Xbox Series X\S code provided by the publisher
The next-gen consoles have been around for several months now and with time comes new games. Every console generation sees its fair share of sports titles but one of my favorite types has to be the Supercross ones. Luckily, Milestone was quick on the draw and had Monster Energy Supercross 4 ready to go! While I can’t speak to the first three entries in the series, I can say that Supercross 4 is an absolute blast. It’s one of those simulators that do a great job at showing just how fun the sport it’s portraying really is while still showing a lot of the hard work that goes into it.
Gameplay
When I sat down to play Supercross 4 the very first thing that I wanted to do was get on a bike and go. I loved playing the Supercross and Motocross games back in my childhood but I recently departed from this racing sub-genre. From the first race though, the game pulled me back into my love for these two-wheeled machines. The button mapping is smart, the controls are tight, and the gameplay loop is addictive. There’s nothing quite like being in a mosh of riders where each one is doing everything they can to get through the herd.
Admittedly, most of the time I would find myself lagging behind the herd as I dove head-first into dirt mounds or flew off of the track completely, I definitely had more fun than anything. I mostly attribute it to how rewarding it feels to try and try again. Overtime learning to corner better and shift your rider’s weight becomes second nature. Once you have that down, that’s when you can really get the job done. There’s a bunch of core game mechanics that help in making you a better rider and come across extremely simple for those of us that aren’t too familiar with the sport.
There’s a great number of resources for players to use within the game to both better their knowledge of the sport and how the controls work as well as a point system. Tutorials are abundant and luckily, don’t seem to linger too long. They aren’t longwinded and get to the point fairly quickly. These cover the game’s controls but also what the different modes are and how they work in the Supercross sport in real life. The point system is something that players will need to utilize to upgrade their rider’s skills in order to better their gameplay so that first place doesn’t seem like a pip-dream. You can get more skill points just by playing the game and doing your best.
Singleplayer and more specifically Career Mode was my drink of choice when it came to how I played the game. You work yourself up from the futures category to the rookie, and then finally the pros. The “campaign” does a lot of what we’ve seen in sports and racing game sim games specifically in the last couple of years. It breaks down into a weekly system where during a given week you can participate in the big race, do some training, or take part in isolated special events. The races are the best event to take part in during the week, at least in my opinion. They’re fast flashy fun that just never seemed to get old for me.
Training allows you to hone your skills and try out some tests that reward you with skill points. They’re pretty small side events that don’t take up much time. Then there are those special events that take place on an island called the Compound. It’s a more environmental place that I’ll get into more later. These events offer a more grassroots feel that brings you away from the mega-arena hustle and bustle. It’s a good change-up that comes with its own incentives.
Aside from the career mode, there’s a couple of other single-player things to do like Single Events, the Compound, or Championship Mode. They’re worth a try but I didn’t find myself so much drawn to them as I was the career with the exception of the compound. It’s an open-world island location where you’re free to ride at your own pace and take part in little events around it. It’s nice to take a break and try your hand at some off-roading. Additionally, there’s also a multiplayer component but unfortunately, there just aren’t many players online as of yet. This is another single event choice where players can vote on both the track and whether or not the weather will be another hurdle on the course.
The last part of what Supercross 4 has to offer comes with its customization aspects. The game’s track editor allows players to create their very own courses that they can upload online for the community to try out for themselves. I had my fun with it but honestly, I personally never can find the time to get creative with these things in any game. I was very happy to see that all of the items and possibilities are presented pretty simply so that even folks like me that don’t indulge with track editors often can still feel competent when putting one together.
Lastly, there are the rider and bike customization options. The game gives you a good set of options that make it a pretty great time to put your character together. There are both physical options and gear options that you can choose from to make your character how you want them. Most gear options though will have to be purchased using the in-game currency that you can gain again, just by playing the game. Bikes can be purchased too as well as new graphics, components, and more. So not only do you have to hone your rider’s skills, but you also have to tune your bike up to its best in order to really dominate the races.
Visuals
I found the visuals within Supercross 4 mostly well done. In the actual arenas, the visuals are at their best. I’m not someone who always plays around with photo mode but here, I really had a fun time with it. Between the lights overhead and the fast-paced feel of being neck and neck with an opponent as you fight for the lead, it all just really works. Where the graphics falter is in the slower places in the game, mostly the Compound. It’s not horrible but it does feel dead. It’s ominously empty and it really heightens the fact that the graphics there are garbage. Terrains are outdated and the lighting doesn’t seem to operate correctly. It gets pitch-black at times leaving you pretty much blind. I wish that they hadn’t even added a day/night cycle if this is how bad it works.
Audio
Audio is mostly left up to the bikes within the game and luckily, they’re pretty sweet. Each bike has its own sound that rumbles and revs in just the right way. There’s some rock music here and there that does its job in making it feel like a party. Every so often there’s also some commentary before a race that gives us some more information on just how important the different races actually are.
Replayability
Because of the learning curve that the game lays out, there’s a large amount of replayability for this title. I love a challenge and even though I finished last in more races than I care to admit, I just loved taking that bike through the tracks. No matter how many times I’d send my driver over the handlebars, I didn’t care whether I finished first or if I was lapped half-way through the race. It’s just good old-fashioned fun, where practice makes perfect.
What It Could Have Done Better
The game’s weakest point for me is the graphics but that alone didn’t hinder me as a player from enjoying the game for what it is. It’s more worried about offering enticing gameplay than it is at making sure its graphics are 100% perfect everywhere. While I can understand that, the graphics are still an important part of the game at the end of the day, even if they aren’t the most important.
Verdict
Monster Energy Supercross 4 is a fantastic racing game that really made me re-interested in the genre after losing interest in it as I grew up. It’s a tight title gameplay-wise and it kept me playing, hoping to eventually finish at the top. It adds just another awesome title to the growing next-gen library without having to do something spectacular. It’s a highly enjoyable game and if you’re a racing fan then you should give it a try. The future looks very bright for this series!
