MotoGP 19 (Touching knee and caressing the sky)

in #gaming5 years ago

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The passion that fans of motorcycles feel for this vehicle is very particular. Surely they have ever tried to explain why they like driving a motorcycle so much, and do not usually refer to the sensation of speed, but rather to the taste, satisfaction and pleasure of taking a curve as it should. Feeling how you lean your body, adjust your speed correctly and accelerate when you leave the curve is what motorcycling fans feel devotion for. Transmitting all these feelings in a video game is extremely complicated but, with MotoGP 19, we are closer than ever.

An incontestable playable evolution

The new official delivery of the game licensed by the highest motorcycling competitions (MotoGP, Moto2, Moto3, MotoE and RedBull Rookies Cup) has managed to reach a new level of realism never before seen in the franchise. The Milestone studio had been flirting between the simulation and the arcade for years, but now it has clearly opted for a much more realistic experience and this has brought the greatest joys, but also some inconvenience. We prefer to stay with the positive and highlight a gameplay that, as we said, embraces the simulation and gives more importance than ever to the physical, the response of the motorcycle and artificial intelligence.

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It no longer only matters that you know when to accelerate or brake, but now it is absolutely vital to know where you are leaning your pilot's weight, what type of motorcycles you are driving (the differences between the different types are noticed more than ever), how you leave that the motorcycle advances by inertia to gain positioning, be careful not to touch the piano that can unbalance you, be more conservative if the asphalt is wet, be attentive to the relentless wear of the tires, the management of the electronics, the aggressiveness of the rival pilots ... Dozens of situations happen and you have to be aware of many factors that can alter your training, classification or career, which brings to the playable experience an obvious enrichment and a certain element of surprise since, on this occasion, for a long time you dominate a path, that will not guarantee victory.

All these playable details are experienced much more clearly if we play races with many laps and with a higher difficulty, while, if we limit ourselves to short races with an affordable difficulty and activated aids, we lose the essence of the work and it does not result so fun It is true that this level of demand brings problems, because the only way there is to learn to play "well" is based on practice, and missing systems such as tutorials that offer advice and explanations of what to do and why . Accessibility is conspicuous by its absence and, if you are new players who want to debut in the saga with this MotoGP delivery, you must be patient.

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From Milestone they did not lie to us when they told us that they were due to their more hardcore players and that they wanted to satisfy them, and it seems that they will achieve this, at the cost of marginalizing novices. However, it is through that requirement and to attend to your loyal players how you reach that gameplay so careful, millimetric and fine. It's a pity that it does not achieve that level of mime in other sections that, although they may not be so important, can not be ignored in the way that is present here.

The game modes have no soul

MotoGP 19 is the metaphor of an architect who designed the building with the most solid, robust, resistant and indestructible foundations. Practically unbeatable in the most important, but have forgotten to hire a designer to add decoration. Those details that provide the differential value and that are appreciated to close a complete experience. Among these aspects, we start with the contrasts in the graphic section, with well-recreated bikes and pilots but with problems in the load of textures, punctual frames falls, bland scenarios without personality and, finally, a climatology that is not dynamic , which remains intact during the sessions and only has two states, sunny and rainy, subtracting realism.

The bittersweet feeling also comes to us in the game modes, with a Trajectory mode that is clearly wasted. The possibilities that it offers us, beyond competing and climbing in categories, are tiny, with a negligible news section and a reputation system that is based on a simple bar of progress for our achievements. The only thing that stands out positively is a Research and Development system in which we can improve our motorcycle based on points of development that we achieve if we overcome specific challenges in training.

Definitely, there are many add-ons that this mode could have to make it more attractive and, thus, accompany and involve the playable experience in a narrative and in a context, to differentiate from the simple and mere Championship mode - which, in reality, is insignificant details, it's practically the same. In the multiplayer, you will not find a wide range of possibilities either, since it only allows you to play races where you can add some filters such as the category, the circuit or the laps, but it all comes down to running with strangers without more incentive. Let's hope the eSport Championship mode, when available, offers a more elaborate experience.

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My opinion after playing

Faced with this panorama full of contrasts, gives the impression that they have put all their efforts and resources in the playable section, which rub an outstanding level and excite the lovers of the saga. However, it is clear that, in the next edition of the IP, they must work on the game modes to be that package that decorates and accompanies the new foundations they have created. For that reason, the step by curve is excellent, touching knee, but they do not manage to reach the sky.