Retro: The history of MotoGP games!

For more than twenty years, the MotoGP license has punctuated our year and complemented our passion. Nostalgia sometimes makes us blow into a Memory Card and restart our PlayStation 2 in order to return to cross swords with Barros, Rossi and others Gibernau, a bygone era. This is the story of a game franchise important to us all.

One on one, split screen with a friend (or your father), Paul Ricard circuit, on MotoGP (2000). Eyes glued to the television, neither you nor your opponent is ready to drop the slightest crumb on the track. A quick glance back to see the gap before entering the Mistral straight and not getting trapped in Signes. You are good. All that remains is to take a good trajectory in the double-right of Beausset and you know it ; Being first in the winding helps but exposes you to cutting in the Pont bend.

At the last moment, you change trajectory, diving inside to defend; he is beaten. These afternoons spent on these games were worth all the gold in the world. Our retrospective begins here. Not at Castellet, but in 2000, on the first MotoGP licensed game playable on a general public home console. Unfortunately, talking about all his ancestors (from Hang-On to 500GP) would take too long. In 2000 MotoGP was released, without even specifying the year. Unable to play on a few tracks with a few drivers, it still remains a classic of the genre today. The arcade gameplay was terribly addictive, especially in split-screen mode where the battles raged.

 

 

The next opus was not released until 2002, by Namco but not only. Indeed, the late American company THQ (publisher of the excellent MX vs. ATV Reflex) managed to obtain rights for five seasons. These games published on Xbox and Game Boy Advance remain immensely less popular than their Japanese counterparts (at least in France).

From 2002 to 2006, Namco reigned supreme in the industry, driven by the success of the PlayStation 2. MotoGP 3 saw the arrival of many additional features, with difficult mini-games, fifteen circuits offered, many challenges against the shows, imaginary circuits, crazy motorcycles, four MotoGP legends, images and videos to unlock… This game is a gem, and perhaps the best of the entire saga.

Many current enthusiasts fell into it at that time, which is why it is important that DORNA (or any other organization) supervises what comes out and ensures quality. It is an excellent means of promotion that is too often underestimated by more outdated authorities.

In 2004, the game evolved and now included the lower categories. As good as the previous one (identical gameplay), have fun contemplating the 125cc grid, one of the best of all time. Between Jorge Lorenzo, Casey Stoner, Mika Kallio, Andrea Dovizioso or Marco Simoncelli, you are spoiled for choice.

 

 

Unfortunately, this is the last opus produced by Namco on this console. Of course, we will have a new MotoGP (2006) on PSP, but the experience is not the same. Moreover, at the time, the critics did not spare him.

While THQ released its last game with nauseating physics in 2007 (don't try them if you're seasick), the Japanese studio Capcom took over the business until 2011. If the first (MotoGP '07) gave a glimpse hopes, the radical change does not convince many people, including specialists. It's always difficult to get behind a monster.

MotoGP '08, still under the Capcom umbrella and developed by Milestone, is the first to be released on all platforms (PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Windows and Wii) but once again, the count is not good. Artificial intelligence is undoubtedly one of the most stupid ever created, and the implementation of the 125cc and 250cc changes absolutely nothing. Faced with criticism, Capcom ships two games in four years (MotoGP 09/10 and MotoGP 10/11 by Monumental Games) before throwing in the towel. These two opuses are without a doubt the worst of the entire series (in my opinion, but don't hesitate to debate it in the comments).

To take over the business in 2013, Milestone is on board. The Italian studio has had extensive experience in motorcycles for a very long time, and held the Superbike license. Starting from scratch, the studio makes a very good copy for a return. The split screen mode is still just as tasty, the home screen immerses you in the atmosphere, but the content is ultimately a little thin.

The problem with Milestone is clear. Future games will still adhere to similar physics, only improving slightly. Certainly, a nice graphic evolution is to be noted in 2015 (with the transition to PS4/Xbox One), but nothing transcendent compared to our friends on four wheels. Indeed, the Formula 1 games are light years away.

 

 

In 2016, Milestone deviated from the rule and returned a UFO. Valentino Rossi: The Game, offering a bunch of game modes, including drifting, dirt track or RC cars as additional content (?), as well as a retrospective of the career of "The Doctor". In hindsight, it was perhaps too ambitious a game, too catch-all. However, some brilliant ideas (different unique liveries for the same motorcycle) deserve to be explored further.

MotoGP 2017 asserts itself by undergoing a modification of the gameplay and graphics, without losing the Milestone touch. The feel of the controller in hand places it at the top of the list, despite, once again, a glaring lack of content. The split screen subsequently disappears, which is absolutely incomprehensible as the game is (already) poor.

 

 

After two very average opuses, Milestone makes up for it in 2020 with more realistic physics and innovative graphics, accompanied by a solid customization mode (however lower than what Forza did in 2014). Punctuating the first confinement, this game was good, but, like the others, lacked things to do, notably because of the too short “historical” mode. Then 2021, with an opus rather appreciated by the community but marked with major flaws, often frustrating and repetitive despite the addition of long lapses. Since then, it has always been difficult, with slow progress and a fairly dated graphics engine. although it is true that MotoGP 24, with its integrated transfers, will make the career more realistic and immersive. 15 days before the release, there is a lot to expect, and let's pray that competing AIs will finally live up to the gameplay offered.

Today, we can regret the absence of a leading studio like Codemasters – under the aegis ofElectronic Arts – with F1. That said, let's not lose hope that Milestone will release an excellent opus this May 2 even if we wait for an excellent product, fini and playable on release day is no longer really relevant given the state of video games on a global scale.

Have you spent hours on MotoGP games? What do you think ? Tell me in the comments!