MOTOGP 23

You'll want to pop a helmet on for this one

- Phil Iwaniuk

Milestone has been constructing something strange, rare and quite special over at its Milanese headquarters for a few years now. A licensed racing simulator of the 'careful what you wish for' variety, one so dedicated to realism that to all but the most seasoned and dedicated virtual riders, their MotoGP games are astonishingly difficult to survive a lap of without eating a large serving of gravel trap. Obviously, there was only one direction MotoGP 23 could have gone in: it's made it even harder.

Actually, you could make the argument that the addition of Al aids this year has made the game more accessible than it ever was. Peruse the pre-release press materials and IT you'll see a promo vid featuring Moto3 rider Jaime Masia, legendary MotoGP esports racer Trastevere73 and two under-10s all playing and enjoying it. That's not an inaccurate view of the racing game on offer here-with maximum assists, this is indeed a very accessible experience. But the simulation at the heart of the game is even more rigorous now, and when you turn those assists off and get a feel for what's really happening from the physics model-well, I'm not ashamed to say I find it outright scary.

START YOUR ENGINES

For the last two releases, the talking point was the braking. Prior to its jump over to Unreal Engine, Milestone's MotoGP series was pitched about two thirds towards simulation on the 'simcade' spectrum; forgiving but convincing, similar to the balance Codemasters' F1 series perennially occupies. But lately it's gone all-in on simulation, a fact you were made aware of the first time you slammed on the brakes, as your muscle memory from MotoGPs 2013-2019 had taught you, and watched your rider enter Earth's orbit.