And so, we meet again, Milestone! I hope you have done me proud this time? As you may recall, I reviewed their Ride 3 last year. And, while not the shabbiest looking game out there on the market? It still holds up to some core strengths. As to which, amazing job. But this one seems to be in a way different league of its own! Where Ride 3 had its flaws? Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 3 feels like it had a different and more enthusiastic team in its development cycle. With some much-needed improvements, this title hits the shelves with a new regained vigor. And actually answers a few of my previous comments that I made in my Ride 3 review. The game itself harkens from 2 previously (and successfully) launched titles, and follows it right up. Want to know why it follows them up? Then be sure to put on your helmet and rev up your engine. Crack open your favorite Monster Energy drink as well! Because this is our review of … Well, you know, read the title! … Milestone, please… For the love of god cut it a bit shorter next time! Eesh!
What we liked!
- B-E-A-utiful: My god Milestone! Did you put your engine into SCP-914 or something? Because you did an amazing job upgrading your visuals! First of all, the tracks in themselves are pretty, though a bit too repetitive for my taste. The amazing depth of view and blurry backgrounds help as well when it comes down into focussing you on the track. The surprising amount of details on the bikes are superb as well, little clumps of dirt cling to you, get kicked up by your treads and these leave marks as well. It’s not as if you are driving on dirty asphalt or anything! You literally can see your bike suffering under the wear and tear and I must say, the colors of everything just pops at you, the fireworks, the outfits? Truly a lovely crafted game when it comes down to the visuals!
- Amazing soundtrack: But don’t let the visuals fool you, because the game’s loaded up with some amazing tunes as well. Songs that really can get your heart pumping and are totally in it their right into being in this kind of game! So that’s point 2 for you there, Milestone! The engines sound roaringly delicious as well, my gosh golly! Though it does get a tad repetitive after a while, you can hear it only for such a long time before it gets tedious I guess?
- Customization (1/2): Alright motorheads! Get yourself for an entire world of customization! First, the visuals. Each bike can be custom fitted with visual upgrades, but also performance upgrades. Each of these costs you some in-game currency that you gain from participating in races. The visuals are purely cosmetic in nature, they won’t hamper your bike in any way. The performance enhancers, obviously also change the visualization of your bike, but will also improve the overall handling! So be wise as to which items get your preference!
While these are basic things, the biggest part of the customization lay in the tweaks that you can do on each and every individual part. Each individual part can be customized to your own preference and style. Want a bit extra control? Looser handling? The world is your oyster in this game! Do with it what you will.
Somewhere between
- A.I.: The game has a mix between decent A.I. and questionable A.I. They’ll do their laps without an issue. But at times they could just… Derp out. Meaning that they’d just… Stop moving altogether. And you’d just pass standing still bike. While that one was previously racing with you as well. Though it didn’t break the experience of the game in itself? It still felt kind of sloppy that stuff like this tended to happen.
- Upgradeable?: While there are a lot of brands for you to purchase upgradeables from, as mentioned up above in the customization bit? They all do the same when it comes down to performance. Yes, they look different, sure. But come on. Make it a bit more noteworthy to purchase upgrades from one kind of brand versus the other. I mean, the game looks and feels very realistic when it comes down to it, but just like some brands are good for one thing and not the other? But I guess when there’s so much to offer in this game? Other parts tend to teeter off a bit, resulting in lackluster upgradeables.
- Similar looking maps: Yup! While there are quite a bit of tracks on offer? They tend to be a bit repeaty. Sure you could say, well there isn’t much others that they can do with dirt and all… But, come on? A bit more effort goes a long way, no?
What we disliked
- Customization (2/2): My god. Something tells me that Milestone has a huge hard-on for in-depth customizations! And for the hardcore fans? This will be an AMAZING addition as well. But for the regular gamer? This truly is overwhelming. I’m not a huge race entrepreneur, but those options were just… Gibberish for me. And I didn’t really want to bother learning them all and what they do. But for the true fan? My god will this please them! You can tweak to your heart’s content!
Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 3 surely has surprised me. Though, just like in the previous game that I reviewed by Milestone, Ride 3? This game feels like a good overall game, but tailored to the real hardcore fanbase. If you want to get into this, you’d better spend a lot of time on it. It has a lot to offer, but to just a mediocre race fan? This might be a bit too big for them to chew on!