MotoGP 21

Genre: Motorcycle Racing

Players: 1-8 Competitive (Local Wireless)

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Review:

MotoGP 21 is a Motorcycle Racing game that’s… a lot like MotoGP 20, actually. See, this is why I tend to stay away from yearly sports franchises in my reviews – I am just not as detail-oriented when it comes to simulations of sports that I’m not personally all that immersed in, so many of the year-to-year changes in these franchises seem minimal to me. The same is true for even a Racing Simulation like this one – as far as a filthy casual like me (at least when it comes to this genre) is concerned, this is very much the same experience.

Yes, this year’s entry adds new brake temperature mechanisms where the brakes can be too cool or too hot, and yes, there’s supposedly changes to the suspension system although I’d be hard-pressed to note any difference. If you’re a die-hard fan of this franchise, perhaps these tweaks mean something to you, but to me, it changes nothing, because MotoGP 21 is still the same absurdly difficult game as MotoGP 20 was, which means that the overwhelming majority of players will find it to be an absolutely miserable experience, one where you’ll need to play with all of the insultingly patronizing training wheels options like braking assist turned on to even make this game remotely playable.

For most of this experience, my MotoGP 20 review pretty much still applies here. Graphics are still quite good, though less impressive the second time around, the textures seem worse, the tracks seem less detailed, and the annoying “visual noise” seems even more noticeable now that it’s still present another year in a row. The game is also still woefully inadequate in multiplayer, supporting only local wireless multiplayer and neither online nor split-screen multiplayer are available.

Again, if you’re a fan of this series, I don’t mean to malign you or your passion – this game looks to be about as good as last year’s (or perhaps just a bit worse due to lack of meaningful changes and less-impressive visuals). But for most players, this will be yet another “Falling Off Your Bike Simulator”. In other words, if this is your sorta’ game, you probably didn’t need to even read this review, you already knew you wanted it. And if you’re not sure if this is your sorta’ game, it is almost certainly not your sort of game.

tl;dr – MotoGP 21 is yet another excellent Motorcycle Racing Simulation for fans of the series… and an absolutely miserable “Falling Off Your Bike Simulator” for everyone else. The grade I give this game doesn’t even really matter – either this is your sorta’ game, in which case it’s perfect, or it’s not, in which case it’s a nightmarish exercise in frustration. However, even those who think it’s perfect will have to admit the changes in this entry are relatively minor, the visuals are less impressive than last year’s, and the lack of significant multiplayer options is still disappointing.

Grade: C+

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2021 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Best Driving/Racing Game

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