Monster Energy Supercross - The Official Videogame (PlayStation 4) Review

While not a simulation game, Milestone has tried making this as authentic and "deep" as possible. It's also a title that doesn't spend any time holding your hand, as it throws you in the deep end from the get go, and expects nothing short of perfection. Thankfully, while certainly aimed at complete newbies or casuals, Monster Energy Supercross is relatively easy to understand and get the hang off. Moreover, a rewind button has been included, which will probably be your best friend for the first couple of hours or so - although a meaty tutorial mode would be more than welcome.

In terms of atmosphere and immersion (after all, this is a sports game), the Unreal engine does its usual wonders, managing to really bring this to life. From the special effects (especially pyrotechnics) and the lighting effects, to the podium celebrations, and voice acting by announcer Ralph Sheheen, this really captures the vibe of it all. As for the technical part, while it doesn't hit 60fps, it runs pretty smoothly - apart from a few occasions where the frame-rate plummets.

The AI is pretty solid, something that, besides creating no problems gameplay-wise, doesn't break the immersion by having riders behave as faulty automatons. The same can't be said about the physics, though, as they can often be quite strange, and that's not a good thing when it comes to a game that, in many ways, is all about physics, as Supercross isn't one of those racers that's just about keeping your foot on the pedal.

Moving on, after the create-a-character sequence, which, in all honesty, feels kind of limited, you get to pick a bike, but be prepared to stick with it for a while, as enough money must be gathered to start gaining new ones, not to mention new attire for your character. Rewards come, as expected, from winning races, but also by pulling off all sort of tricks, especially the ones that a sponsor wants you to perform. One thing that should be noted here, though, is that time should be taken to get comfortable with the menus, as they could definitely be a little more user-friendly.

In terms of modes, there's Championship, which recreates the 2017 Supercross season, and it's possible to create a custom championship and add a different set of courses. The "main" mode, however, is probably Career, which has a custom-made character racing through East or West 250 classes, before advancing to the 450 ones. As for the online experience, don't expect much variety, not to mention that there's absolutely no matchmaking - but, hey, at least the netcode is decent.

One of the greatest and, at the same time, disappointing parts of Monster Energy Supercross - The Official Videogame is probably the course editor. The good? Besides the fun of it all, players can share their creations online. The bad? Sadly, the editor isn't as finely-tuned and flexible as it should be, with the lack of a sectional delete button being one of the biggest omissions, effectively meaning that, once stuck, it's time to hit that reset button - furthermore, the in-game tutorial isn't much help...