MotoGP 17 (Xbox One) Review

Unlike other racing games of the craft, where they are more accessible for newer players, MotoGP 17 can be a rough initiation for those not familiar with racing a motorcycle. While turning cars around corners is a little easier in some of the recent driving titles, guiding these high speed bikes around corners requires turning into the corners sooner. Getting used to this as a newcomer just takes lots of practice, while MotoGP fans will find no issues adjusting to the controls. Of course, there's no need to fear about constantly getting flung off the bike, as there is a handy rewind feature that can be used limitlessly.

From the get-go, the game asks to select one of the four available rider postures to go with, yet it does not offer enough of an explanation as to what each posture's effect will be. Rather than having an "exhibition" styled arena to drive around and test out each of the four postures to determine the impact on how the bike rides, it instead opts to detail how each posture will impact the mechanics of driving in a small paragraph. To the uninitiated, or for those who prefer to test with their hands rather than learn theory, this whole ordeal just becomes a challenging process.

There are two career modes on offer, with the Rider mode being the more streamlined of the two. Create a rider avatar, from name and nationality, to choosing the rider colours on his jacket. Then jump into the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, and slowly climb the ranks into Moto3 and Moto2, before racing against the very best riders in the pinnacle league, MotoGP. Unfortunately, this mode slowly wears thin when the cracks begin to open, revealing an empty mode consisting of living race to race, without any real sense of progression or rising through the ranks.

Of course, the real meat of MotoGP 17 is the Managerial mode, which puts the focus on running the team, rather than just an individual rider. Sure, the created avatar still gets a default spot on the team, beginning in the Moto3, but his partner, as well as the bikes they will ride, is part of the decision-making process. After completing a couple of races and earning some credits, the hard-earned income can be spent on staff expenditures to launch marketing and other promotional activities to boost reputation points, while investing in R&D can lead to mechanical and performance improvements on the bike.

In-between races there are activities, such as appearing at Press events or giving television interviews, through to undergoing weight training and attending VIP parties. Each selection leads to a positive outcome, whether it's earning more credits or reputation, or speeding up development time on the bike upgrades. Choosing what activities to do becomes part of the strategic planning of the future development of this team, even if the actual events are only pieced together by menus and words, rather than living and breathing cut-scenes.

As the team rises through the ranks and makes it to Moto2 and higher, more riders can be hired to race for the team in the other divisions. While this means that higher salaries will have to be paid, the rewards far outweigh the negatives, provided everything is being run well, and the riders are earning their pay cheque. Lure the big sponsors to aid with cash flow and complete their set objectives to keep them happy and a part of the team. At the beginning of the mode, it can be hard to earn cash to begin paying for bike upgrades and whatnot, but with clever planning and just simply winning the races, the money will soon begin to flow through, and that's when this mode will really open up.

In the games options, select between experiencing a full race day weekend, with the two training sessions, qualifying sessions and then the race day, or just deal with the qualifiers and race day for a more concentrated effort… or, for those who really want the streamlined experience, there is the option to skip everything that isn't the race day. For those after a greater challenge than the in-game bots, even on the hardest difficulty, then head to the online portions to face-off against other real-world drivers.

Graphically, MotoGP 17 is not visually impressive, and it just passes as a higher-resolution PS3 title. While the grass looks as it should, the tracks do not compare visually to those of DiRT 4 or WRC 7, and even in the rain, the road does not look as glossy or as wet as it should. Obviously, these visuals don't break the game, but it's hard to enjoy this experience as a simulator and not look at it as anything other than an arcade racer instead because of the presentation.