MotoGP 24 – Test and News

For more than ten years now, the Milanese from Milestone have been there every year to serve us MotoGP. As always, we wonder if it's worth it to fall for the new edition, the previous one having left us with a good impression most of the time. That being said, there is always room for improvement and it is precisely this idea of ​​precision, of care in the finish that we came to seek with MotoGP 24 on Xbox Series X|S.

MotoGP 24 on Xbox Series X|S is the latest official adaptation of this mechanical sport which delights us every year without ever failing. We are therefore happy as always to be reunited with all the drivers, teams and official circuits to experience the excitement of the MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 world championship at home. We also find the usual driver customization system dear to Milestone games, with a lot of equipment from Arai, Alpinestar, AGV and company, without forgetting a plethora of patterns and stickers to create helmets that stand out during games. in multiplayer. Since we're talking about playing for two or more, let's note that MotoGP 24 only offers split-screen multiplayer (old guys like me appreciate it), but also on the online side the brand new “LiveGP”. This mode offers the possibility of competing in championships of ten races, organized monthly, to properly measure yourself against the best players from around the world. Xbox/Playstation crossplay naturally grows the community of players and should allow this mode to enjoy good attendance for a long time.

For soloists, MotoGP 24 takes it easy on the gas. We find the career mode, the races and championships to configure freely, the time trial, a tutorial and finally the MotoGP challenges to try the best time on each portion of each circuit. As for surprises, we'll come back. Enough to regret things from the past like mode Nine of MotoGP 22, a fantastic historical-play mode which retraced the sensational 2009 season, with supporting videos. Milestone has also pressed the brakes so much on the retrospective side that MotoGP 24 does not even offer more or less vintage motorcycle models. Farewell then 500cc and 250cc of the greats Michael Doohan, Olivier Jacques and so on. Fortunately, six historic tracks are added on the circuit side, Brno, Donington, Indianapolis, Termas, Estoril and Laguna Seca. That's always the case.

MotoGP 23 players are not disoriented by launching the career mode of this 2024 edition, since it follows the formula initiated last year. We attack at the end of the Moto3 season, with three races to demonstrate our superiority over a direct rival. The launch of the following season depends on the outcome of the battle. Here we find the ersatz social network which allows you to like and respond to comments from other pilots, to play the good spirit card or on the contrary tickle egos. Enough to create situations of particular rivalries and lead to various “turning points”, these moments where the achievement of an objective is decisive for the future. The real big novelty of this career mode lies in the transfer market which completely redraws the landscape from one season to the next. Certainly at the risk of causing improbable things, but at least we now have seasons which follow one another in significantly renewed conditions.

Efficient and straightforward in terms of content, although not very original, MotoGP 24 has mainly focused on the experience with the controller in hand to convince. Suffice to say that the contract is greatly fulfilled in this aspect, with several new features and adjustments which make the difference. The most notable one probably concerns AI. MotoGP 24 thus offers alongside the fixed difficulty modes an adaptive AI option which therefore follows the player's performance, throughout his races, to adjust the level of the opponents. It looks fragile presented like that but in fact it works quite well. You never really feel too comfortable or, on the contrary, completely behind. Perhaps there is still something to be adjusted about the AI's performance on a wet circuit, which is often too close to the times achieved on a dry track? In any case, the management of the AI ​​is pleasantly surprising with MotoGP 24, suggesting something truly clean in the years to come. The feeling of being a little less the scapegoat for the stupidities of the AI ​​is reinforced by the addition this year of “stewards” who directly sanction the mistakes committed by the AI. The ATH displays the warnings and penalties received by opponents, therefore balancing the games a little better. Even if the player remains more subject to punishment than the AI, the fight against injustice has taken a step forward here.

MotoGP 24 brings a dose of seriousness while retaining what has been its strength for several years now, namely a precise, rich, evolving driving experience. The four presets allow you to get to the essentials whether you are a total beginner or a regular. The whole thing can be personalized by defining a greater or lesser degree of assistance for braking, steering, acceleration, etc. It is above all by touching the settings of the bike, by playing with the electronics in the middle of the race, by reducing the assistance as much as possible that a game is as difficult to understand as it is pleasant for the feeling of progression it offers. Milestone seems to have found with MotoGP 24 an interesting balance between the essential quest for realism and the sensations offered. Despite the many problems anticipated in a game that is very unforgiving of approximations, playing and evolving in MotoGP 24 is a real pleasure.

Careful like its predecessors on the sound part of the bikes, less so with regard to the general atmosphere during the races (it is difficult to feel anything different from a single lap), MotoGP 24 is also a technically solid game. We noticed no framerate issues, regardless of the camera angle chosen and the number of drivers nearby. Particular care has been taken with the motorcycles, very well modeled, and with the very detailed pilots' suits. On the track, we find a “two-step” graphic rendering as often, with precise work on the textures of the road and the immediate surroundings, but the environments in the background a little too dull. The game is revealed in the rain, however: the worst the racing conditions are, the most beautiful MotoGP 24 is. Note also that this edition, like the previous one, offers dynamic weather. Enough to spice up the races, allow flag-to-flag (changing bikes during the race) and confirm that despite its lack of madness in its game modes, MotoGP 24 is undoubtedly a safe bet.