Developed by Milestone S.r.l., MotoGP 14 is the latest entry in the long-running motorcycle racing series. Featuring all the teams, riders, and circuits from the 2014 MotoGP World Championship, this title is fan service for speed freaks at its finest. Everyone else, though, might have a hard time going for a ride.
While not a simulator in the strictest sense, MotoGP 14 is punishingly brutal for practically everyone who has not played a motorcycle racing game of this caliber in the past. As my most recent racing stint was as Link on the Master Cycle in the latest Mario Kart 8 DLC, getting used to the physics was a game in and of itself.
Even if you’re only a marginally qualified rookie like me, the game tries its best to help you get accustomed to the steep learning curve. There are aids that can be adjusted at a moment’s notice for braking, steering, and traction should you feel the need to do so, but they actually hinder once at the Semi-pro and Pro level as they slow your ride. My recommendation is to treat these virtual training wheels as you would real ones, leaning on them for as long as you need to until you’ve crashed enough times into stationary objects that you’re no longer afraid of falling, because you will. You will fall… a whole lot.
There are plenty of different gameplay modes to explore in MotoGP 14, such as Grand Prix, Time Attack, and Real Events 2013, in which you attempt to recreate scenarios that apparently went down in last season’s races. I couldn’t tell the difference as I don’t have the Speed network on cable, nor do I follow the sport, but those that do should get a kick out of it.
An online multiplayer mode is available as well, but it was far too glitchy for my taste. There are normally long (well, longer than I’m used to on a current-gen platform) loading times between the menus anyway, but they felt exasperating when waiting for others to catch a ride.
MotoGP 14 has a visually sleek presentation, but the difficulty of getting into the groove of the courses can be a real turn-off. With practice you might be able to squeak out fun and a few wins, so long as you don’t yell at your digital pit crew as much as I did.
MotoGP 14 is now available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, and Steam.