Having lapped up the more popularist PS2 bike franchise Superbike earlier in the year we were eager to get our leather clad mitts on this year’s MotoGP. Whilst the Superbike series seems intent on pushing the bling and bikini’s of the biking world, MotoGP has always been cut from more serious cloth. The differences between the two titles can be summed up by their respective loading screens. Superbike opts for a variety of scantily clad grid-girls, whilst MotoGP touts its racing-star riders.

In terms of the machines themselves, MotoGP represents constructor developed bikes, whereas Superbike prefers road tuned models on its grid. If you want to consider a four wheeled equivalent, MotoGP is akin to formula one whereas Superbike is more along the lines of the TOCA Touring Car Championships. If you already have a bike racing preference in the real world you are likely to be drawn towards the title that represents your leaning, but for those of us who just want to dabble with some two-wheeled racing either title will fit the bill.

Now, before we get into the game proper we need to dispel a bit of confusion. Previously the MotoGP franchise has been a*ociated with THQ and Climax's well established market leading and highly praised racing series. However, this year the franchise is now in the hands of Capcom. The game in hand is this brand new MotoGP series rather than another iteration from the previous team. As we shall see, this is a solid first release for a new series, but one that lacks the game-balancing and evolved graphics of THQ and Climax’s game.

As a relative newcomer to the world of MotoGP racing, grappling with the controls came as a bit of a shock. It turned out my learning was primarily needed in the fundamentals of how a bike works in the real world rather than any difficulty with the game controls or mechanics. A lack of experience of persuading these large metal two wheeled objects around corners soon showed me up as a novice. It is a testament to the authenticity of the game that I wasn‘t able to progress very far on mere instincts and wit. I soon had to dig in to the considerable tutorial mode and get back to the basics of big bike racing.

The most flexible of the control schemes is inevitably the one you will end up using for anything but a cursory play. This scheme makes full use of the Dual Shock’s two analogue sticks. The left stick is used to steer - left and right control the limited turning in addition to forwards and back adjusting your position on the cycle, enabling you to pop a wheeling or struggle to keep the front tyre on the ground. The right sick is then used as an analogue acceleration and brake. Unlike a car racing game you soon discover that both of these sticks need to be mastered before you have much success.

For these bikes, braking is as much a part of cornering as is the steering. This couldn’t be more different from the more familiar four wheeled transportation. On a bike once you have turned into a corner and got the bike on its side, all you have left to control your turning is your velocity. If you are drifting
wide and the bike is already angled into the corner, there is simply no more steering to apply; you must brake to get that tighter turn. This is key to getting round many of the tracks with their various hairpins and sharp corners. Once realised the game opens up and you start to compete on a whole other level.

Visually, the new MotoGP is not as polished as THQ and Climax’s game and to some extent gives away the fact that this is its first year out. Whilst it may have lost some of the polish we had become used to, there is still enough detail and speed to deliver an edge of the seat racing experience. As we mentioned at the top of the review Capcom do a better job of using the a*ets that come with the MotoGP licence. Before you have spent too long with the game you will have picked up on much of the language and characters of the MotoGP circuit. Although it is a simple thing, having different riders and their stats on each loading screen is an effective way of both covering up load times and getting the gamer into the wider MotoGP world. The graphics are bolstered somewhat by some adequate sound and music. The different bikes aren’t quite as distinctive as before but there is enough audio detail here to hear someone screaming up your inside line. Play the game with a pair of headphones and the experience becomes much more complete.

What the developers have saved in the visual department seems to be spent on the game mechanics themselves. This is much more of a simulation than previous games. As such it presents a much tougher challenge to the casual gamer. Even ardent fans will hit times when they throw their arms up at the crazy qualifying times and impenetrable computer riders. Thankfully the game provides four different difficulty settings, so you can set your own pace as you work up the ranks. That said, we would be surprised if anyone will prosper for long at the top difficulty.

If the main championship game mode becomes too much of a challenge, or you just fancy racing someone more fallible (and more human), a none-too-shabby multiplayer mode is provided. This is of the older split screen variety as opposed to anything online, but it serves its purpose and is a welcome break from those automaton AI riders.

Overall, this is an unspectacular start for Capcom’s new MotoGP series. It provides the minimum demanded of the licence and makes a clear move away from arcade racing towards simulation. Although it doesn’t yet deliver on all bases, this is a sensible move that further distinguishes the game from the arcade friendly Superbike series. Overall the experience suffers from poor graphics and crazy difficulty; this is a game for hard-core bike aficionados rather than casual riders. Let’s hope next year brings a bit more sanity to the series.

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