You may have read my earlier review of SBK Generations, well whether you have or not it just so happens that the developers (Milestone S.r.l.) of said game have taken on the world of MotoGP once again in the form of MotoGP 13 on Xbox 360. This is their first shot at the series since MotoGP 08, but has five years been so long that they are a little out of touch with it or have they picked up where they left off and brought us a motorcycle master class to enjoy?
As the official game of the MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 2013 Championships it features all the up to date riders, teams and tracks. Depending on your preference and the amount of time you wish to spend there are a couple of modes that attempt to satisfy your appetite for racing and these are Instant Race, Grand Prix, Championship, Career, Split-screen and Xbox Live Multiplayer.
Career mode on first look seems like an in-depth climb up the ranks with your own custom rider from a Moto3 wild card to hopefully one day a fully fledged MotoGP superstar. Signing contracts to different teams becomes a regular thing for great performances that pleases your management and management elsewhere, leading to an offer to step up to Moto2 within a handful of official races with my Moto3 team but I felt that was a little rushed. By turning down the big names I could see out my debut season with a Championship victory. I’m not sure what they were thinking here however as I believe I could have been at the top of Moto world after not even a full season of races.
Had they added a way to improve the motorcycles or put more emphasis on proving yourself on a bigger time scale then maybe it would have felt more engrossing. Unfortunately I was left trying to win my first Championship, with no real customisation of the rider or bike and nothing else to aim for as I knew there were already offers on the table to move up, which felt like a real chore. That wasn’t the only reason though, keep reading and you will find out the main gripe I had with this.
Instant Race is for those of you who like to live life on the edge as it takes you immediately to a loading screen for a randomly selected track, rider and starts you at the back of the pack. For those short of time or new to the game it’s a quick fix to break you in and pass a little time, even if quite tricky trying to overtake them all. If you wish for a little more control over the settings and location then Grand Prix is better suited, with a choice of 18 official tracks and a whole load of riders. These modes are suitable if you aren’t looking for anything substantial, however for me it was merely a way to earn a few rider specific achievements.
The last single player mode on offer is Championship, which is set up for the full schedule and can be edited to suit by removing and changing the tracks. After each race weekend (whether full weekend with practice, qualifying, warm up and race or simply just the race) you can gain points towards an overall leaderboard. Again it didn’t offer much that I couldn’t just get on with during the Career apart from you can use one of the current riders like Lorenzo, Rossi etc.
Xbox Live brings both Grand Prix and Championship to the multiplayer scene, where up to 12 players can race together at once. Although I like the idea of being able to set up varying lengths of Championships I am a little disappointed that the usual 24 rider MotoGP races offline get cut in half and even then the stability is clearly compromised as bikes end up jumping/hovering on the track. It would be more enjoyable with a group of friends than against random riders who can be rather careless and wouldn’t think twice about knocking you off the bike.
Alongside everything you do in-game comes a GP level where progression comes from XP earned and it allows you to unlock helmets, pictures, videos and riders. Certainly one for a true fan of the sport to relive moments and to unlock the riders they are fonder of.
There is a steep learning curve to begin with even when the assists are enabled I was flying over the handlebars on almost every corner thanks to being mightily unstable. This is where I was able to mess with the assists which were a massive hindrance but also you have to be extra careful and slam on the brakes, making most races a snore fest. Don’t be mistaken I grew to enjoy this game for a short while it just became a little boring mainly due to not being able to take risks on track. Luckily for those who don't adapt as quickly there is a rewind function as featured in the custom made trailer below.
It isn’t very aesthetically pleasing on track either, with what seems not much effort put into either the scenery or the weather effects. That being said I was impressed at the design of the bikes and riders; they stuck out massively against the backdrops.
Unfortunately MotoGP 13 is one that feels more for the diehard fans to appreciate than new to this world. You can't deny the large selection of tracks and riders but that is no use if you aren't feeling gripped by the game itself. For those with limited interest or knowledge of MotoGP it certainly won’t be the one to start with nor will it entice you to become a fan. Give it a miss unless you have had fun playing these types of games before.
