MotoGP is back again and better than ever with more content, more racing, more action and I’m behind it one hundred per cent. It follows the 2024 season of MotoGP and you are in for a treat if you have been following the games or even following the championship on TV.

If you just want to chill out you can still access the quick modes and race against AI. If you just want a quick race you have the option, or what most people do is the Grand Prix or Championship which takes a little more time but is more rewarding once you have finished your practices and qualifying. I’m fairly certain I said this last year and I still stand by it. I am no good at time trials and end up getting frustrated and pushing the bike harder than it needs to be pushed and end up sliding on my side into the kitty litter. The quick game modes are good fun to kill some time and practice some more racing if you want.

I’ve always been a huge fan of the career mode in these titles and this year is no exception, being able to create your own rider and select what team you want to race for is awesome. You start the career mode off in the Moto3 where you are racing the final three races, once that has been completed you move on to Moto2, or if you want you can jump straight into the MotoGP. I opted to jump into Moto2 and work my way up the ranks which if you are new to the series I would recommend as the MotoGP bikes take a little of getting used to due to the power and handling, where whereas the Moto3 and Moto2 bikes are little slower and not so light to throw around corners. I was interested in the new addition to “Riders Market” and how much the game changes around being able to pick and choose who you are riding for, or them being able to dump you if you are not performing. I must have been doing something alright. I was the one leaving, not being told to leave.

I loved the addition of the new MotoGP Stewards; it adds another element to the races which you need to factor in if you are a little on the dirtier side as a racer. The stewards like in real life will keep a close eye on the track and anything going on whilst the race is occurring.

It smashes the AI as well which is a great feature so players and AI are equal to how they are penalized. The only downfall I will have with the system is the constant flashing of the UI on the right-hand side of the screen for penalties. There are a couple of different things that you will see with the main one being “Warning”, which is just a warning which is self-explanatory.

The second one is the “Time Penalty”, which can be added to your race time you get a 3-second penalty and you have a 2-second gap in front of someone when the race ends you will be 1 second behind them so you lose a position. The third one is the “Long Lap Penalty”, which is for the trolls that come flying into corners and knock other people off their bikes, or if you are racing dirty the stewards might make you race a longer lap which again can result in positions being lost if you rage quit the race. The last one I might have seen more times than I would like to admit that was “Let Pass”, If you illegally gain a position or just flat-out dirty with the swap then you will be asked to let them pass which is sad.

I was unable to jump into an online race due to having early access to this title but I could only imagine it would be like every other year and I would be left in the dust, even racing AI at a higher difficulty is nothing compared to other players. I talked my partner into coming and having a couple of local races with me which ended with her doing half of one race because she kept falling off and crashing so I’ve probably burnt that wick out. The LiveGP Championship is making a comeback for those competitive folk out there which is a 12-month championship that puts you into 10 events per month, where you can race and get your name on the global leaderboard. I’ll be the first to admit that I have no chance but it would be cool for those who are competitive and have more skill than me.

I’ll forever love the work people do in the “Customisation” mode, but it’s never been for me I don’t have the patience or time to sit there making cool things but for anyone interested, there is heaps there to work with and someone who does not do it often the UI was super simple to use and made customising super simplistic.

The customisation menu is broken down into a couple of sub-sections which are Sticker Editor, Helmet Edition, Butt Patch, and Racing Number which you can make some pretty cool things with but like I mentioned before it’s never been something I’ve personally got right into. If you are the person that jumps between platforms you can share this cross-platform from day one release.

If you are new or returning to the MotoGP series then I would highly recommend playing around with the controls so you are comfortable. There is a lot to unpack with the controls like in previous years so if you are a returning player you will be used to it, but if you are new to the series I would recommend playing. You have things like weight adjustment, rear brakes, front brakes, and much much more which you need to factor into each corner or hitting the straights so the weight is distributed evenly across the bike, and you are not going around a corner and watching the bike slide out from underneath you.

When you first start playing there are some options for different difficulties, I would recommend starting from the bottom getting the feel for the bike then slowly moving yourself up the ranks so you are not getting bombarded with a million different things you need to think about whilst riding. This year around it felt like there was a little more control with the bikes, which can be a blessing to some and a curse to others. I’ve been playing MotoGP games for as long as I can remember so the changes have come nicely.

I’m starting to sound like a broken record with these racing titles but each year, but each year the developers are making them look more and more realistic and I’m all for it. The games are starting to look more and more like real life which for its immersive value is awesome. I don’t think the bikes have ever looked so clean and real. I’m forever in awe of something like Phillip Island which is an iconic track in Australia that looks so clean and alive with the different lighting and shadows.

I’m getting to the point now in asking where developers stop, where is the limitation of what games can and will look like shortly because I remember playing MotoGP on the PlayStation 2 back when it was released in 2000, and needless to say it looks nowhere near what it does now.

The new HUD UI looks like you are watching it on TV, which is something the developers strived to make as realistic and as close to the MotoGP as you get to see on your favourite sports channels. I loved the dynamic weather and how it affected the races, each time it was something I was looking forward to even if the bikes became insane to handle in the wet weather.

I love the different sounds from all the bikes in this title and they’re getting better and better over the years. I’ll forever love the sounds of the 1000cc MotoGP bikes flying around the track. The commentary team was great but I could have lived without it. I was a little surprised with the grid line when the team was walking around interviewing people. There was no dialogue but lots of mouth movement. It could be a future update coming we can hope.

I’m impressed with the new content from the developers this year and it was such an immersive experience being in the MotoGP Championship and I could not get enough of it. I recommend this title to sports lovers, racing lovers, and anyone who loves something with an engine and wheels and who knows, I might see you on the track.

Written by: Hayden Nelson