Milestone S.l.r are certainly no strangers to the motorcycle racing game (no pun intended), with the Italian developers being responsible for the majority of licensed two-wheeled action titles we see today. Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame is their latest offering, and we look at how well they did in capturing the essence of supercross.



Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame (they really could’ve thought of a catchier title), brings you to the forefront of the 2017 Monster Energy AMA Championship season, with 17 official tracks and all licensed athletes from the 2017 season. There are a number of game modes to choose from – single player, multiplayer, and a track editor. The multiplayer aspect is fairly basic; you can join a game, find a quick race, or create your own race for others to join.

Single player offers single events where you choose a rider, a track, set your race conditions, and off you go. The central aspect of single player is the career mode. Here you create your own customised character, choose a starter bike from major manufacturers, and ultimately battle to become the Supercross World Champion.

The career consists of winning three championships overall and gives a decent 25 hours or so of playtime if you choose to play on the ‘Realistic’ career experience. While you can choose the shorter alternatives, I strongly recommend the ‘Realistic’ setting, as this deepens the immersion, as well as gives you time to analyse the track, know where and how to hit each jump, and keeps you from completing the game in one day.



It is refreshing to pick up a racing title that throws you into a race and says: ‘Here we go, figure it out. Have fun.’ Don’t get me wrong, tutorials are handy, but too often racing games offer too much hand-holding. It was frustrating to try and figure out controls while attempting to understand the mechanics and physics of it all, but once you get the hang of it, it is incredibly satisfying knowing that you figured it out without being taught by the game how to win. Or not terrible, at least.

Milestone has done amazingly well at capturing the technical aspects of supercross racing. If you just floor it, you end up being slow over jumps and losing ground. This is where the qualifying sessions can be handy, as you learn how to get triple jumps down, where to land to maximise your height and speed, and how the bike will react at various sections of each course. It boils down to timing and reading jumps, and Milestone has done a superb job.

Milestone has used an impressively accurate physics engine, especially when set to the ‘Realistic’ setting. The most impressive feature is the way the track morphs, with the dirt turning up on corners, hills, and jumps, forcing you to adapt as the laps tick by.

The weather also has a profound effect on the track as rain/wet conditions leave mud patches, lowering traction and leave you tail sliding around corners. Not only does this add to the authentic feeling of supercross racing, but it makes for a far more challenging and rewarding experience.



There were some instances of unpredictability with the physics but nothing that impacted gameplay. The only complaint regarding interaction was the foam pads that are used to map out the course, I liken them to trees in Grand Theft Auto. Also, I might have just blamed bad timing on the game when I fell.

The controls are set out in a traditional racing layout and were comfortable, especially over extended periods of play. A nifty little feature when you play on PS4; the light bar changes colour according to the rev limiter. Little details like this make it feel real, and, well, that’s just cool.

The graphics are stunningly detailed, and Milestone took full advantage of Unreal Engine 4™, with dust particles being incredibly distinct and water was realistically reflective. The game doesn’t achieve full 60fps but it does run silky smooth thanks to the PS4 Pro enhancement. The lifelike capture of the stadium layouts and the accurate distancing scaling that Milestone has implemented gives you a beautiful setting and incredibly accurate scope and scale of a Supercross race.

The textures of all the accessories and lighting effects, both on and off-track, all added to the authenticity of Monster Energy Supercross. Shadow effects were detailed as you raced through the course, and shifted realistically as the stadium lights changed angles.



Milestone paid a great deal of attention to the audio design, capturing each bike’s unique sound, and the different exhaust manufacturers. Furthermore, each bike had slightly different mechanics as well. When developers pay meticulous attention to these small details, it really makes a major impact on the overall experience.

Some gripes
The Italians have done an impressive job with Monster Energy Supercross, but it is not without fault. The biggest complaint I found was that the career was lacking substance. While the premise of Monster Energy Supercross is to relive the 2017 season, it still could’ve been spiced up a little.

For example, you unlock various sponsors when you attain certain Prestige Levels, but you can change sponsors at will. There are no real consequences when you fail to fulfil your sponsorship requirement either, except for a short cutscene where you look slightly childish, having a tantrum.

The customisation is also somewhat shallow, with various parts increasing your Speed, Acceleration, Handling, and Braking stats, but there wasn’t much difference with each brand that you choose. They all give you the same upgrade increments, and the more expensive parts offer higher stats, but that’s all. Simply, it boils down to brand loyalty more than anything else.

There were surprisingly few performance issues, aside from the occasional physics engine unpredictability. The most common technical issue, was the drastic frame drop during the Holeshot (as the gates came down to start). Other than that, Supercross ran astonishingly well.



The track editor menu required a considerable amount of patience. Disclaimer: I don’t have a great deal of patience and custom track editing isn’t my forte. You can download other players track creations or upload your own, and if you enjoy customising your own course, there are countless options and variations for you to revel in.

Furthermore, I would have appreciated some commentating during the races. There is a short intro that Ralph Sheheen gives before the race and an outro afterwards, but as you are blitzing around the dirt, there is only stadium announcements (inaudible) and faint music.

Overall, Monster Energy Supercross is a visually impressive and accurate reflection of what supercross racing is about. It caters for players looking for an arcade-ish game where they can just jump straight in and race, as well as for the supercross fan who is looking to indulge their inner supercross champion. Aside from the slightly superficial customisation and career progression, Monster Energy Supercross is a must for any motocross game fanatic or anyone looking for a challenging and realistic supercross experience.