MotoGP 25 Review – Review

Every so often, the Switch crowd is thrown a batch of hardcore racing simulation titles. These types of games are usually reserved for the higher-end Fanatec friendly consoles or PC platforms, so it always comes as a bit of a surprise when a smattering of realistic mechanics makes a cameo on Nintendo’s hybrid device. MotoGP 25 is one such title that brings dedicated (i.e. hardcore) gameplay that manages to stand out on Switch. The developer, Milestone S.r.I, is no stranger to this type of project. They are the ones responsible for the previous entries in the MotoGP series going back to 2007 and also the Ride series. They’ve previously produced entries such as Gravel and 2016’s Sebastian Loeb Rally Evo (a personal favorite). This Italian company knows racing. So, how does MotoGP 25 stack up as an incremental improvement from 24?

Think of MotoGP as Formula 1 but for motorcycles. The comparisons are inevitable as you start the game. The presentation and finish feel very reminiscent of the Codemasters series with its pre-race setting for the rider and post-race conclusions. The licensed rider names are all here in their full body suit glory as well as fully licensed bikes and race tracks. The paddock is a much more active place in a season race than in previous titles. This allows for more interaction between riders and teams, but more on that later. The whole feel is top notch and content rich, which is nearly on par with a PC sim. On the track, the experience is very similar to previous MotoGP entries: ride the best trajectory, avoid collisions and race to be number one.

There are multiple modes to choose from: single player GPs, Career, Race off, Online Multiplayer and a place to customize your rider. There is also a GP academy to help orient you with the world of MotoGPif you are typically entrenched in the realms of Gran Turismo or Forza. It is a whole different world of handling, and this game works hard to help you through the challenge of bike piloting. The academy is always a good place to start as it offers tutorials and challenges that help familiarize the control scheme to any newcomer. There are also a bevy of options to assist you, such as ride trajectory lines and a rewind feature that lets you redo the last few seconds of gameplay. That last little piece is clutch for greenhorns, as I abused the timeline so often in each race that I’m surprised the TVA didn’t come knocking at my door. There is also the option to raise and lower the AI difficulty and tune down some of the rules for casual play or crank everything up to 11 if you are a glutton for punishment and like to have your lap time invalidated if you so much as look at the track boundary line funny.

A full race season runs through multiple practice laps and qualifying laps on a race weekend before the main event, just like a real MotoGP event. You can skip these if you want but if you are unfamiliar with the track, the game requires you to do at least a few laps in a single practice session if you want to avoid a massive MotoGP groundhog day. Skip the qualifiers and find yourself at the back of the pack at the start of a race. While controls are fine while in mobile mode, a Pro Controller might feel more natural whilst in the thralls of a competitive race. The physics, even in the easiest settings of arcade mode, feel pretty darn good. Pro realistic will test the limits of your ability to cope with the gyroscopics of corner to corner biking, especially in the rain. Try to turn too sharply while on gas and its “Professor, body slide by one” even in arcade mode.

New pieces from last year include a social system, a bike development system and a revised casual arcade experience. During the course of a season, you can monitor other riders performances and use that data as a bargaining chip for signing on to new teams. You can also accept invitations from other riders to a training session to improve relationships. Post race you can discuss vehicle performance with the team engineers and you can steer development of your bike throughout the season, including things like testing sessions for vehicle upgrades to see if you like them or not. MotoGP 25 allows you to be a very active part of the team progression, or you can be passive and just focus on riding. To that end, the arcade experience has been enhanced from previous entries to allow the expansion of the fandom to a less experienced crowd. Reduced physics difficulties, bike setup and rules allow people such as myself to be able to enjoy the simplified process of playing through the game with the same progression as pro level players.

MotoGP 25 now uses the Unreal 5 engine and it looks great on this aging Nvidia Tegra X1. The graphics are some of the best I have seen on the Nintendo Switch to date. Such an effort on an outgoing console is indeed praise worthy. The sound is pretty typical for a sim. Serious, hard-hitting synth is pretty much the only thing on the menu, but it is a solid offering that gives weight to the seriousness of the game. Pre and post game anthems are heroic in nature and, again, feel very Formula 1-ish. Commentary and bike engine audio are solid with no surprises. The bike audio was recorded live from each bike and sounds better on a large set of speakers; the tiny Switch console speakers do not do it justice.

MotoGP 25 feels very polished and can definitely satisfy the sim itch. There are a few minor nitpicks to be had that will hopefully be ironed out after release, though. First, the trajectory guides can be misleading. At times, it tells you to brake when there is no need, and other times, it tells you to brake too late and then you are doing a double front flip off of your bike onto the dirt. Second, sometimes the AI race stewards can be extremely touchy. I had lap times invalidated for breach of track limits when the rear of my tire grazed the white line on the road, leading to more rewinds than I’d care to admit.

Considering how sim focused MotoGP 25 is, it was a fun foray into the sport of professional motorbiking. It is engaging to play, and even as I realized how bad I am at MotoGP games, that did little to discourage me as I found myself enjoying the challenge of improving my lap times. If you are a hardcore high diff player, there is lots to like here, but for the rest of us, Milestone S.r.I made great strides in broadening the appeal, allowing newcomers to remain somewhat competitive. Even so, it is still a challenging ride in a world of arcade-y offerings that improves on its previous entries. Do yourself a favor though and play it docked with a Pro Controller, which feels like how it is meant to be experienced.