Can this improve over last year’s entry?
MotoGP is a hard game to try and sell to newcomers and veterans, the past entries have been very similar with nothing noteworthy to make it a must-have for veterans, while still being tough to get the basics of those new to the series. MotoGP 15 sets out to do this, but ultimately fails to get off the starting grid.
It’s worth noting that I was reviewing the Xbox One version, which has been reported as having a number of glitches in comparison to the other versions out there, so the PS4/PS3/360 and PC versions may not have these issues, in fact the developer Milestone warned Xbox One owners to expect issues, but they hope to have a patch out very soon. I’m not 100% if I experienced these problems or it’s just my awful driving, but I never felt in control of my bike and at times just randomly fell off.
It does update modes and features from last year, there’s no denying that. The career mode has been expanded, customisation options have been improved too. But in terms of new features, there’s not really a lot to write home about. The same goes for the visuals, even on Xbox One the game hasn’t had that graphical leap that you would hope for by now. It still looks dated, which is a real shame in the great scheme of things.
MotoGP needs a breath of new life into it. It rests on it’s laurels too much and hopes no-one will notice, but sadly it’s clear as day that the series needs to change in one way or another. The glitches in the Xbox One version really need fixing and I think it’s pretty bad to release it in this state, they really should have delayed it till the patch was ready. They also need to try and make it more accessible to the newcomer, the basic tutorial itself can be complex and confusing so they really need to do more to change that.
The Verdict
MotoGP 15 shows an example of a series that is stuck in it’s own dated designs. It’s out of ideas at this point and visually hasn’t improved, not to mention has become more glitchy than ever before on Xbox One. It’s a shame as I used to enjoy the series, I only hope next year’s entry not only improves things, but also takes a chance and adds some interesting new modes and features, take a chance and don’t play it safe.