SCRAPING BY

Despite technical wobbles, MOTOGP 21 justifies another annual release.

- Phil Iwaniuk

NEED TO KNOW

WHAT IS IT? A racing sim carrying the official MotoGP licence

EXPECT TO PAY £40

DEVELOPER Milestone Interactive

PUBLISHER In-house

REVIEWED ON I7 9700K, RTX 2080 TI, 16GB RAM Windows 10

MULTIPLAYER Yes

LINK bit.ly/2RkOOCs

Are you new to motorcycle racing games? Well let me tell you this: MotoGP 21 is going to be really difficult. But what am I saying – perhaps you’re a perennial hundred-hour player in Milestone’s long-running bike sim, with every braking zone from Losail turn 1 to Valencia’s Adrian Campos corner memorised. Guess what: MotoGP 2 is still going to be really difficult.

This series has taken a turn simwards since its move to UnrealEngine in 2018, but this year’s release represents the most noticeable shift in difficulty and realism in years. In particular, changes to suspension and braking make themselves felt in every corner entry and apex, demanding a different approach than last year’s game asked of you. And if you didn’t play any of last year’s game: oh boy…

But let’s zoom out a bit, because being a modern licensed racing title, there are depths to plumb here that extend way beyond the MotoGP licence and its associated circuits. The main course Milestone offers you is a career mode in which your custom rider graduates from Moto3 through Moto2 and finally to the big leagues – or just picks a ride in the fastest category as a rookie, your call.