MXGP PRO

I'll be honest with you: my first thirty minutes with MXGP PRO ended with my rider face-planted in the mud more times than I could count, and I was ready to blame the game. Then I stuck with the Compound long enough to actually learn the scrub technique, nailed a clutch start off the gate, and suddenly the whole thing clicked. That swing from frustration to satisfaction is basically the MXGP PRO experience summarised. What separates this entry from its predecessors is the Pro Physics system, developed with direct input from real MXGP riders including nine-time world champion Antonio Cairoli. The reworked physics cover clutch control on starts, in-air rider positioning, ruts that genuinely influence cornering lines, and mid-air whips that feel earned rather than scripted. The bike setup screen goes deep too: suspension rates, brake balance, throttle mapping, all editable with real-world values. If you enjoy that kind of mechanical tinkering between sessions, this game will keep you busy. If you just want to hold a button and race, the adjustable physics presets let you dial things back to a more forgiving "semi-pro" mode without locking you out of the fun. The rewind feature is available in standard career mode and I used it liberally without shame. The Compound - a square kilometre of open training ground with varied terrain - is genuinely the best thing in the package for newcomers. Thirty structured challenges cover everything from wet-weather braking to in-air control, and completing each category earns your custom rider permanent performance bonuses, which gives the training loop actual teeth. It plays a bit like Gran Turismo's old licence tests, and that comparison is meant as a compliment. The 19 official tracks from the 2017 MXGP season are well-rendered, with track surfaces that deform across laps and throw convincing clumps of dirt at the camera. Visually, the game holds up. Here is where the goodwill runs thin though. Career mode offers a Standard and Extreme path, but neither has much personality. Extreme strips out the rewind and extends race lengths to real-event duration, which is strictly for the dedicated. Standard is functional but forgettable: sign sponsor contracts, earn fame, move up from MX2 to MXGP, repeat. The between-race rivalry system lets you fire off responses to competitor comments, but it has basically no consequences beyond an emoji change in the standings. The AI is inconsistent - often one rider runs away from the field unreachably, which becomes its own kind of frustrating. Loading times are long, a recurring Milestone problem. Online multiplayer supports quick match and player-hosted lobbies with 19 tracks, and the host can tweak physics settings and race length, which is a solid setup for organised online sessions. There is no split-screen though, so the four-friends-on-a-couch fantasy dies here. MXGP PRO sits in a strange spot: the best MXGP game Milestone had produced at the time, with a physics model that actually respects the sport, wrapped around a career mode that runs out of ideas by the halfway point. It is not a pick-up-and-play racer for casual nights, and without split-screen it offers nothing for a couch crowd. But if you like motocross, want a sim that rewards learning proper technique, and can tolerate a threadbare career structure, the riding itself is worth the time investment.

Riley · Scout Team

Sports & racing

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