Genre: Racing
Developer: THQ
Publisher: Climax
# of Players: 1-4 (16 Online)
Memory: N/A
ERSB: Everyone
Released On: May 12th, 2003
Also On: PC
Features: Xbox LIVE multiplayer
Website: www.thq.com
Introduction:
Ever since I purchased Microsoft’s black & green behemoth that we know as the Xbox, I’ve become a fan of the racing genre. No matter what kind of racing game you desire, whether it is rally, or motorcycles, you’ll find it on the Xbox. Because of this, I often stroll into the game store with the thought in mind of walking out with a green, shiny, shrink wrapped Xbox racer every time. When I walked into my local game shop and saw Moto GP2 on the shelf, I couldn’t help but get extremely curious. I’ve never been a fan of the incredibly European sport, but I had this sure fire feeling that I would be pleased with what I saw, and I am.
Presentation:
Moto GP 2 presents itself in a manner that is so polished that you can’t just help but admire everything that has been put into the game, whether it’s the 16 true-to-life race tracks or the highlight reels of the actual 2002 Moto GP Championship that are available to unlock in the game’s career mode. Moto GP 2 is a game that is truly meant to appeal to both hardcore fans of the sport, and to those that just want
"Moto GP 2 offers the deepest racing experience on the Xbox to the date"
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to experience an incredibly fun and deep racer. For those hardcore Moto fans, you’ll be able to create a custom rider, designing the color scheme of his leathers & bike, and for those just looking for a great game, Moto GP 2 offers the deepest racing experience on the Xbox to the date.
Gameplay:
Moto GP 2 is one of the most amazing racers that I have ever played. However, at first I didn’t think too highly of the game. The reason for that was because of the game’s somewhat overwhelming control scheme. Honestly, when you realize that there are three buttons used just to brake, you can’t help but feel threatened. Fortunately, the game offers a tutorial
"Moto GP 2 is one of the most amazing racers that I have ever played"
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when starting your career mode. Though, it’s not mandatory or forced, it would be wise to go through this tutorial. It teaches you the basics of the gameplay, and how to control your racer. After you’ve got all the basics under your belt, you’ll be double tapping the accelerator in order to performing drifts, and cornering turns like a pro racer. It’s a very tight control scheme that will come off at first as being very complicated, but the more you play the game, you’ll come to realize that it shouldn’t be any other way.
As for the actual gameplay itself, it can be incredibly difficult at times. Initially, I made the mistake of playing the game on the “Rookie” difficulty setting, tricking myself into believing that the game was incredibly easy, since I never dropped into a position lower than 4th and won every race in 1st place. Well, that was all a ruse. Once you begin playing even the next difficulty level, you’ll be getting your ass handed to you nicely, often finding yourself behind the other 19 racers on the course. The skills you thought you once had on an
"with THQ’s Moto GP 2 a new benchmark for racers has been set"
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easier difficulty setting end up of meaning shit in the next. Thus, forcing you to get better and better until you can complete a lap flawlessly. However, honing your racing skills isn’t the only thing needed in order to perform better in the game’s career mode. You’ll also have to upgrade the specs on your bike by winning races, and also by completing each task in the game’s Training mode. If you don’t upgrade you’re bike, you’re destined to lose race, after race, after race, walking that road of shame way too often.
We’re LIVE in 3… 2… 1…
Like in most racers you’ll often find yourself playing the game’s career mode more than anything else, and Moto GP 2 isn’t much different. That is unless your one of the lucky bastards with Xbox LIVE. With LIVE you’ll be able to enjoy Moto GP 2 more than ever, in a lag free 20 race multiplayer of Moto GP 2 champions across the globe. Moto GP 2 is one of those games were Xbox LIVE makes everything greater ten fold.
Visuals:
When judging a game on the level visual splendor you take into account many different things. Frame rates, textures, polygon counts…those are the things gamers often taken into consideration when criticizing a game’s visuals or graphics. Using the Xbox’s shear graphical strength Climax, the game’s developer, delivers the things needed to bring us a good looking game. However, Climax hasn’t just developed a good looking game, instead they have created an amazing looking game.
Moto GP 2 just has so much detail, that when looking at a still image of the game, you could swear that it looks damn near photo-realistic. The textures on everything look incredible. The fact that the grass stains your tires is just too cool. And the fact that nearly 20 riders are on screen at once with not even a simple stutter in the frame rate is amazing. If you want to show off the power of the Xbox, this is one of those games to do it with.
Audio:
In any type of sports, racing, or even a wrestling game the crowd’s reaction to what is going on in the on the field, on the track, or in the ring is an essential part of recreating the event’s recreation in a videogame. Some games get it right. Others fail miserably. Luckily, Moto GP 2 gets it right. The “roar” of the crowd in Moto GP 2 is one of the many sound effects in the game that successfully gets your adrenaline pumping, and yet it’s only the tip of the iceberg. I say that because the screeching sound of the engines is so intense, and a flawless recreation of the 2 score and 4 score bikes which exist in real life, that the inclusion of music is somewhat pointless, since the engines themselves assault your sense of hearing like no other racer before it. Speaking of the music found in the game, it’s quite fitting for the game (I’m personally fond of the soothing menu music), with races being intensified by some generic heavy metal. Thankfully, if you don’t like the music featured in the game, you can always create your own custom soundtracks by using ripped tunes stored on your console’s hard drive.
Final Thoughts:
It’s amazing that just a few years ago I would have vomited at thought of buying a racing sim, or any racing game at all that didn’t include the words “Kart” or “64” in the title. Now, I’m eager to purchase any racer, becoming more, and more critical with each and every new game I pick up, and with THQ’s Moto GP 2 a new benchmark for racers has been set. Moto GP 2 is an incredibly addictive and deep racing experience that is so well rounded in every aspect that you won’t even question if the game is worthy of every cent you spent on it. Moto GP 2 has had such a profound impact on me that I think it has even sparked my interest in the actual sport. Kudos Climax, you’ve done extremely well.
*GamersMark.com reviewed this game with a copy of the title purchased from retail
