Review for MXGP3. Game for PC, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 30/05/2017 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 31/12/2017
Taking a look at the current videogame market, it is easy to notice a certain convergence with regard to middleware, ie those components that allow developers to transform an idea into reality. The most repeated names in the last period are mostly three: CryEngine, which however remains locked up in PC-centric production due to the lack of optimization on consoles, Unity that gives life to every form of idea up to that of the smallest development team, and finally Unreal Engine, which with version number four has already largely demonstrated that it can guarantee exceptional graphics performance on a very wide variety of devices.
The situation is now very different from the last generation, when announcing a game in Unreal 3 triggered the keywords “shooter” and “brown” in the minds of the players; the current version, on the other hand, has proved versatile and flexible depending on what the creators want to do with it. You go from fighting games with Tekken 7, to airplane simulators with Ace Combat 7, but even to platformers, with Nintendo announcing that the next Yoshi will be its first game in Unreal Engine. From these assumptions it is easier to understand the choice of Milestone to put aside the graphics engine developed internally (not entirely because MotoGP 17 still uses it and pushes it to the limit with 60 FPS), to switch instead to a third-party solution, which still needs the right touch to make it personal .
From asphalt to mud
So MXGP3 for many it has become the test bed: the first significant exit to understand what the Milanese software house can do by putting its feet outside its code and the results are mostly positive. Within the official game of this year's MXGP we will have access to the career mode, which will make us start on an MX2 looking for sponsors or an official team, up to the landing in the master discipline, that is precisely the MXGP, where it will be necessary to confront sacred monsters of the caliber of Tony Cairoli. In the early stages, being part of an independent team, you will not have access to all the championship races, but as the competitions continue we will have the opportunity to carve out more and more space and battle for the top spot. To do this it will also be necessary to improve the performance of our two wheels, or buy another one.
With the money earned during the races it will therefore be possible to customize your bike and not only from an aesthetic point of view, but also from that of performance, in such a way as to be able to lead us to the front of the group without having to elbow too much. However, the modifications fall within a limited range of options, since it is not possible to touch the engine, which can be two or four strokes, but only external components, such as muffler, suspension, brakes and tires. In general the management aspect in MXGP3 it remains on the sidelines of the experience and also at the level of game design it is evident that we did not want to press the accent too much; everything passes quickly between quick menus and each choice made will not affect the possibility of continuing in the career.
With mud in my face
Once you get out of the paddock, it's when you put your wheels in the mud that things start to get interesting. Motocross simulation is back and with it all the due concentration that is needed to master it. Unlike MotoGP, where it is crucial to drive with harmonious lines and avoid jerks, in MXGP it's all about physical: you have to know how to untangle yourself in the group while you are shoulder to shoulder, you have to use the separate brakes to be able to make the most of each corner, you have to know how to shift the weight in flight to land at best.
The list could go on a long way, but it is all to underline how much motocross is a sport where you basically keep yourself open and use your body to dominate the bike and the mud. In MXGP3 this feeling is mostly able to flow through the pad, certainly not with the third person view with which the game is presented (which reveals not exactly sophisticated animations of the riders), but much more thanks to the one in first. person, who immerses us directly on the track. Going to adjust the driving aids starting from the presets, everyone can find their own dimension in which to perform at their best without too many paté of soul. But if you want to have a greater trust or want to get to the heart of the simulation, just bring everything to the maximum, to find yourself a racing car to harness. Every corner exit becomes crucial in opening the throttle at the right moment and in shifting the weight of the body in order to have the best grip.
To support an ever growing challenge there is always the possibility of rewind, which will give you the possibility to always push to the maximum and not to worry too much in case of errors. In this case, however, it becomes paradoxical that the elements of the track are not affected by the temporal rewinding, and perhaps remain in the middle of the track, causing many problems for the artificial intelligence. Apart from these drawbacks, the behavior of the opponents proved to be more consistent than in the previous interactions, able to tail us making us hear the noise of their bike behind us, but above all to take different channels in the corners to try to overtake in an always aggressive, as motocross requires. The biggest problem lies in the typical spring effect, which in this case causes the head of the race to distance itself a lot from the group, making a comeback almost impossible in the event that a bad start or a fall is accepted.
In the sun or in the rain
Obviously the offer is not limited to the career alone, but leaves room for the player to choose to do a smooth championship, a single grand prix or devote himself to the classic time attack to see what times they can get in the various tracks. In addition to the official competitions of the MXGP championship, it is also possible to take part in the MXON, if we want the motocross Olympics, where the riders represent their nation and compete on different categories of bikes. In addition, if you want to wander around without worries and "feel" your bike a little, you can jump into the Compound, a track without barriers all at our disposal for tests and trials of all kinds.
Returning instead to the initial discourse, dwhere the hand of the Unreal Engine really makes itself felt is in the graphic impact and in the management of the terrain; compared to the past chapters here we have the opportunity to enjoy a more sophisticated and soft lighting system, which gives the environment a touch of greater realism. Even the mud itself, which deforms from lap to lap depending on the passage of the bikes, thus creating the iconic channels in the curves, has a convincing performance. As mentioned before, it is mostly the animations and the sensation that the bikes float on the mud, when instead you can feel their grip on the ground very well from the pad.
In essence, MXGP3 is not only a good way to welcome Unreal Engine 4 to Milestone, but it is also an excellent video game dedicated to motocross. The sparse and somewhat cheap menus with which the Milanese software house have accustomed us still remain, but there is also a great gameplay that governs the motorbikes snaking through the mud.
► MXGP3 is a Simulation-type game developed and published by Milestone for PC, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 30/05/2017 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 31/12/2017
