There really is a great deal of content here, and for the more hardcore Supercross fans, Milestone has decided to include a selection of 2-stroke bikes and Ricky Carmichael is along for the ride to act as your mentor in the Futures Academy. If making AI opponents eat Texas dirt isn’t your idea of a fun time, you might be pleased to hear that MES5 comes complete with online multiplayer, split screen modes, a track editor, time trials and a free roam mode that can be enjoyed solo or with friends. It is Supercross’s short-scale lap length that might put some people off, though even at the shortest race length, which lasts around five minutes, it’s possible to hit double-digit lap counts, and that’s not counting qualifying sessions, meaning that if you’re not someone who enjoys repeating the same course, trying to continuously improve yourself with each lap, you may find Supercross races too repetitive and possibly even a bit boring. Supercross races are held to a time limit rather than a lap count, and you’ll find yourself constantly trying to beat your previous best lap time staying ahead of your rivals will be the least of your concerns. Being able to manoeuvre your bike flawlessly around the track, lap after lap, becomes an obsession. Once you have a handle on the controls and you’ve learned the layout of the track, you’ll be in a flow state before long. Careful control of the throttle and brakes, small tweaks to your steering here and there, shifting your rider’s weight using the right thumb stick, performing scrubs as you’re just about to leave the ground – all of these skills factor together to make a successful race incredibly satisfying. Rhythm really is the name of the game here, too at times, MES5 plays more like a rhythm-action game than a racer. Controlling your bike can feel fiddly at first on the small tracks, and it only takes a small error to completely throw your rhythm off, leaving you driving slowly over jumps, rather than soaring through the air like Evel Knievel. Racing itself is a smooth, enjoyable affair. Now we just need big head mode and I’ll be happy. It turns what could have been a button on a menu into a really enjoyable, interactive experience and adds some light-hearted silliness that many games lack these days. Surprisingly, this is not accomplished through a trip to the doctor, instead, through a Tony Hawk style free-roaming level in which you are given a series of tasks to do such as performing a backflip or collecting the letters S-H-A-P-E within a time limit. After each race, if your rider has sustained injuries, you are offered the opportunity to take part in a Workout Session, designed to help heal broken bones and improve your riders’ overall shape. The progression is enjoyable, and the inclusion of the new Rider Shape System adds a new layer of depth that I didn’t realise I wanted until now. The game’s career mode is roughly what you’d expect from this type of racing game join a team, race as hard as you can for your sponsor, earn skill points to develop your character and money to buy new bikes and gear. There’s a brilliant, in-depth tutorial mode to introduce newcomers to practical techniques like whips and scrubs, as well as theory lessons to help you get accustomed to the rules and strategies of a Supercross race. MES5 seems to have not only improved on everything MXGP 2021 was lacking, but has gone above and beyond its predecessor ( Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 4, if you were wondering), adding many features and improvements that even a racing behemoth like Gran Turismo 7 doesn’t include. The most immediate difference between Monster Energy Supercross 5 (hereby known as MES5) is in how the bigger budget afforded by a more profitable sport has clearly had a positive impact on the game. So, how do these differences translate to the videogame world? ![]() The faster pace of Supercross, combined with the beer-and-hotdog appeal of packing into a stadium with some friends has led to Supercross becoming Motocross’s younger, but more successful brother. ![]() Not only do the races take place inside arenas or stadiums, the tracks are shorter and tighter, requiring a lot more precision handling of the bike, and creating many more opportunities for crashes and pile ups. However, Supercross, despite looking on the surface very similar to Motocross, is a different beast. ![]() To the uninitiated it may seem strange for Milestone to bring out yet another dirt bike racing game mere months after the release of the highly enjoyable MXGP 2021.
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