Today, I’m reviewing Monster Energy Supercross 4 or, as the logo on Steam shows, “Monster Energy AMA Supercross 4 FIM World Championship The Official Videogame”. An alarming number of brands and subtitles aside, I was eager to see what the series would play like, as a fan of racing games and high-caffeine energy drinks. With four entries at this point and a $60 price tag, I set my expectations high for a quality title.

Ten minutes after launching the game, I was left scratching my head wondering where it all went wrong. I was first introduced to the character creator which was stuck and left me with a pair of terrifying eyes that I couldn’t change. What little I could change resulted in a pink-bearded man with “Meme King” adorned on his back. The default name was the developer’s name: Mile Stone. Changing one letter, I decided on Mike Stone. I opted for a Kawasaki bike and was sent to a much-needed tutorial.

Unfortunately, the tutorial did little in the way of holding my hand. As the start of a motocross race entails a gate drop, I was shown four controls to configure the clutch and weight of the bike but not any guidance on how to use them. Never mind, I could do without a headstart. When it came time for the first turn, I braked and lost control at the first bend. The speed of the bike feels inconsistent as if to mimic a bike engine that’s on the fritz, making turning an ordeal instead of a natural occurrence.

Supercross is characterized by the bumpy straightaways on the track, meaning lots of jumps and landings needing to be executed to perfection. One slipup and you’ll faceplant into the dirt. This is handled by the player shifting the weight of the bike to land as level as possible after each jump. It took some getting used to, but I got the hang of it after a few tries. So, on to my first race. With the AI being set to Very Easy, this should be a breeze.

It was not. It was as if every racer shot out of the gate like a bat out of Hell. While I found my racing game expertise helped in making tight turns, every other racer gained on me in the straightaways. I figured they had optimized their landing after each jump, so I scoured the tutorials to see if there was any way for me to master this. There was not. As such, I finished my first race in nearly last place.

It’s dejecting to start a game on its easiest-intended option and come away failing miserably. If the tutorials could provide a simple lesson on gate drops, optimal turning, and weight-shifting, I’d stand a chance. Yet, after three tries on the very first race, I didn’t fare well at all. As such, I cannot recommend Monster Energy Supercross 4 to anyone looking to jump into the franchise. It could very well service pre-existing diehard fans; the skill tree, new track editor, and fanservice are all there, but it’s no place for even an intermediate racing gamer such as me. The fun factor is nonexistent.

A PC review copy of Monster Energy Supercross 4 was provided by Koch Media.

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Monster Energy Supercross 4

$59.99

5

Score

5.0/10

Pros

• High Level of Realism
• Good Performance

Cons

• Frustrating Controls
• Useless Tutorials
• High Price Point
• Disappointing Character Creator