While the PS5 and Xbox Series X are almost six months old at this point, the difference in their hardware and how it affects development is still up in the air. Recently, Monster Truck Championship producer Łukasz Bróg spoke about how the difference between both consoles’ SSD wasn’t noticeable. The same seems to apply to their difference in CPU speeds.

The Xbox Series X’s Zen 2 CPU cores are clocked at 3.8 GHz while the PS5’s Zen 2 has its cores at 3.5 GHz. When asked about his thoughts on the difference, Bróg noted, “Both are very good processors, and the difference is so small that it does not matter when creating games for next gens. They are far than enough to create modern games requiring a lot of calculations.”

Regarding the difference in GPU performance for both consoles – the PS5’s GPU is capable of 10.28 TFLOPS while the Xbox Series X’s GPU can deliver 12 TFLOPS – Bróg responded, “Many console variants are always a challenge for game developers. It creates the need to perform additional work in order to optimally adjust a game to the performance of various devices. However, we have already got used to it, since we had to deal with it in the previous transition for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro, as well as Xbox One X and Xbox One S.

“Currently, the performance of the hardware in the latest generation does not cause major problems.”

Monster Truck Championship launched last year for Xbox One, PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch with the Xbox Series X/S and PS5 versions having recently become available. For more details on the title, check out GamingBolt’s interview with Bróg.

The PS5 and Xbox Series X are mostly on level ground in terms of their hardware capabilities, but they both do have a leg up over the other in some specific ways. Where the Xbox Series X has a much more impressive GPU, the PS5 boasts a faster SSD. We’re still in the early months of this new console generation, which means it’s too soon to pass judgment on what those gaps between the two amount to, but some developers have also started taking note and speaking about it.

For instance, Teyon’s Łukasz Bróg, producer of Monster Truck Championship, recently spoke to GamingBolt about the the impressive SSDs in both new consoles, and what they’re going to result in in terms of faster loading and more efficient streaming. Specifically in terms of Monster Truck Championship, however, Bróg told us that there wasn’t a siignificant difference in the SSD speeds of both consoles.

“One of the biggest technological changes in the current generation of consoles is fast reading,” Bróg said. “It will contribute a lot to shortening the loading time of a game and levels, or even eliminate the waiting time during loading at all. But not only that! In the future, further development of the technology for texture and geometry streaming will allow creation of far more complex scenes in games than it is possible now. We can already see a glimpse of that in the demo outlining capabilities of Unreal Engine 5 released by Epic Games. In Monster Truck Championship, the difference between PS5 and XSX is not that noticeable, as the XSX disk speed is enough for a very quick loading – only a few seconds for screens.”

Of course, Monster Truck Championship is a cross-gen title, which means it’s not built to leverage PS5 and Xbox Series X’s SSDs as much as next-gen exclusives in the future will be. More than anything, it’ll be interesting to see how first party exclusives built specifically for either console will leverage their hardware.

Monster Truck Championship is available now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. In our review of the game, we awarded it a score of 7/10, saying, “Monster Truck Championship makes a case for the most impressive monster truck simulator on the market, but its lack of content hinders its longevity.” You can read our full review through here.

NOTE: This interview was conducted prior to the game’s console launch.

"In the next-gen edition of Monster Truck Championship, we have primarily focused on the elements that affect the overall quality of the visuals the most."

Can you tell us about the various visual improvements this edition of Monster Truck Championship will bring to the table?

In the next-gen edition of Monster Truck Championship, we have primarily focused on the elements that affect the overall quality of the visuals the most. Also, we have been able to increase the precision of physics. The biggest changes have been made in the lighting and effects, especially the night lighting of arenas. We have increased the detail of the surface of routes which vehicles ride on, and in some levels we have also added more elements. The game runs more smoothly and at a higher resolution.

How do you find working on the new consoles compared to last gen consoles? How much easier was the transition

Working on both generations of consoles has not been that different, since with the previous generation we also had to support more powerful PCs at the same time. The changes between generations are mainly manifested in higher performance, which is similar to modern PCs. The biggest technical challenge was integrating the network code into the new consoles.

In our case, the transition to next-gens has been a bit easier, as we are using Unreal Engine 4, which by definition is a multi-platform tool, so some things are already implemented within the engine.

Do you have any plans for releasing further post-launch content for Monster Truck Championship?

As of today, I cannot confirm releasing more content. It would depend on players’ feedback and their expectations, as well as on the strategy of the game’s publisher, Nacon.

Will the PS5 version of the game make use of the DualSense’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers?

There are no plans to support these features at the moment.

What resolution and frame rate does the game run on on the PS5, Xbox Series X and S? Are there multiple graphical modes?

In Monster Truck Championship we use one graphics mode for next-gens, which is the 4K/60FPS mode. Xbox Series S is additionally using a dynamic scaling to make the game run smoother.

"As of today, I cannot confirm releasing more content. It would depend on players’ feedback and their expectations, as well as on the strategy of the game’s publisher, Nacon."

Since the reveal of the PS5 and Xbox Series X’s specs, a lot of comparisons have been made between the GPU speeds of the two consoles, with the PS5 at 10.28 TFLOPS and the Xbox Series X at 12 TFLOPS- but how much of an impact on development do you think that difference will have?

Many console variants are always a challenge for game developers. It creates the need to perform additional work in order to optimally adjust a game to the performance of various devices. However, we have already got used to it, since we had to deal with it in the previous transition for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro, as well as Xbox One X and Xbox One S. Currently, the performance of the hardware in the latest generation does not cause major problems.

The PS5 features an incredibly fast SSD with 5.5GB/s raw bandwidth. This is faster than anything that is available out there. How can developers take advantage of this? How does this compare to Series X’s 2.4GB/s raw bandwidth?

One of the biggest technological changes in the current generation of consoles is fast reading. It will contribute a lot to shortening the loading time of a game and levels, or even eliminate the waiting time during loading at all. But not only that! In the future, further development of the technology for texture and geometry streaming will allow creation of far more complex scenes in games than it is possible now. We can already see a glimpse of that in the demo outlining capabilities of Unreal Engine 5 released by Epic Games. In Monster Truck Championship, the difference between PS5 and XSX is not that noticeable, as the XSX disk speed is enough for a very quick loading – only a few seconds for screens.

There is a difference in Zen 2 CPUs of both next-gen consoles. The Xbox Series X features 8x Zen 2 Cores at 3.8GHz, whereas the PS5 features 8x Zen 2 Cores at 3.5GHz. Your thoughts on this difference?

Both are very good processors, and the difference is so small that it does not matter when creating games for next gens. They are far than enough to create modern games requiring a lot of calculations.

Compared to its officially licensed counterpart, Monster Truck Championship puts a lot more emphasis on the simulation aspect of its monster truck simulator. Trucks don’t have a boost, nor can you control them in mid-air. Instead, you have a high degree of control over the trucks without it ever feeling unrealistic or punishing. These beasts can get up to exhilaratingly high speeds and do awe-inspiring tricks, and while you need to take note so that you don’t lose traction or flip over, the gameplay always feels like it’s giving you the benefit of the doubt when you’re doing something cool.

"These beasts can get up to exhilaratingly high speeds and do awe-inspiring tricks, and while you need to take note so that you don’t lose traction or flip over, the gameplay always feels like it’s giving you the benefit of the doubt when you’re doing something cool."

Most of the game’s structure falls into the career mode, where you participate in sequences of multi-staged events to gather points and make your way from the starting National League into the higher prestige, more rewarding Major League. Every event consists of some combination of stages, and you garner more points the better you do in every stage. The more points you get, the more events you unlock, until you reach the league’s finale and you move up to the next stage of your career.

The actual gameplay occurs in one of four ways: longer races, short one-on-one drag races, simple freestyle trick showcases, and other demolition-focused skill showcases. Every event does a good enough job of mixing up the sequence of stages, so you don’t feel like you’re playing the same thing over and over again. There are six or seven unique courses for each type of event, and they’re generally diverse enough to feel distinct from each other course in an event type. Some long race courses, say, are much longer and more straightforward, while others have diverging paths or are set in packed stadiums. The drag races, which are much shorter 8-person tournaments, have a lot more variety, mostly due to their short length. Some are less than 10 seconds and require a single turn, while others are a bit longer, maybe 25 seconds, but require some more tight turns and jumps. These give you a lot less room for error, especially with their focus on getting a good RPM even before you start, but they can be the most fun in their quick runs.

Freestyles and demolition events are set in the same arenas, each of which is crafted to naturally allow you to keep your combos going. Even when you’re not attempting a massive, death-defying trick, odds are you’re still performing some long jumps or bicycles to connect you between big tricks. Plus, they all start out with a planned, slow-motion major stunt that gives some early vigor to your run. I always felt in these trick showcases like I was actually doing something cool and that the game rewarded what I thought were the coolest things I did, even if they weren’t the biggest tricks. Even if doing backflips can get old after a while, I always felt like I was doing the kinds of tricks that would get me “ooh”-ing and “ah”-ing at an actual monster truck event. It doesn’t hurt that these courses, along with the trucks themselves, look really good, from the dirt coming off the tires to the shine off the truck doors, and their impressive load times on the Xbox Series X makes it very easy to jump into events.

"Even if doing backflips can get old after a while, I always felt like I was doing the kinds of tricks that would get me “ooh”-ing and “ah”-ing at an actual monster truck event. It doesn’t hurt that these courses, along with the trucks themselves, look really good, from the dirt coming off the tires to the shine off the truck doors."

You’re mostly free from any detailed management of your career, aside from the ability to hire sponsors and staff to your team. Sponsors give you specific missions to complete, like land a backflip or win a race, in exchange for reward money. The harder the mission, the bigger the payout. Your team, on the other hand, is the only real way to improve your truck. You can choose your truck’s chassis for the cosmetic change, but the team you build, which grows as you progress, makes the real changes to your truck’s stats in exchange for a piece of your income. You can also hire managers that give you higher income and lower event entry fees over time.

While the ability to add engineers to your team is a good idea in theory, the game’s economy and overall lack of difficulty make team management almost entirely moot. Aside from the first few events, I was never lacking in the financial department. I was regularly making much more money than I’d need for entry fees, so even the best engineers taking even 10 percent of my income was hardly a tough concession to make. And with the chassis and other cosmetic options having no effect on gameplay, it’s easy to completely forget about the economy altogether.

When it comes to actual gameplay, too, I found that I breezed through almost every event without much stopping me, emphasizing how short the campaign really is. Even without the best team members or most upgrades, I regularly finished in the top 3 of almost every event, if not outright winning them. Even in the final, theoretically most challenging league, any event that I didn’t win was a disappointment, not because of my desire for greatness, but more so because of the opponents’ general lack thereof. I often found myself leading races wire to wire, and I sometimes would double the next highest score in freestyles, all on the normal difficulty. The game’s structure lends itself to forcing you back to previous events to place higher in the standings and get more points, but when all was said and done, I had not only not needed to go back, but I had unlocked most future events without so much as retrying a single one.

"I was able to barrel my way to the top of the highest league in about 5 hours, and by that point, I felt like I had accomplished everything there was to do."

It doesn’t help, then, that the game is far too barebones to keep your attention for longer than a few hours. Because every track is used in every league, they become extremely repetitive by the time you reach the Majors, with the only change being the number of laps in a race and a change in the logos on the sides of buildings. I was able to barrel my way to the top of the highest league in about 5 hours, and by that point, I felt like I had accomplished everything there was to do. There aren’t other trucks to change how you play, nor are there any substantial other modes aside from traditional offline and online quick play. I wanted to continue playing, but I had little incentive to go back and complete everything all over again.

Despite lacking an official license, Monster Truck Championship puts itself in a great spot to be the premier monster truck racer on the market. Its simulation feels great and finds a good balance between realism and encouraging impressive stunts, and a diverse array of tricks allows you to feel like you’re achieving all the cool things monster trucks should be able to do. Without anything in the way of endgame or really any reason to return once the campaign has ended, its only major problem is selling itself short. I really wish there had been more to Monster Truck Championship’s package, since it shows glimpses of a great foundation for a top-tier monster truck simulator.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox Series X.

Evil Genius 2: World Domination

It’s been a long time coming but finally the sequel to the cult classic about being as a super villain and building a lair with traps is releasing. Evil Genius 2: World Domination features four geniuses to play with each having to build a unique doomsday device while thwarting the Forces of Justice. You can have multitudes of minions skilled in either getting their hands dirty, deception or research and science. If you just want to go wild and make the craziest lair possible, Sandbox mode offers everything unlocked from the get-go. Evil Genius 2: World Domination releases on March 30^th, exclusively for PC.

Monster Hunter Rise

From the New World all the way to Kamura Village, Monster Hunter Rise retains many of the tenets of Monster Hunter World while introducing some new mechanics. All 14 iconic weapon trees are here but players can use the new Wirebug to execute different maneuvers, from evades to special weapon abilities, and truly mix things up. New monsters and old join the fray from Tigrex and Mizutsune to Aknosom and Magnamalo. With the Rampage, Palamutes and monster riding, Monster Hunter Rise promises a brave new chapter for the series. It’s out on March 26^th for Nintendo Switch.

Balan Wonderworld

Yuji Naka, of Sonic the Hedgehog and Nights Into Dreams, returns with a new 3D platformer. Balan Wonderworld is a musical title, set in the strange Wonderworld as protagonists Leo and Emma interact with the mysterious Balan. As players explore 12 different stories, they’ll try to save certain characters whose hearts have gone astray. Utilizing over 80 different costumes, each with their own unique abilities, and even a Chao Garden-style mini-game called Isle of Times, Balan Wonderworld promises a nostalgic trip. It’s out on March 26^th for Xbox One, PS4, PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and Nintendo Switch.

It Takes Two

Hazelight Studios’ It Takes Two recently went gold and director Josef Fares has been hyping it a lot, promising tons of variety and how you’ve “never played anything like it.” As such, the game looks like a fun action-packed, platforming adventure with upbeat visuals and a heart-warming story. It even has Fares himself as a talking book because of course it does. As a co-op title, It Takes Two also provides a Friend’s Pass so that another player can go through the entire game with you for free. The game releases on March 26^th for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, PC and Xbox Series X/S.

Disco Elysium: The Final Cut

How would you go about solving crimes? Would you methodically investigate? Manipulate the world’s denizens? Or just spend all of your time dancing? In Disco Elysium, you can do all of this. The Final Cut builds on this further, adding new characters and cutscenes, over 150,000 words to its script count and a full English VO among other features. Four quests that were originally cut have also been restored and there are even new animations and art. Disco Elysium: The Final Cut is out in March for PS4, PS5, Google Stadia and PC. PC owners even get it as a free upgrade, making it the perfect time to jump back in.

Monster Truck Championship

With all of the big racing games coming up, it’s nice to have titles like Monster Truck Championship. Choose one of 16 different monster trucks and tear through 25 different arenas. Along with a Career Mode, Drag Races and Destruction-style events, players can partake in freestyle competitions to pull off wheelies and other stunts. With over 50 elements to customize and independent front and rear wheel control, Monster Truck Championship doesn’t skimp on the realism either. Currently available for PC, Monster Truck Championship will be coming to Xbox Series X/S and PS5 on March 16^th with 4K/60 FPS support on both platforms.

Monster Energy Supercross: The Official Videogame 4

Fans of Milestone S.r.l.’s Monster Energy Supercross series have even more extreme races to look forward to. Monster Energy Supercross: The Official Videogame 4 arrives on March 11^th for PS4, Xbox One, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. There are more than 100 riders to choose from in the 450SX and 250SX categories with players having 17 tracks set in 11 stadiums for the season. A new Career Mode is also available and allows for learning in different categories, from mastering new abilities in “Future” to taking on the toughest challenges in the “Pro” category. And of course, the robust track editor and compound will be returning as well.

Mundaun

The premise starts in simple, hand-penciled fashion – your grandfather has died in a fire and you venture back to Mundaun to find out why. The gorgeous aesthetic gives way to a terrifying experience with strange creatures roaming the land. Fear has a tangible effect on the player, causing one to move slower depending on its intensity. As you explore the landscape and eventually climb the mountain, you’ll either discover the terrifying truth or die trying. Mundaun is out on March 16^th for PC, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch.

Maquette

Imagine a modern-day story of love, except told via an MC Escher-style world of recursive puzzles. In a nutshell, Maquette is a first person title which challenges the players to re-imagine their perspective on things. In this strange surreal world, zooming in turns you large and everything small but makes the world outside is large and daunting. It sounds strange but over time, players will learn more of Michael and Kenzie, their relationship and how to deal with love and loss. Maquette is out on March 2^nd for PS4, PS5 and PC.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch)

Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time was quite the dimension-hopping adventure when it first released for Xbox One and PS4. It had tons of levels, challenges like Flashback levels and N. Verted Mode, and multiple playable characters. While not being quite as successful as N. Sane Trilogy, the sequel gets a new leash on life for the PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch. It releases on March 12^th for those platforms (and later this year for PC), offering 4K/60 FPS gameplay on the Xbox Series X and PS5. Faster loading times, DualSense support for Neo Cortex’s blast and Tawna’s Hookshot, and even Activity Cards on the PS5 are all supported. Those who purchased the title on Xbox One or PS4 are also in luck since they’ll receive a free upgrade for Xbox Series X/S and PS5.