Monster Energy Supercross 4 is Laps Better Than the Competition

With all the sponsorships and packed stadiums of fans supporting Supercross, I would have expected the Monster Energy Supercross series to push the genre in a direction that satisfies fans and gets new gamers interested in the sport.

Sadly, each iteration so far requires a bit of patience when it comes to its systems, as they generally gear towards hardcore players. While Monster Energy Supercross 3 did a great job of making good of the basic systems, it didn’t really do must different. Well, Monster Energy Supercross 4 is here to take the foundation of the previous release and build off of its strongest features.

Monster Energy Supercross 4 gives players the option to play through the Monster Energy Supercross Futures, where players can race their way to the top. Based on my time with the game, this is easier said than done, but that’s simply based on my own skill level.

I wouldn’t consider myself as well-versed as most in the sport, but I can make my way around the track alright. Luckily for me, controlling my character and bike was the easiest part to wrap my head around. Everything after is where skill comes into play.

Each track seems to have a different feel as the bike reacts differently to the terrain. It took me a few laps to get the hang of a track, but the result is each track now has an identity instead of them feeling the same.

The AI riders are a little more responsive to my actions, but I only really noticed this on turns. I never really liked how large jumps would just result in bikes landing on other riders, which is comical, but I feel like the riders should react to this event instead of simply respawning the track.

Turning and acceleration feel great while playing. It’s not as beginner-friendly, and you’ll probably launch off the track for the first few turns, but control just feels so fluid here. I encountered one issue out of bounds, which the game lets you do, but if you touch any person standing outside of the track, you will automatically respawn, no matter how fast you are going. The NPC, however, will just stand unphased. There really needs to be more interaction with the crowd and these random onlookers. It’s definitely a step up from the crowds of the previous release, though.

I went into Monster Energy Supercross 4 hoping for the bare minimum, but I was left surprised by just how much the team accomplished this release. Given that this was a preview build of the game, I feel like any adjustments will only make the game better, but that just means more will ride on the additional modes and graphics. I think the bikes look awesome, but the faces of the riders are somewhat scary. I know this isn’t a game about looks; I just really don’t like those uncanny eyes.

Monster Energy Supercross 4 really needs to nail the online systems for this title to set itself apart from other racers. However, from what I played in this preview build, Monster Energy Supercross 4 is laps better than the competition, which shows Milestone is listening to fans and putting effort into making this the best Supercross title date.