Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 3 Review – One more for the Dungey heap

I’m not going to even bother with a snappy intro on this review: Monster Energy Supercross 3 is exactly what you’re expecting it to be: The same game as the previous two instalments but with a minimum of set dressing layered on top of it so that gullible fans of all things Supercross can slap cash on the counter for a title that they’ve played several times already.

It’s still garishly dressed in the neon EXTREME colours of Monster Energy Drink, a concoction of caffeine designed to be sold to bros in Ed Hardy flat top caps and will chirp “yes?” in unison if you shout into a crowd that you’re looking for Kyle. Developer Milestone has taken yet another two-wheeled franchise, added a few updates and hit the render sequel button once again before moving on to the next project in their endless assembly line of motorcycle properties and called it a day.

So what’s really different? Milestone reckons that this year’s instalment will stand out from the pack as you’re now able to use PlayStation 3 era graphics to create a female avatar, which of course means that the handling of a trusty scrambler is different. How that handling differs I couldn’t say, but hey at least it’s nice to have options. Milestone’s other big draw for Supercross 3 is that it apparently has “improved gameplay”.

There’s definitely something different about the handling in Supercross 3, as it took me a good hour to learn how to readjust the style of play I’d grown accustomed to in previous games and rework it so that my rider didn’t become acquainted on a first-name basis with nearby track buffers whenever I turned a corner. There’s a lot more emphasis now not only on sticking to a line through corners but also on how you land your bike, with Monster Energy Supercross 3 mercifully having numerous training wheels options to help players adjust to the new handling status quo.

And that’s…that’s it really.

If this is your first rodeo with the series, then here’s what you need to know: It’s Supercross action, which is as American as can be as players tackle massive courses, massive jumps and circuits designed to squeeze as much spectacle from a course of suicidal AI riders as possible. This year’s incarnation at least performs better, maintaining a solid frame-rate as opposed to previous entries crashing and burning like Naomi Campbell’s music career.

When combined with the gameplay, it’s perfectly serviceable stuff on its best day. There’s a bevy of official courses, riders and gear to choose from (from last year I’ve been told), you’ve got a career mode to dip your feet into and several online modes to try out. If you fancy yourself as a racing genius, you can even whip up your own circuit in the track editor. The problem is, is that with no competition around Milestone is once again a winner in this genre by default.

I’ve more than reached my word quota for this review, and if that sounds like a half-arsed approach then congratulations: Now you know exactly how it feels to play one of these games yet again.

Last Updated: January 31, 2020