, finally, to MotoGP against top-level champions.

In our personal caravan we will be able to view different statistics on a PC, modify our suit and view the aforementioned multimedia contents, while in the box we will be able to dedicate ourselves to our bike in terms of performance, electronics and upgrades. The upgrading system of our racing car consists of four parameters: engine, suspension, brakes and chassis. To upgrade them, we will need to get the Data Packets through qualifications and races, which will be requested in increasing numbers, continuing with the changes. Before each race, of course, we will have the possibility to modify various options related to its duration, AI, physics and the bike. Note of merit regarding the difficulty, which finally offers a excellent degree of challenge already starting from that average without having to set it to "Real" (unless you are a MotoGP veteran, do not select it, trust me).

Let's move on now to the three new mode that debut in MotoGP 14 and that you can see in the screenshots in the gallery at the end of the review:

- Challenge the Champions: a series of challenges in which we will play as a predefined driver struggling with a certain Champion.

- Real events 2013: a treat for all MotoGP fans. Unlike the previous mode, here we will have to deal with memorable events of the last year and we will take on the role of the pilot reported in the description: in a nutshell, another great tribute to some races that will remain in history.

- Safety Car Mode: yes, we will have the opportunity to drive the official 2014 MotoGP safety car, the BMW M4, in timed challenges on any circuit. 

On multiplayer let's spend a few words, since it remains almost unchanged: we will be able to race against other players in a race, challenge them in split times, face a real championship with real opponents or choose the mode Sprint Season. In each of these cases, the victory will be based solely and exclusively on our driving skills, so better learn the right trajectories before jumping online, at least as we see it.

Speaking of the general gameplay, however, another change made concerns the voice of the technical comment pre-race in which, unfortunately, we will no longer have the beloved Guido Meda as happened in the MotoGP 13, but Mauro Sanchini, although it is still a good replacement. However, one is still missing real commentary during the races you bring the gaming experience to the highest levels and encourage players to overtake and fight to the death. Imagine a comment from Meda really well done, equipped with many phrases in situations such as those of the famous counter between Rossi and Gibernau or Lorenzo: Milestone would really touch the perfection among motorcycle racing games. Another "flaw" is again the lack of awards on the podium complete with national anthems (although there is a nod to the celebrations in case of victory), which would give an even greater degree of realism. However, we trust in the titles to come, hoping that our local development company will aim for this great leap in quality.

The new graphics engine is sparking

This statement might almost seem like an exaggeration, but know that we do not tell lies: the graphic sector MotoGP 14 is excellent in every respect and it shows that Milestone has one great attention to detail, in fact, the quality of the bikes and the rider is amazing. The tracks, however, still remain the best ever thanks to one very faithful reproduction to reality and really well-defined details, including asphalt and curbs. If we then add the rain or the reflection of the sun on the wet asphalt, the result is remarkable. Of course, the assistants on the sidelines are still almost "paper shapes" with few textures, but honestly: who ranks them?

even the audio compartment has been renewed: now the bikes have more realistic noises and choosing the view from the helmet we will feel them less, just as if we were wearing one. The only improvement to do would be to distinguish more the sound of the engines of the various motorcycles, given that in Moto3 they almost all have the same roar, in Moto2 one different from the previous class but almost identical for each model and so on. Nothing that is going to affect negatively anyway. A nod is also to be made at music that surround the various videos, which are really beautiful, spot on and very often gritty. 

Final comment

MotoGP 14 it's almost everything a motorcycling fan could ask for. Milestone has maintained the same game structure that worked very well in the previous chapter and has been able to make excellent improvements both in the graphics and in the gameplay, thus gaining a new level of quality thanks to the much appreciated possibility of impersonating legends of the past. Unfortunately, the absence of a commentary and the awards ceremony on the podium prevent the title from touching perfection, but who knows: maybe Milestone will satisfy our requests very soon. In any case, MotoGP 14 is a must have for the diehards like that, even more so if they are nostalgic and want to "feed the dust" to the current champions with Schwantz and company.