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MotoGP 22 Review: More of the Same?

MotoGP 22

The MotoGP series has often been criticised for a lack of innovation year-on-year. Does MotoGP 22 do any better than its predecessors?

Image credit: Milestone

The latest installment of the MotoGP game series released today, 21 April. There are some new features, and the game was created with an eye to the next generation consoles, making it the first such game in the series. But how does the new title stack up against its predecessors, and overall? Take a look at our MotoGP 22 review video to find out.

MotoGP 22 Review – A Step Up?

MotoGP 22 is the newest game in the official MotoGP series. The developers, Milestone, are based in Italy and have been handling the series for several years. In general, critics have often cited the lack of improvements and changes from one game to the next as a major issue with the series. But has that changed for MotoGP 22?

One interesting new feature that MotoGP 22 brings to the table is the NINE mode. This gamemode creatively blends real life, documentary style footage from the 2009 MotoGP season with gameplay recreating the same season. Cultivating nostalgia for one of the most legendary MotoGP seasons ever is good choice, and the in-game execution of the concept is certainly novel.

While the existence of tutorials for beginners is no new feature, there has been a significant addition. The new MotoGP Academy gives players a greater in-depth onboarding with regards to specific tracks. It does beg the question, how much teaching is too much teaching? But, at the end of the day, players can simply choose not to use the feature if they feel it would drag too much.

When it comes to the gameplay itself, the progression seen compared to previous generations of the game isnā€™t really evident. While certain changes to tyre behaviour and dampers were made, these alterations are too subtle for more casual fans of the series to truly pick up on.

Review Summary

With this in mind, it seems unlikely that MotoGP 22 will break the mould in the eyes of fans. Milestone have come under fire for releasing new games that donā€™t bring enough new features to the table before, and it seems like that trend has continued here.

Fundamentally, the gameplay is sound. Races feel like they should, and Milestone have done a good job of making the gamemodes that do exist well fleshed-out. However, the popular cry of ā€œthis should have been DLCā€ will no doubt ring in the ears of the developers once more.


What are your first impressions of MotoGP 22? Tell us on Twitter at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!

My name is Jacob and I have been writing for OverTake since November of 2020. I come from the UK, but I'm now living in Berlin. I love to watch, write about and sometimes shout about all forms of racing.