With the release of the new Moto GP, I was in for a great weekend playing one of my favorite racing games of all time. I remember playing Moto GP 4 on my PS2 years ago and being completely blown away; I have never played a game that has been so well done in terms of driving physics.

The latest version of Moto GP promised even better handling and physics…

The graphics have been done very well; all the bikes and riders as well as the tracks are all authentic and look pretty good. While on the bike and going at high speed, the riders view is slightly blurry…this is because the bike will obviously vibrate at high speed, which is hard to get used to but also highly realistic. The driving views are pretty much the same as previous titles in the franchise, but there’s a new feature in the viewfinder view.

When turning corners, the view will tilt with the bike, making it feel like the player is on the bike. Crashes can happen at any time and they look pretty real when you flip the top of the bike over. Most of the time you won’t crash at high speeds too often, but at lower speeds the bike feels heavy and difficult to maneuver; Too much throttle could spin the bike or flip you backwards on a wheelie.

The game’s sound effects and sound track are similar to previous titles in the Moto GP franchise. The evolution of the sport has transformed the way we ride and upgrade the bike, which means improvements to the exhaust as well. This means the bikes don’t sound as bad or have that raw power and clang. In a way that is also good. However, the menu music and background music during gameplay are not that great.

The controls are basic and easy. Braking and steering aren’t as responsive as they could have been. I found myself braking and swerving off the track too many times for my liking, but it takes some getting used to and after a while (a long time) the player will be able to stay on the track with no problem. During the full simulation, the player can take the bike over the grass at full speed without dropping it, which makes this simulation game feel very arcadey. Even without full traction controls and bike assist, it still feels like the game doesn’t let you access the full power awesomeness of the bike. At lower speeds, the bike is a bit more difficult to handle in slow steering, and the bike also feels heavy going from chicane to chicane.

There are a few modes for the player to play including the world championship where the player can ride as their favorite rider from the Moto GP stable and race on all 18 circuits during the season. There are also single races, time trials, challenge modes, and a career mode where the player can create their own rider, select their team and riding franchise, bike size, and sponsors. During the season, you can upgrade your bike, including tires, gearbox, and suspension, or even change your sponsorship entirely and ride a new bike. With the multiplayer mode you can team up and earn more team points at the end of each race, or play split screen against each other. You can also play online with up to 20 players in each race. With all these modes to play, this title definitely has replay value.

During my time with this title I saw no crashes or frame drops, the game is very smooth. The only problem I saw was that the braking and steering were a bit slow, but a good friend of mine told me that I am too aggressive when it comes to braking. If you also have this problem, be sure to use brake assist on both the front and rear brakes, or you will stop and drop the bike from the rear. I still think the steering was too slow, but then again the bike hits speeds of 300km/h and braking and turning at those speeds will be difficult.

Verdict:

Moto GP is a great title, but you’ll need to spend a bit more time to perfect the new handling and game physics.

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

Distributor: Nu Metro

Platform:

Xbox 360

ps3