MotoGP 16 has a new look and puts the spotlight on the darling of the public: Valentino Rossi in person! Laid out in a very similar way to Sebastien Loeb Rallye Evo, Valentino Rossi The Game will immediately bring back memories to any player who has dabbled in a Milestone production in recent years since it contains the same ingredients, from the user interface to the graphics engine, that haven't changed a bit for quite some time. What do you want, it's the race for profitability... From the outset, we feel that the Italian studio has bet more on its juicy contract with the star than on video game qualities, such as improving the gameplay and AI that turns out to be always strawberry. It all starts with creating your avatar, with fairly limited functionality. We choose a face among a few, then we fill in the boxes with surname, first name, nickname and nationality before choosing a race number among those left free. You can then customize your avatar via equipment. Only here, from these first moments, we feel the inconveniences linked to the aforementioned large naming contract. As everything is dedicated to the glory of Rossi, you will have to choose a helmet from AGV (his sponsor) or improvised models with the Milestone logo, while the same treatment will be applied to the suits, gloves and boots that will come straight from home. Dainese (another sponsor of Rossi). Here, the choice is much more limited than in Ride for example, the other racing game signed Milestone.
THE MASTER STALLION
In short, with this avatar to which we do not really attach (since we never see it, and that it is only vaguely customizable), it is time to embark on the deep end of motorcycle competition. O joy! From the outset, we are informed that Valentino is doing us the honor of taking us under his wing, which translates into integration into the VR 46 Academy (a program to detect future Italian motorcycle riders). From there, the path is classic. As a good mentor, Rossi gets you three wildcards to participate in Moto 3 races (250cc) in his personal team, the Sky Racing Team VR46. After these initial three races, you will have earned a certain number of reputation points (sort of XP that defines your progress), which will open the doors of the stables and improve the skills of your pilot, making him faster. As always, the more prestigious the team, the more XP it will take to be able to win a contract there. Faced with our pitiful performances, Rossi's team does not want us (you speak of a mentor), and we end up in the Red Bull KTM Ajo team. From there, the seasons follow one another as in real life, with all the circuits, all the drivers and all the official teams. License level, there is nothing to complain about, we are in an official game.
At the piloting level, on the other hand, it's a bit of a disappointment, since nothing has really changed since the last opus, or since Ride.
At the piloting level, on the other hand, it's a bit of a disappointment, since nothing has really changed since the last opus, or since Ride. The feeling remains rather vague until you choose pro physics which improves things, but requires certain realism settings, such as the manual gearbox, and more annoying, the decoupled front-rear braking. A black point that has existed for a while, since if you can dose the front brake with the stroke of the trigger, the rear brake controlled by a button is on / off, resulting in untimely wheel locks. Moreover, it is time that the developers of the studio inform themselves a little, because it has been a long time that the prototypes used in Moto GP have combined front-rear braking. Even Marquez, Lorenzo or Rossi no longer have a pedal under their right foot. If you can always go high-side or go into a skid, the physics always remain the same, whether you're driving under the crushing sun of Catalonia or under a downpour in Assen. Rain only lengthens braking distances a little, and allows the rear wheel to skid more easily on Moto GPs when you open the throttle wide. Impossible to lose the front wheel on braking, and the cornering stability does not move a bit.
CONTENT GOGO
Fortunately, thanks to the multiple cameras, we can always have some sensations, particularly in cockpit view or in helmet view for the most demanding. An immersion that should not be spoiled by looking elsewhere than the track or the motorcycles of the competitors, both the sets and the crowd are from another age. The Emotion FX graphics engine could use a major facelift or a successor. Especially since the behavior of the AIs has not changed either. We find ourselves facing opponents who do not calculate us and who hit us full ball when we are on their trajectory. The opportunity to realize that the physics is clearly not perfect either, with rather funny animations during recovery from falls. The latter are also far too permissive to represent a challenge. Result of this average physics: we chew like crazy and we pulverize the AI without worry, even in “Hard” mode. On the first corner, you can calmly come inside and lean on the competitors like in NASCAR. From last to fourth place in a single bend, who says it better?
Result of this average physics: we chew like crazy and we pulverize the AI without worry, even in “Hard” mode.
Coming out of the championship, your mentor will often contact you for a few events that he particularly likes and which will bring a little distraction to your ultra-competitive world. Vale will offer us Flat-track at regular intervals on its ranch in Tavullia. It's about racing on a dirt track on 450cc motocross handlebars. Based on sliding, these interludes could have offered a different challenge if the art of drifting had not been focused on controlling the throttle trigger. The pilot counter-steers alone and after a few moments, you get bored, still because of this cheap physics. Another interlude: short races on the handlebars of the Yamaha R1M (the brand's hypersport) on the Misano circuit. Not of great interest there either since it is a single race with a motorcycle which is between Moto 2 and Moto GP. But impossible to feel a unique feeling in terms of piloting. Know otherwise that Valentino also likes to go fast in the car! We therefore find ourselves performing drift tests twice at the wheel of a Ford Mustang during the season. Without any interest, these sequences have no flavor and the physics are absolutely disastrous. A Need For Speed would do much better and we're not even talking about a good car simulator like Assetto Corsa. Finally, at the end of each season, you will have to hit the Monza Rally Show, a rally which takes place on the Monza track and which consists of slaloming between studs and tires. If the driving taken over from Sebastien Loeb Rallye Evo is not too bad, the very nature of the event is unbearable. Ten absolutely identical specials, without any interest which will make you fear the end of the season and even abandon the event directly, just to be able to find your wheel as quickly as possible.
THE RED ROI
Finally, it's only at the level of fan service that the game really shines. We thus find a Rossi Experience tab which concentrates all the content specific to the Italian driver. The bulk of the piece is made up of historical events in which the player embodies Valentino Rossi and relives the highlights of his career, such as his first victory in 125cc or his second place in 250cc after passing three competitors in the last corner. The Doctor challenges ask us to beat his best times on the track, while the "Simple Challenge" mode offers daily updated events. The icing on the cake: the Rossipedia lets you know everything about VR 46 via fairly substantial content as well. Obviously, we also have simple races that allow you to do what you want out of the “Career” mode, including custom championships on board the 2T machines of the time. Unfortunately, no change is noticeable in piloting. Between a 4T and a 2T, only the noise is slightly modified. We find all these events in multiplayer, which is a great way to circumvent the problems of AI. Unfortunately, the netcode is still bad and it will be a long fight before you can finally connect to a server. Finally, without a level 100 pilot whose capacities are at the maximum, it is impossible to aim for the race leader.
