MXGP 3: The Official Motocross Videogame

Italian developer Milestone will soon be back with the third iteration of its MXGP series: The Official Motocross Videogame, aiming to improve on the issues such as AI and weather conditions that plagued the first two games. It seems that Milestone has heard the complaints and has been working hard to build upon community feedback, something we found abundantly obvious when we got hands-on time with the game.

The first major change resides in the graphics engine, as the game now uses Unreal Engine 4. The purpose of this choice is obvious, improving the physics and behaviour of the motorcycles, both on the muddy ground and in the air, while also offering improved visuals. It's worth noting, however, that for the design team the main appeal of this change is that it allowed them to go beyond the limits imposed by the previous one. This engine incorporates more visual elements to the bike such as the wheels' reaction to the terrain, a welcome little detail to an already impressive looking game.

Which brings us to the second point: the circuits. All those in the official MXGP season are there (once again), and realism is pursued here as well, since successive laps will dig furrows on the track that will directly impact the gameplay. Dynamic weather changes have also been added, making the environment more alive and breaking the monotony that can sometimes creep in with a race. You could start under a heavy sun, for example, and finish in the pouring rain. This obviously means you may have to adapt your racing style, but it's worth it to keep things varied and interesting.

If you like tailoring your ride to suit you, then there's good news, as the game features 300 customisation options for your rider and your bike, with many manufacturers contributing parts for the latter, such as handlebars, hand protectors, and more. There are also other changes that will directly affect the performance of your motorcycle too, such as exhausts with acceleration speed, tires and suspensions with manoeuvrability, and brakes for, you guessed it, braking.

Two stroke engines are finally in the game as well, a feature that has been heavily requested by the community. It might be a little step, but for fans of the genre, (MX Simulator fans for instance) looking for pure realism it will be a remarkable addition, not least of all due to the immersion it offers as well as the pleasant sounds that emanate off these engines.

The AI, however, remains weak in the game. Artificial intelligence always seemed capricious and hard to move in previous games, giving the impression that power balance is disproportionate at the time of collisions, and although this has been improved and you can now adjust it, it's still frustrating (although admittedly less than before). Another weak point is the frequent frame-rate drops observed during our sessions on Xbox One, a console on which we experienced difficulties playing online as well, due to the lack of players.

We had hoped for this new game to do better than its predecessors and it does just that. MXGP3: The Official Motocross Videogame has improved on a lot of elements and will no doubt be a delight for the fans of the genre, but some niggling issues still remain. Luckily our customisable bikes with two stroke engines can take our minds of those issues for the time being.