Monster Energy Supercross - The Official Videogame 4

Monster Energy Supercross 4 is definite step up for the series, with a robust Career mode that provides you with plenty to do. The Compound is a great mode to practice in, and the handling has certainly improved since the last outing of the series.

The latest Monster Energy Supercross is a fun (but rather hard and not very approachable) game with a great track editor. My main concern is that there are too few notable changes and improvements compared to the previous entry to the series, and the graphics are years behind the times. [05/2021, p.64]

Once you've gotten into it, a surprising depth of play reveals itself.

Monster Energy Supercross 4 is a stunningly beautiful game. It’s exhilarating and unique, but some elements feel unfinished. I’m sure Multiplayer will be the biggest draw to play with friends or race online, but I still had a lot of unexpected fun playing single-player races. While graphics are perhaps the best in the series to date, they still appear flat in some areas, especially the compound. It’s nice to have character creation, but the lack of female pro riders feels like a tremendous missed opportunity to grow the popularity of the sport and game. This will satisfy the series’s longtime fans, but I feel there’s still room to grow.

Outside the career mode there are no significant improvements made to the game, though. The physics and the gameplay remain great and it feels like it’s even more important this time around to balance your rider with the right thumbstick of the controller, especially when landing jumps. When playing the game on PC, I couldn’t help but notice how the visuals drag behind the standards of modern gaming. Character models are the same as before and by each year they get more outdated. Landscapes look bland and boring and there are hardly any particle effects which would have helped to improve the feel of ripping through mud and gravel. Of course, it’s always great when a yearly iteration of a sports game has had courage to revamp its core experience. Granted, the new career mode allows long-lasting gameplay but it’s simply not fun to play anymore.

Monster Energy Supercross 4 is not a Jack of All Trades. It attempts to do many things, but most of them fall flat. However, what it does do well, namely thrilling and authentic motocross racing, it does with complete mastery. This is an occasionally great game that is often mediocre, and a minor upgrade as a sequel.

Not the finest physics simulation ever, but good enough to convey a uniquely challenging discipline—plus, all the customisation items in the world.

Even though the career has been completely redesigned, it doesn't make much sense to nerf all riders before they've left the gate. And though the action on the track is still very solid, there are still plenty of sharp edges that are in need of polish. Especially if you played last year's installment, it may be best to steer clear of this outing.

Milestone is bringing improvements and more content to its supercross game, but it's not sure that this will be enough to satisfy fans. As for the newcomers, they should not be discouraged by the title's demands. The career mode has been effectively revised, but remains rather classic like all the other activities offered. However, the track editor is quite convincing. Anyway, the sensations are there, it's a pity that the graphics are still from another era.