The Italians at Milestone continue their merry way by offering the 2022 mount of their title dedicated to the queen of the motorized two-wheeled vehicle disciplines: the GP category. So after a solid episode 20 and an episode 21 that rested heavily on its laurels, are we going to deserve an episode 22 that burns more and more rubber on the circuits of our favorite hybrid consoles? The answer, as always, is yes, but we’ll tell you why.

A perfect introduction to all

We’ve already pointed this out for each test in the previous episode, so we’ll start by knocking on an open door: Yes, Moto GP22 is a racing motorcycle driving simulation, so you have to forget about controlled skid right away , Acceleration and hyper-reactive trajectory modifications made at any time. Motorcycles have weight and inertia that you have to learn to feel before being able to control them.

And that’s why from the first launch of the game, we are greeted by a tutorial. This may sound depressing and yet, it will be the exact opposite. This mandatory route for all players will allow us to configure our gaming experience as efficiently as possible. It is the first tour de force of this edition 22. Milestone developers start by launching us on the circuit by giving us two or three pointers, such as how to accelerate, brake and turn.

These first laps are far from flawless, as during this short interval, our performance is analyzed to give us the support we need to improve our handling. The first thing that will come will concern the support of the acceleration of our motorcycle. It may sound ridiculous, but knowing when to brake to reach a corner in the best of conditions is a more difficult art to master than a car.

Actually, missing braking doesn’t mean oversteer or skid here, but a heavy and automatic fall. The art of riding a motorcycle is a balancing act that championship players undertake every week and if the difficulty of a MotoGP license has always been a source of frustration for beginners, things may change for the first time.

But the help does not stop here. There is always the eternal correct trajectory with its color code that tells us when to brake, but here again, understanding the inertia of our machine is always difficult with this signal alone and we loved the system of arrows which indicates when to start. And when to enter the turn. Of course, these aids can be disabled at any time and thus we move slowly in mastering gravity.

a dream physics

Once the basics of piloting are mastered, we deserve a second part that will clearly deepen our perceptions of pilots, this time dealing with the management of electronics, tire wear or even With the management of piloting altitude. These notions are much more advanced and this time concern the more experienced players who want to master the milestone simulation at their fingertips. Note also, for fans of the series, that this mount now takes into account the deformation of the tyres, along with adjusting the compression of the motorcycle’s suspension, even though, with our meager capabilities, we don’t feel any importance. ..

But that’s not all, because once this tutorial is over, as per our wish, because it doesn’t need to be away to start the game at any point, we decide to attend MotoGP Academy. can also take. In this one, we’re entitled to a ghost driver as well as an explanation on each part that makes up the circuit of the 2022 season. Then we have to get scratch time on each of these parts to unlock the gold medals. Perfect lap before trying. Perfect for developing your learning of circuits.

After that it is up to us to take advantage of what we have learned and start imposing our style in the different castes that are offered to us. First, there is the eternal story mode. This is a simple copy-paste of the previous editions, but is up to date for the 2022 season. There is good to bad because of the good lifespan of this. We always have to manage our team, from our manager to our team of mechanics. It is up to us to choose the best option, pursue our research and development, then acquire the best timing and settings to win-win.

Content that spreads in surprising and beautiful ways

It is once again the Moto 3, Moto 2 and Moto GP categories that are making headlines in this new work. The Moto E still hasn’t reappeared. We can still run fast as well as time trials on any circuit and in any weather conditions, from intense heat to rain, without experiencing the joys of dynamic weather. , If the Italians’ new title had stayed there like its predecessor, we would have cried foul. But this is where the nine mode appears.

This mode will allow us, quite simply, to re-live the most exciting season of all sports combined: the 2009 Moto GP season. Taking the form of a mix between a documentary and a race, in which we take place for some of the hiatus of some of the key drivers of this legendary season. During the moments when we control these legends, we must achieve different and varied objectives.

The narrator, perfect in his role, raves about each of the grand prizes that make up this season. A retrospective reminds us of the giveaways of Rossi, Stoner, Pedrosa, and Lorenzo that even the most novice of us will understand why this season has been so wonderful and intense. Controlling each and every one of them at crucial moments of the season is pure joy and we’re sorry that all these emotions never come to invade us in career mode.

To be able to see and experience this documentary by Mark Neill, having an important place on the course of the Grand Prix, is the most unexpected addition, but also the most incredible and successful of the motorsport games that we have played for many years Is. It will be difficult to find an equivalent in the years to come and the Moto GP 22 is a must-see for motorcycle racing fans.

Continuity in a Switch version

For the rest of our experience, to say this version doesn’t revolutionize all that is offered by its elders. We always regret the delicate handling of our Pleasure-Con sticks and always recommend purchasing a pro controller to really take advantage of the controls. Except that it is contrary to the interest of this version which is especially valid for its nomadic side available everywhere. Despite the fact that the Nintendo controllers’ ZL and ZR triggers lack pressure management, the docked experience, as well as on-the-go, is enjoyable and easy to learn.

The sound effects are still just as clean and they’re still just as successful and immersive if you have your partner or partner playing Kirby with you. In terms of graphics, this version still suffers from comparisons with the next generation consoles, even in docked mode. Aliasing is still part of the game and sets seem pretty empty, even though, in any case, in the excitement of the race, it’s hard to feel. Of course, playing on the go clearly limits these graphical limitations and the joy of playing is very present. In addition, this 2022 version has significantly improved these loading times. They are less aggressive.

Multiplayer on the same screen, possible on competing consoles, is still absent from our Switch versions. Although we can challenge our friends by creating local matches, why not provide players with servers to set up online competitions, we never will be and this is sorely lacking, even if the AI ​​is still an opponent that is easier said than done. far away from Beat once put your chances at 100%.