When a sports or racing game franchise is released on a yearly basis a red flag goes off in my head wondering “How much improved or even different could this new installment even be?” The “Monster Energy Supercross” franchise is no exception to this rule. I happened to have access to the fourth game and opted to play a little of that one as well, before trying out this new fifth installment. I hate to admit that aside from a very small handful of minor changes, there doesn’t seem to be much difference. There was a moment where I couldn’t differentiate which game I was even playing.
Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 5 continues to do what Milestone Games clearly likes to do, keep making motorcycle games. There is a big audience for these games and Milestone loves to cater to seemingly just them. While playing “Supercross 4” the learning curve for newcomers can be very brutal, to the point where I wonder if they even care to welcome more gamers than those they know will keep buying their games every year. So, it was cool to see a new mode in “Supercross 5” called “Futures Academy” which seems to be for exactly what newcomers need to really learn the fundamentals of playing well. That’s the thing with simulator racing games as opposed to arcade racing games. You can’t just go fast and hope to make it to the end first, there is a lot more to it.
What seemed a little odd and kind of rubs me the wrong way is I noticed that the game’s website added “2 Strokes” as a new feature to “Supercross 5,” firstly it’s technically not a new feature. It was in the previous game, but as paid DLC. So, advertising something that was paid DLC in the previous game to be a new added feature for the next one feels a little dirty to me. Anyways, other modes like Career mode, Championship, and track editor are all back. Even when creating your character, all the same facial features, skins, etc. seem to all be pretty much identical. Split-screen multiplayer seems new, but feels like a long overdue feature that should have always been available from the beginning.
It’s always frustrating to see game development companies put themselves in a position where they feel the need to pump out a new game in their series every year. The quality of new content really often suffers and that’s what gamers seem to want. Sure, the graphics are always improved and this is obviously the best looking Supercross game in the series, that’s just not enough at least for the casual gamer. For hardcore fans, it feels like they are being taken advantage of, because of course they’ll be buying it, but not getting their money’s worth. Those issues aside, as a Supercross game, this is still probably the best one of the bunch and it does try harder to get newcomers to try it out, so I’ll give them credit for that. So, for those newcomers, this is the best entry point, but be aware of what kind of world and future to expect from this franchise.
6/10
For more information on Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 5, visit: https://supercrossthegame.com/
Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87
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