Neil writes "If you're a fan of all things two-wheeled, then you will no doubt be looking forward to the release of MotoGP 17, the latest title from Milestone to allow you to replicate the thrills and spills of the real world MotoGP championship. Well, good news, because the 17 variation will introduce something that has never been seen before - a Managerial Career."
Will writes - "Hello, gamers! Welcome to your June Xbox Game Pass update. If you can stop playing State of Decay 2 long enough to read this, we’ve got some great additions to the Xbox Game Pass catalog this month to tell you about, like MotoGP 17, Mega Man Legacy Collection 2, The Technomancer, Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut, and Disneyland Adventures. They’re all coming to Xbox Game Pass on June 1, in addition to the over 100 more great games included in your subscription. Later in June, action-packed dungeon crawler Next Up Hero will join the catalog."
Considering it represented the series’ debut on current-generation consoles, MXGP 2 was a disappointing sequel. The track deformation was downgraded, the over-sensitive auto rest was infuriating, and scrubs weren’t satisfying to pull off due to canned animations. With MXGP 3, however, Milestone has finally started to reach its potential.
MXGP 3 was the first Milestone game to ditch the developer’s in-house engine in favour of Unreal Engine 4, and it totally transformed the experience. The graphics look far grittier, dense crowds brought the environments to life, and the lighting is on another level. Just about every criticism aimed at MXGP 2 has been addressed, from the less intrusive auto reset to manually-controlled scrubs that are extremely satisfying to pull off, complementing the responsive handling.
The most significant addition, however, is the advanced terrain deformation. Tyres dig into the surface in real time leaving ruts and grooves, which affected the physics and added an additional layer of challenge. Every bump is felt as you fight against the ruts in the dirt, which changes how you approach the racing line in search of optimum grip. Weather effects were also introduced to the series, with rainstorms forming puddles that affect your bike's traction. MXGP 3 is a massive step forward for the series and one of the best video game representations of motocross in a long time.
Since its inception, Gran Turismo has been sold with the tagline “the real driving simulator.” While some of its competitors may have more hardcore handling, Gran Turismo Sport hits the sweet spot between authenticity and accessibility – whether you play the game with a wheel or a controller. Playing Gran Turismo Sport with a wheel is simply sublime, particularly with Thrustmaster’s flagship T-GT wheel and its new depth feedback technology that simulates the sensation of the tyres gripping the tarmac more realistically than force feedback.
Crucially Gran Turismo Sport plays extremely well on a control pad. But no matter which input you use, the car handling in Gran Turismo Sport is remarkably realistic and intuitive without being excessively difficult – driving in real life is far easier than some hardcore racing simulations would have you believe. Put simply, Gran Turismo Sport's beautifully balanced vehicle handling sets the new gold standard for future console racing games to aspire up to.
