MotoGP 23 Preview – A racing sim for everyone?

thesixthaxis.com:

MotoGP 23’s game engine does a lot of heavy lifting to pack the game with detail, and the textured leather of your rider’s suit is impressively lifelike, rippling, crinkling and reflecting in equal measure. You can’t possibly appreciate it when you’re in the middle of a race, but it’s nice to know it’s there, particularly if you’re the type of aficionado that salivates at the thought of correctly represented leather – remember that DriveClub announcement?

But really it’s the racing that you’re here for, and MotoGP 23 has plenty of it. There’s an array of different modes, with solo players able to indulge in a fully-fledged Career mode and Grand Prix, Championship and Time Trial options. There’s also a comprehensive training package for newcomers and lapsed motorbike racers alike, starting with the game’s Tutorials and ending with the MotoGP Academy. Meanwhile, multiplayer brings a welcome local split-screen option and the expected online component. For now, we were able to check out the single-player Grand Prix.

This is a full Grand Prix weekend experience, starting with Friday’s practice sessions, slipstreaming into Saturday’s qualifying, and finally taking that hard-won starting position through to Sunday’s race. You can toggle which of these you’re actually going to take part in, streamlining the event as much as you want.

The Alpha test only allowed access to the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello in Italy and the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, but the full release will include all twenty tracks found in the 2023 MotoGP season, as well as six historical tracks that include iconic circuits like the UK’s Donington Park, Laguna Seca in the US and Portugal’s Estoril.

The track visuals are crisp, clean and pleasingly