MotoGP15 is a similar case on both accounts. Taking notes from its predecessor while delivering a more authentic and solid experience that the series excels upon and does so well with, MotoGP 15 didn’t have to do much to impress me, it just had to fix what was wrong. Being the only studio that actually puts out games of this genre, Milestone S.r.l. doesn’t have any competition to be wary off. And while this may seem like a positive aspect for the studio, it also presents many challenges for them. Competition drives innovation, and innovation leads to new experiences.

" Competition drives innovation, and innovation leads to new experiences."

But if there’s no competition, slacking becomes prominent. Milestone S.r.l. is in competition with themselves. Which means I expect consistency while being delivered a new experience given their expertise in this area. MotoGP15 does attempt to achieve this and while it succeeds in certain aspects, primarily in the form of new game modes, it doesn’t provide a valid reason for those who have never been interested in the series to do so now.

MotoGP 15 has its audience but there’s nothing new that the game provides that will attract outsiders. The game brings back past game modes and those most common to racing games such as Championship, Grand Prix, Career, and Time Attack. All of which can be raced upon from a selection of over 20 bike models across 3 different classes, including those from all previous games in the series.

And while some of these traditional modes have undergone slight iterations with various online integration, the new additions come in the form of Real Events mode and Beat the Time. Real Events allows the player to relive past races from actual riders, while completing objectives and taking on challenges as they where actually performed by the appropriate rider. This is great news for hardcore fans of the game as well as motorcycle enthusiasts.

"Which means I expect consistency while being delivered a new experience given their expertise in this area."

While I didn’t fair so well taking on the challenges myself, the fact that it’s challenging encourages the player to continue and become better at the overall game. Beat the Time expands on this aspect of challenge as it requires the player to beat a specific time on a specific track with a specific bike.

While this somewhat diverts the players focus when aiming to master a specific bike in other game modes, it is enjoyable and it provides something else for the player to take part in. Where the soul of the game resides is within its Career mode. Creating a custom character consisting of gear, racing style, name, nationality, and gender, allows the player to have presence within the game and participate as a professional rider.

As the player works their way up by completing races, signing with teams, and participating in sponsor based contracts, they’ll earn reputation points in the form of money and fans. Rather than implementing a complicated menu system coupled by tabs and tables, the game seeks to immerse the player directly in to the game through the use of the riders cabin. Within this space the player can check their calendar for upcoming races, enter their bedroom to change their riders gear, and check their PC for emails from teams and contracts.

"Where the soul of the game resides is within its Career mode."

This is a unique touch and it goes a long a way in making the player feel immersed within the game’s world. While the additional game modes are great to see and is clearly something that enthusiasts will certainly be excited for, controls and gameplay mechanics is most likely where this specific audience is hoping to see changes and improvements.

MotoGP 15 is all about authenticity and realistic handling, and while this is tailorable for a more casual experience, the game encourages the player to progress with their skills so that they’re able to race on the top-end on the scale. Since the experience is configurable, players are given many choices in terms of racing aids, level of A.I., racing lines, brake assistance, vehicle damage, and physics simulation.

Although this works well in practice it can cause some issues when the player chooses to take part in a race which requires a different class of vehicle, or should they choose to customize or upgrade their custom bike. But this is all down to the learning aspects of the game as it means you’re required to adopt to new situations, something which will become very apparent with the games various weather conditions, when fitting incorrect tire types.

As mentioned previously, the A.I. of the competition varies depending on the player’s choosing of set difficulty, and while the it seems to fair well during the default difficulty setting, how it fares on easier and harder levels is where things can feel a tad bit random. Adjusting the game for an easier ride can cause the game’s A.I. to not pay attention in the existence of other racers on the track.

"This is a unique touch and it goes a long a way in making the player feel immersed within the game's world."

This is common to a fair number of racing games and it results in a simple manner of trying to finish the race as opposed to riding professionally. The lack of awareness is begging for a pun here, but I’ll willing to leave things be. Harder difficulties can result in a more challenging and enjoyable experience for those familiar with the series as well as those who are willing to put in the work and raise their skill level. This is where player A.I. becomes a bit more interesting as it deliver on the intended experience that the game wishes to deliver.

Something which becomes very obvious from the start of the game is the emphasis on motorcycling history. Throughout the games many loading screens and introductory videos, MotoGP 15 prides itself on presenting information on historical events, tips on racing with specific vehicles, and how to make the most of tuning your bike before heading out on to the track.

All of which proves to be helpful and aims to make the player a better rider. Graphical quality is where the game falls short, sadly. While it’s a step-up from its predecessor, it isn’t without its faults. Vehicle and character models are superb, there’s no doubt about it. Combined with cinematic camera angles and depth-of-field to top it off, the entrance to every race can be truly immersive.

Where this all seems to fall apart however, resides in the presentation of the race overall. Stadiums and tracks are appealing at first but it’s doesn’t take too long before you realize just how bland and lifeless these locations actually are. Ever since the release of Codemasters’ GRID 2 back in 2013, I’ve held it as the visual standard for every racing game that has come and gone since.

"This isn't done as a measurement of gameplay, authenticity, or graphical quality, but in terms of its visual presentation and the factor of immersion. "

This isn’t done as a measurement of gameplay, authenticity, or graphical quality, but in terms of its visual presentation and the factor of immersion. It has unique wow factor that a great number of racers seem to lack and it’s something that I wish more games would take note from.

MotoGP 15 is without a doubt a solid racer, unfortunately, it’s gasping for life. Cheering crowds, balloons in the air, helicopters flying above the stadium, smoke and particle effects. I could easily go on but it’s these small details specifically that made GRID 2 so appealing and so distinct from it’s competitors.

It had life, it thrived on immersion, and it breathed excitement. MotoGP 15 is bland. There’s no sense whatsoever that any of the environments the game presents to the player could be actual real-world locations. Almost everything within its environments resemble a movie prop. It’s quite painful to say this too, since the gameplay itself is truly amazing. Other aspects in the games visual department also fall short, primarily within its textures.

"Other aspects in the games visual department also fall short, primarily within its textures. "

As far as I can tell, anisotropic filtering looks to be rated at around 4X, it could be slightly higher but it’s not pleasing regardless. To put this in layman’s terms, everything outside the immediate vicinity of the rider isn’t too attractive to look at. Performance on the other hand seems to be fairly stable, something of which is much more important to the overall experience of the game.

Milestone S.r.l. has created a superb game, there’s plenty to do and there’s a reason to progress within all of its many game modes. While I’m pleased to see how much it’s improved from its predecessor, what I would like to see going forward with the series is a rise in visual quality. Authentic experiences are key to games of this nature but if they can only do this in the way of gameplay mechanics, they would’ve been better off by applying an update to the game that came before.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox One.

GamingBolt had a chance to speak to Milestone technical designer Andrea Basilio about MotoGP 15 and the various changes we’d be seeing. Along with Xbox One development, we also asked Basilio about committing to previous gen development as well as current gen consoles and what other gameplay features can be expected. MotoGP 15 is already available worldwide for Xbox One, PS4, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

"In Milestone we have two separate teams that develop the two generation versions. The old gen and current gen development follows the same workflow but on a parallel path."

Rashid K. Sayed: MotoGP 14 featured a new engine which brought improved engine audio and improved lighting and shading. What kind of improvements can we expect in MotoGP 15?

Andrea Basilio: On MotoGP 15 we added several technical improvements on our engine. We focused especially on more realistic (based on physics) shaders in order to recreate the different materials that compose a bike. We also improved the environments with a new crowd system and improved 3D Trees. Plus we have a new weather after effect effects system and a brand new skies system.

Rashid K. Sayed: This will be the first time a MotoGP game comes to the Xbox One but you guys have already launched RIDE on the Xbox One. Is it fair to state that the development has been easier compared to RIDE?

Andrea Basilio: The Xbox One is a really powerful and easy to managed hardware. With RIDE we’ve understood how to use the new system and its tools. On MotoGP15 we’re performing a step forward and we’re using the Xbox One a lot better.

Rashid K. Sayed: MotoGP 14 faced criticism for its cross-generational development, yet MotoGP 15 will also be out on Xbox 360 and PS3 along with Xbox One and PS4. How will you address any deficiencies that arise from this process for MotoGP 15?

Andrea Basilio: In Milestone we have two separate teams that develop the two generation versions. The old gen and current gen development follows the same workflow but on a parallel path. A wide part of our audience still stays on old consoles gen and we want to bring to them the best MotoGP game possible.

Rashid K. Sayed: Furthermore, the gaming community in general believes that last gen versions held back the current gen capabilities. And to an extent it might hold back Moto GP 15 to truly shine on the PS4 and Xbox One. How are you making sure the sacrifices are kept to a minimum?

Andrea Basilio: In Milestone we don’t see the things in this way. We developed every single asset of the game in two different versions (one for each generation). I can assure you that our current gen version hasn’t been sacrificed in order to keep the old generations.

"This is the most important evolution of MotoGP15. The player can create and race for his own team. When the team is created will be possible to buy a bike that you like most and customize it as you prefer."

Rashid K. Sayed: Tell us more about the Beat the Time mode which introduces some elements of randomness to the racing. What rewards can players expect if they perform well?

Andrea Basilio: We develop the Beat the Time mode for giving a spot of the less famous bikes, normally shadowed from the most famous ones of the championship. We will see interesting challenges online due to for the first time there is a completely “challenge driven” leaderboard.

Rashid K. Sayed: What kind of multiplayer modes can we expect in MotoGP 15?

Andrea Basilio: On MotoGP15 we decided to keep the same and appreciated game modes from the past years focusing all our efforts on online stability and Xbox One integration. At the end of the day, we can offer to our players four game modes: Grand Prix, Championship, Sprint Season and Split Times.

Rashid K. Sayed: Customization has been vastly expanded in MotoGP 15 with the introduction of GP Credits, different bike models to purchase and tons of accessories. Can you tell us more about it?

Andrea Basilio: This is the most important evolution of MotoGP15. The player can create and race for his own team. When the team is created will be possible to buy a bike that you like most and customize it as you prefer. Selection comes with several liveries available. The colours of the liveries can be chosen and customized by the player.

Rashid K. Sayed: Will there be any cross save and cross pay options for PS3/PS4 with the PS Vita?

Andrea Basilio: No unfortunately we did not support this feature.

Rashid K. Sayed: RIDE ran at 30 frames per second on both the PS4 and Xbox One. Is there a chance that you might push it to 60 fps at 1080p given that MotoGP is Milestone’s flagship franchise?

Andrea Basilio: See question 10.

"MotoGP15 is going to be the best MotoGP game ever made. The new custom team section is a brand new experience for a MotoGP game."

Rashid K. Sayed: If you guys are going to stick at 30 fps, is there any specific reason? The racing community does expect racing games to run at 60 fps after all.

Andrea Basilio: On MotoGP we have more than 30 riders together on the track (moto2). This is a bike game, that is means that we have to simulate more that 30 physics (riders and bikes) at the same time. Basically the power isn’t enough to push the game on 60 FPS, but we’re working on it.

Rashid K. Sayed: Are you bumping the weather effects compared to the last entry?

Andrea Basilio: Yes, we’re working in this direction in order to obtain a more realistic rain effect. It is going to be really easy to notice to our fans. The rain now looks and feels more realistic.

Rashid K. Sayed: This is a tricky question and I hope you will be able to answer this. The PS4 has more GPU cores compared to Xbox One (18 vs. 12). Do you think developers sub-optimizing the PS4 version so that the message remains the same across both versions?

Andrea Basilio: I don’t know what are developers thinks about it but for sure in Milestone we push both the consoles as much as we can.

Rashid K. Sayed: So a few months ago, Microsoft freed up more CPU power by releasing the 7^th core for developers. Are you guys using it and generally speaking are there any benefits to it?

Andrea Basilio: Yes, of course we use it, ad yes we have a big improvement to have one core more available. I think the users will benefit this improvement.

Rashid K. Sayed: Is there anything else you want to tell us before we let you go?

Andrea Basilio: MotoGP15 is going to be the best MotoGP game ever made. The new custom team section is a brand new experience for a MotoGP game. The big difference with previous MotoGP games is that players can in any time switch between his custom team and real teams. Basically they can decide if they want to win with their personal team or with a real team. MotoGP is going to hit the shelves June 19^th on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

The game is currently slated to receive a cross generation release on June 19th 2015, launching on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PS Vita and PC.

• 1. Development
• 2. Story
• 3. Gameplay
• 4. Bikes

Development

The game’s technical designer Andrea Basilio has spoken specifically about the Xbox One build of the game, stating that “The Xbox One is a really powerful and easy to manage hardware. With RIDE we’ve understood how to use the new system and its tools. On MotoGP 15 we’re performing a step forward and we’re using the Xbox One a lot better.”

He goes on to mention that the game will be making use of the Xbox One’s newly unshackled Xbox One CPU core, saying “Yes, of course we use it, and yes, we have a big improvement to have one core more available. I think the users will benefit from this improvement.”

Story

While the game doesn’t carry a narrative with it, there is a new “enhanced career mode” for single-player fans containing sponsorships and other racing events to work one’s way through.

Gameplay

MotoGP 15 doesn’t do much to change the fundamental gameplay mechanics of simulation racing and instead puts more of an emphasis on customization of the player’s racing experience.

This includes over 100 individual accessories that can be purchased in game by way of GP credits, an entirely virtual currency that is earned through any number of racing events, be it online or offline.

The game also sports over 20 different bike models that will span 3 separate biking classes, including MotoGP, Moto 2 and Moto 3. Further customization is offered with a total of 40 different bike liveries supported with the corresponding official colour scheme.

As you progress further into the game, you have the opportunity to to accept a sponsorship. Character customization is also offered thanks to coloured leathers, boots and gloves. Should you choose to, you can even customize your bikers face, though this will often be hidden behind the games dedicated helmet editor.

Also on offer, is the chance to race alongside riders and bikes from the 2015 season as well as “real events from the 2014 season”.

Outside of  the career mode, there are the Online Grand Prix, Online Championship, MotoGP Sprint Season and Split Battle modes.

Bikes

At this time, an official listing of all available vehicles in the game has not been released.

Note: This wiki will be updated once we have more information about the game.

Just less than a year a later the studio released RIDE. With an additional layer of authenticity that the game trumped its brethren on, and the near flawless gameplay mechanics that the studio knows so well, RIDE had succeeded in winning me over. While it’s fair to say that the former and the latter provide a fairly similar yet different experience, my curiosity over MotoGP 15 is one that’s justified. After being two-minded about the prequel and spending a fair amount of time with RIDE, my hopes that the studio’s new installment will fix the problems I mentioned in the past, while exceeding the level of enjoyment I experienced with the other, is one that I hope will come to fruition.

" It would appear that with no competition within this genre of racing games, the studio seems to be on a roll and they no intention of stopping. "

With MotoGP 15 set to release in early June, it seems Milestone S.r.l had taken note of the points I made about their previous game. And after being granted some time with their latest installment, it’s safe to say I walked away fairly impressed. The first thing that stood out to me after loading up the game was its visual upgrade.

Where MotoGP 14 focused its attention on bike models and the four-foot of textures that stood before the rider, MotoGP 15 has stepped things up quite a bit. Something in particular that Milestone S.r.l seems to always come correct on is the attention to detail within its bike selection. Geometry is superb and you’ll have to look twice before realizing it’s a game. Breathing some life in to its tracks and the surrounding environment, MotoGP 15 delivers the immersion factor that the former lacked.

Enhancing this factor of immersion is the game’s dynamic weather system. It would seem that with titles such as DriveClub and Project Cars, the infatuation with rain, slippery roads, and presenting everything wet and dangerous, downright not safe to navigate a vehicle in, is something that the game seeks to add to its level of realism. While I found this terrifying and all the more exciting,  the most interesting aspect about this system wasn’t how pretty it looked. But the way in which it affected the game’s mechanics and handling.

"Enhancing this factor of immersion is the games dynamic weather system. "

Shifting from clear sunny skies to a grey cloudy downpour, it was clear I had to rethink my strategy for getting around the track. What was once an enjoyable yet cautious ride in the wind was now a ghoulish survival simulator. No longer was I concerned with winning as opposed to staying staying alive. After a brief discussion on the idea of support for Oculus Rift and how to implement a suitable control scheme, it turned out to be more frightening than exciting.

On to the game’s physics where the game holds its greatest strengths, MotoGP15 takes things up a notch by incorporating the rider’s physics directly in to its weather system. The way in which wet weather situations would naturally effect the rider’s handling as well as the conditions of the tracks they’ll be racing on is without a doubt astonishing. Riding through the rain as opposed to dry conditions means players will have to think twice when taking corners and picking up acceleration.

"What was once an enjoyable yet cautious ride in the wind was now a ghoulish survival simulator. "

Players will be able to rewind the gameplay should they fall or make any mistakes, allowing them to become better at the game and learn how its mechanics fully work. Where the game delivers on content comes in the form of customizable bikes that holds true to authenticity, custom riders so that players may immerse themselves further in to the game, and custom teams for the player to manage in the game’s career mode.

Releasing with over two hundred bikes for the player to decide from and finding something that suits their liking, MotoGP 15 certainly looks promising. From what I’ve played of the game so far it’s clear that there’s something to look forward to and it’s clearly a step-up from its predecessor. Catering to both beginners and enthusiasts, MotoGP 15 shouldn’t face any troubles in reaching its intended audience as well as bringing in newcomers. How the studio plans to support the game in the long run is something that’s unknown at this point, but given its stellar gameplay and the content it’s promised upon, this may be something to be excited for after the game’s initial release.

Coming in close to the game’s release, readers can expect a full in-depth review on MotoGP 15. Stay tuned.

This game was previewed on the PlayStation 4.

The Xbox One has been making some major strides since it first launched. Though recognized as less powerful than Sony’s PlayStation 4, Microsoft has been refining the performance through patches and updates, unlocking more of the performance for developers to take advantage of. One such developer is Milestone S.r.l which brought us the MotoGP series and RIDE. GamingBolt spoke to technical designer Andrea Basilio, who is currently working on MotoGP 15 about developing for the Xbox One and the potential that lies within the console.

MotoGP 15 will be the first game in the series to arrive on Xbox One but Milestone already has experience with the console thanks to RIDE. On development being easier as a result, Basilio stated that, “The Xbox One is a really powerful and easy to manage hardware. With RIDE we’ve understood how to use the new system and its tools. On MotoGP 15 we’re performing a step forward and we’re using the Xbox One a lot better.”

Basilio also said that MotoGP 15 will be taking advantage of the extra CPU core freed up by Microsoft for development. “Yes, of course we use it, and yes, we have a big improvement to have one core more available. I think the users will benefit from this improvement.”

MotoGP 15 is out on July 19th for Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3, PS Vita and PC. What are your thoughts on it taking advantage of the Xbox One’s additional CPU core? Let us know below.