Monster Energy Supercross The Official Videogame 5

While fans looking for a realistic dirt bike racing experience will enjoy this game, those looking for something more forgiving will feel this falls short. Like previous installments, Monster Energy Supercross The Official Videogame 5 has you engaging in a series of multi-lap professional dirt bike races on really bumpy tracks someone built inside football stadiums and other arenas. It also, like previous versions, has realistic controls and tons of options. That includes real riders, bikes, and tracks, as well as multiple ways to play, including a multi-layered "Career" mode, a linear "Championship" progression, and one-off races you can play online against other people or off-line against the computer.

But this fifth installment also tries to appease people looking for a less authentic experience. Not only does it have optional assists that can alter the physics and steering to be realistic or relatively forgiving, but it also lets you decide whether shifting your weight (important when riding a bike) is handled by the player or something they don't need to worry about. It also has a mode, "Futures Academy," in which former supercross rider Ricky Carmichael teaches you to do tricks. But even with all the assists on, and some quality time with Ricky, this never has the arcade-y feel more casual riders have been hoping they'd add to this otherwise solid series. Still, if you knew who Carmichael was before this review, and hope to follow in his virtual footsteps, Monster Energy Supercross The Official Videogame 5 is like hitting a jump just right... and landing just as smoothly as well.