Supercross is a vehicular sport that has a popular following over in the USA, but not quite as much here in the UK, where it’s still a niche pastime. Not that it should be ignored, as it can be highly enjoyable. What we have here, is the sponsored Monster Energy Supercross to compete with the well known series MX vs ATV, which regularly pulls in average reviews from critics and gamers alike. Unlike that series, there are no ATV’s in sight, leaving you with either 250 or 450 bikes to race, jump and crash around the track as you bid to take the podium. Can it take the podium, or will it bring up the rear?
First point to mention, is that the online was totally inaccessible for me every time I made an effort to connect to the servers. It happens from time to time with games, and new servers have a habit of teething problems, but never before have I failed to connect to the online portion of any game. Disappointed? Yes. I was hoping to find some other people to have a race with, but alas it was not to be. So over to the main portion of Career mode it was, where I was met with incredibly long load times, which when you take into consideration that it’s a track and a stadium with a group of 21 riders with you, it shouldn’t really take as long as it does.
Aside from Career mode, you also have Time Trial mode to work at any track you wish, and this is especially useful if a certain track is proving too much of a challenge for you. Then there’s Championship mode and finally Xbox Live. As mentioned, I never managed to connect to the online portion of the game, and hopefully this can be rectified.
Races are actually fun. Sure there’s issues with massive lag spikes when you approach the first corner of a race, which can be infuriating when your vying to take an early lead. Collision detection does feel one sided as the AI has a distinct advantage when colliding with you. I’ve had several occasions where I was about to land on an opponent, and seemed to float over their head until the physics caught up and dropped me to the side. This can also happen when landing on the coloured bollards that litter the track. A minor inconvenience, sure. But when you cut across by a small fraction, only to be reset on track behind most of the other competitors is infuriating. Maybe a 2 or 3 second penalty to your time would work better in this situation. Aside from this, races are high octane blasts as you bounce around the tracks, looking to perfect each and every jump to stay ahead of the competition. There’s always those that stay ahead of the pack, and will always be hot on your tail until the very end. One mistake can mean the difference between making the podium and just making up the numbers.
The menu screens and loading screens are emblazoned with the Monster Energy logo’s and you will see a lot of this with the long loading times if played on Xbox One. Not a drink I am fond of, but having that license for the game is probably more appealing for fans of the beverage.
The one feature I have thoroughly enjoyed is the track editor. Fancy racing your own designs with friends and strangers on the internet? Well here’s your chance. There’s a lot of track pieces that can be bolted together to make your own deviously tricky, or simple track. You can unlock new gear and bikes by playing the various game modes and raising your prestige level, and there’s a lot to unlock when you consider there’s an achievement for reaching level 100. The journey is going to be quicker if you make the game harder for yourself by removing assists, increasing the difficulty, and more. This will also rewards you with more credits to spend on those purchases too, so that is down to you and your skill.
Overall, Monster Energy Supercross does feel a bit rough around the edges when played on Xbox One, as opposed to the sleek and far more powerful Xbox One X. The differences are that noticeable. In all honesty, I think had I reviewed it on the latter, I’d have had a better experience, but that’s not to say it’s not an enjoyable game, however there are some issues that need ironing out to make it a smoother experience for those, who like me haven’t upgraded yet. Running on the new console would have likely given Monster Energy Supercross a better score from myself, but as I don’t have one yet, I’ve had to make do and score appropriately. Milestone are a developer that favour racing games, and I have played some of their titles in the past. Such as Ride 2, Moro GP and WRC series. It’s their bread and butter. Here’s hoping for a patch to bring the game up to scratch for the standard Xbox One in the future.
Overall Score 6/10
Developer: Milestone
Publisher: Milestone
Release Date: 13th February 2018
Price: £49.99-59.99 for Standard or Special Edition
File Size: 13.88GB
Xbox One copy provided for review purpose.
Available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch & Steam