Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 6 seems to be back in the spotlight – impressions to touch

The Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship circuit has gained a lot of momentum and popularity in the United States in recent years. And it’s also trying to make a profit in the gaming industry. Publisher Milestone has been releasing a Monster Energy Supercross game annually since 2018. The first title in this franchise made significant strides in the world of sports and racing games, but there have been a few glitches — or more accurately, crashes — in the franchise. Now, Milestone has a chance to get back on track with Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 6.

Monster Energy Supercross 6 uses the Unreal Engine, a system that can deliver quite mixed results, especially when it comes to racing games. NASCAR 21: Ignition, which addressed a number of spin and crash bugs, among other things, is a good example of this.

For Supercross 6, Milestone announced that this year’s game would feature a refined racing experience. This includes an improved AI, an optimized physics system and various animations that are activated depending on the terrain of the track. A big issue I had with Supercross 5 was that the AI ​​and physics systems felt out of sync, and that would lead to some pretty insane pile-ups and crashes.

That doesn’t appear to be the case this year as the AI ​​looks more consistent – sure, the computer will take bad paths at times and of course fall. But at least the AI ​​doesn’t trip over itself regardless of difficulty, a pleasant change from 2022.

Aside from the gameplay changes, Milestone has added a number of other features to Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 6. Crossplay was introduced to the title, as was a new online ranking system. Not to mention that the developers have also added a new competition titled Rhythm Attack, which is a 1v1 race in which two players race side by side. Unlike a traditional 250cc or 450cc race, there are no corners – the only goal is to go as fast as possible and stay on the bike as you race towards the finish line.

In addition, Milestone has improved Free Roam with the Supercross Park, also available in career mode. Here users can find collectibles similar to previous games. However, users can also participate in single player games, train and gain experience racing in a number of different biomes found throughout the region.

You see, it’s not easy keeping things on track in a sports/racing franchise that releases a new game every calendar year. If you’ve played Supercross 4 & 5, I guess it’s fair to say that things felt a bit old-fashioned. But the tweaks to the AI ​​and physics make the game feel and play differently. Not to mention the addition of crossplay helps with matchmaking and keeps the franchise in line with what other racing and sporting franchises have done in recent years with expanded online play options.

Career mode is back for Supercross 6, a run-of-the-mill experience for games of this type. Supercross 6’s career mode includes a career path that takes players into the futures scene. From there, riders must work their way up to the top tier of Monster Energy Supercross by winning races and completing goals.

Driver upgrades follow a fairly traditional route. Users must acquire skill points by completing in-game objectives, and then put those points into a skill tree that controls a driver’s attributes.

Milestone isn’t doing anything groundbreaking with career mode. But one component that could be appreciated – mostly because I don’t think it’s used enough in other titles – is that drivers can get injured when racing. Injuries result in impaired race performance. Sure, some sports titles like NHL feature in-game injuries that can pause users in Career Mode, but others neglect this very real consequence of regularly participating in athletics. It might not seem that important, but at least Milestone has accounted for injuries to reflect realism.

For what it was, I really enjoyed playing Supercross 5 last year. However, its shortcomings were not negligible. While this year’s title takes the safe route – no wild storyline in Career Mode, nor a massive visual change – Supercross 6 is an improvement over last year. The addition of crossplay builds on the cross-gen multiplayer implemented in Supercross 5, while refinements to the racing experience make for smoother and more realistic racing.

Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 6 is a solid game overall. In fact, it’s the most complete title in the franchise in years. And the different game modes and features keep the experience fresh.