The official videogame of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship is back with its fourth edition, starting from the solid foundations seen in the previous chapters of the series and introducing several new features that will surely appeal to fans of the brand. Monster Energy Supercross 4, racing game by Milestone dedicated to the maximum US competition, will see the light on consoles (PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X / S) and PC theMarch 11, bringing the famous overseas motorcycle show into our homes. As always in the franchise, the software house has made available to fans ofAMA Supercross lots of meat on the fire; in addition to the ability to customize your character in-game with lots of content, thanks to the over 110 official brands for aesthetic and performance customization for rider and motorcycle, will be available well 11 stages and 17 tracks coming directly from the official 2020 season of the top US competition.
A gameplay not for the faint of heart
Once the game has started, Monster Energy Supercross 4 will immediately allow us to recreate ours in-game avatar, having the possibility to decide the name, nationality, physical appearance (complete with facial features, hairstyle and beard) and the number of race number to show off on the bike. Once the character customization is complete, we will be able to choose which team to join (KTM, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Honda, Suzuki and Husqvarna) to start the renewed Career mode. The latter will force the players to take to the track, confronting each other Quite aggressive NPCs in order not only to climb the summit of Monster Energy AMA Supercross, but also to earn credits and skill points to improve the characteristics of our avatar. Although the new skill tree has been totally renewed, influencing the driver's performance throughout the race, in our opinion it introduces an excessively excessive level of difficulty, which in the long run could also create frustration in the players, especially in those who try their hand at this sport for the first time .
The high challenge rate is not exclusively due to a particularly aggressive AI, but also to quite articulated game mechanics. In fact, in addition to having to wisely manage the brake and the accelerator, we must have full awareness of our vehicle and evaluate the correct positioning of the body during the stunts. Career isn't the only game mode available in Monster Energy Supercross 4 , as the development team has seen fit to alleviate the frustration of players by introducing one as well online multiplayer lag free component (thanks to Dedicated Servers), the private events, a advanced track editor (allowing users to try their hand at creating their own track) and the Compound mode.
The latter allows players to invite up to three friends as they roam freely in the new area inspired by the beautiful landscapes of the islands of Maine. Although the area in question is not particularly large to explore, it is an absolutely enjoyable gaming experience, offering players the chance to enjoy the scenery and dabble in acrobatic jumps along the rocky beach cliffs or through the windows of buildings. abandoned. But that's not all, since the new Compound in addition to introducing five tracks, totally renewed challenges and races alone or in co-op, allows players to collect useful items to unlock new components.
Engines roar between earth and mud
In addition to a gameplay to be reviewed in terms of difficulty, Monster Energy Supercross 4 manages to innovate little compared to the previous chapters of the series. Like many videogame titles dedicated to sports on an annual basis, Milestone's latest effort seems more like an update to Supercross 3, with new liveries available, 60 fps support it's a slightly improved graphic sector. The bikes are reproduced in a very faithful way and with extreme attention to detail while the atmosphere on the track appears immersive and satisfying, managing to fully involve the player in the overseas competition. Everything is further amplified by an excellent sound sector and more credible animations, although some of them are rigid and too fast. While we have a very accurate re-proposal of motocross and stadiums, we cannot say the same of interaction between the bikes and the signs that these will progressively trace on the ground after each pass. Unfortunately, these are purely aesthetic elements, which will not affect in any way the trajectories, stability and performance of our two wheels.
The advantage of the next-gen
Although Monster Energy Supercross 4 presents a satisfactory graphic detail, albeit subdued compared to other productions by MilestoneOne of the main advantages of the next-gen version of the game are the lightning-fast uploads, which allow the player to immediately get on the saddle and try their hand at their respective races. The new racing game from the software house does not only benefit from the greater computing power of Xbox Series X / S e PlayStation 5, but on the latter it manages to make a wise use of DualSense thanks to the support of haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.
Il gameplay of the new motorcycle simulation by Milestone finds an extra weapon in the unprecedented features of the PS5 controller, literally managing to overturn and revolutionize theexperience in-game, making it even more engaging and captivating. The adaptive triggers will be the real protagonists of our races, since they will oppose a variable resistance (both during braking and acceleration) depending on the conditions and our driving style. Unfortunately, compared to other titles of the team, haptic feedback is present, but to a lesser extent. So the sense of involvement in the races is less and it is absolutely less satisfying.
