Monster Jam: Steel Titans Review (PS4)

When word got out that there was another Monster Jam game I have to admit I was pretty excited since I couldn’t wait to see how the series evolved throughout the years.

This latest iteration, called Monster Jam: Steel Titans takes the idea of monster truck madness and pushes it even further with new maps, new challenges, new car models, and new excuses to demolish innocent crates. The entire game seems to be catered around reintroducing the series to new players above all else, as you can probably tell by the presence of the Monster Jam University. This acts as a central hub from where you learn (and most likely revisit later) all the basics of controlling your monster trucks and the various types of game modes you’ll be encountering throughout your playtime.

I have to admit, the controls are definitely challenging for anyone who’s never tried a Monster Jam Game before, and paying close attention to the tutorials will help you a lot in the long run. Unfortunately, some challenges are far more difficult to learn than the others, so if you end up redoing certain tutorial missions, it isn’t something to be ashamed of.

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The graphics are a bit of a let-down

I have to admit I was expecting a bit more from a 2019 game, and as far as the visuals go, Monster Jam: Steel Titans has disappointed me. The main problem stems from the fact that there is a great contrast between the quality and effort put into vehicle design, and the environment. For example, while vehicles look incredibly realistic,  a lot of environmental elements look very blocky or pixelated, and in most instances don’t have time to update themselves when you pass them by at full speed. More so, there are situations when they don’t even load during cut-scenes, when the camera is panning very slowly.

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Badly implemented physics

One thing that I hate in racing games in general (especially those that also involve performing stunts) is a poorly designed physics engine. I’m not saying that would be the case with Monster Jam: Steel Titans as a whole, but there are moments when your vehicle will behave in a way that will make you think “Mr. Isaac Newton would probably be ashamed”. While real-life monster trucks are indeed very bouncy because of their big wheels, they took this aspect and exaggerated it a bit, as running into a wall (without even being at full speed) will sometimes make you ricochet and spin into the air like a boomerang.

The music is fine though

Because when you say “monster trucks” you probably associate the term with things such as “wild” or “extreme”, you’ll be glad to know that the game’s sound track goes perfectly with the adrenaline-fueled thrill ride that is Monster Jam: Steel Titans. Fast-paced rock music is all in a day’s work, and the OST is made up of quite a few songs, so getting bored will never be an issue.

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The same chaotic controls you either grew to love or hate

Because we are talking about a game where the wheel of your vehicle is taller than the driver, it goes without saying that the controls are very different from that of a typical racing game. One thing you mustn't forget is that monster truck races are about doing a lot of stunts, and Monster Jam: Steel Titansallows you to do popular crowd-pleasers such as Bicycles, Stoppies, Moonwalks, Walk Its, Cyclones, Pogos, Power Outs and Back-Flips. The problem is that it is a lot easier said than done, especially if you didn’t time things with almost military precision. In fact, panic may sometimes ensue as you lose control of your vehicle, and you may end up performing “Donuts” and “Wheelies” by accident, which is either good or bad depending on who you ask.

A lot of game modes

Monster Jam: Steel Titans has a lot of game modes for you to try out, from simple circuit races where the goal is to come out in 1st place, to game modes where the aim is to perform as many stunts or destroy as many crates as possible. You can select the difficulty level for each game mode, as well as gain access to a variety of race tracks which can be unlocked during gameplay.

Plenty of monster truck designs

Speaking of unlocking, every time you play, you will get some currency at the end, which you can use to unlock a variety of new features. Since monster truck races are all about spectacle, it wouldn’t hurt to look the part if you’re going to impress the judges. That is why Monster Jam: Steel Titans offers a wide variety of skins for you to try out, each more wild, crazy or ridiculous than the other. The number of skins is quite impressive, so you’ll be doing a lot of races if you’re a completionist and dream of having the entire collection. Of course, legend says that after you take away all the flashy skins and make-up, monster truck races are also about vehicle performance. Vehicle parts are also unlockable, and they provide better stats that will help you in races, but keep note that each part you unlock only applies to a particular skin, so unlocking all the parts for all skins is…..quite a task.

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More so, if you love bragging about you’re achievements, you’ll love the game’s photo mode, where all you have to do is get the wildest shots of your monster trucks imaginable, without the interference of UI elements.

The Good

The Bad

Conclusion