MotoGP 09/10 promises to take the Moto GP series in an exciting new direction, rewarding players for their racing style and skill on the track, but does it deliver? Read on for our exclusive review…
Racing games, very much like most annual sporting titles, don’t like rocking the boat too much. Most of them hit upon a formula that works, and spend every subsequent year adding important names to player/racer rosters, tweaking things like physics to appease the nit-picky, and occasionally adding detail to venues or circuits that may have changed in the real world during the interim. And if there is one thing that those genres definitely don’t tend to offer up in spades, it is personality.
Moto GP 09/10 represents a bit of a shake-up for the Moto GP franchise, and not only does it make an almost entirely successful crack at balancing simulation with arcade thrills, it also possesses personality in spades. The first time you’ll notice one aspect of this is when you’re traversing the game’s main menus, and begin hearing a gruff Scotsman talking you through the opening part of the game. Its a small detail, but it is done with real humour (and we defy anyone not to laugh at the Scot’s reaction if you keep taking detours off-track) and it certainly serves to make everything distinctive.
The opening tutorials are hardcore. Not hardcore because the controls are especially difficult (though it’ll take you a short while before you find your feet) but hardcore because they don’t hold your hand for one second. The tutorial throws you straight onto a track, and gives you three lengthy laps to get to grips with the control scheme. At first this seems crude, but when you realise that the game is encouraging you to create your own hoops to jump through (as opposed to blindly jumping through theirs) you’ll recognise that this really is the very best way to do it. You’ll begin the game proper with a real confidence in your skills, instead of drowning beneath information that you weren’t quick enough to remember.
Gameplay is largely focused on perfect timing, and like all good Moto GP games, hitting your acceleration at the right moment when turning out of corners is both your best friend and most intimidating weapon. Newcomers are ably assisted by the on-track markers, which look like a never-ending string of green Skittles, directing you to the parts of the track that’ll allow you to get your bike up to its highest speed. There are also triangular markers that pop up when a corner is upcoming, and rather brilliantly, they’ll change colour depending on how appropriate your speed is. Head into it at full pelt and they’ll turn blood red, encouraging you to hastily hit the breaks.
Arcade mode is just that – an Outrun-style blast of pure adrenaline, which keeps you on a standard 60-second timer that’ll drain until you hit each of the track’s checkpoints. Needless to say, it is a top-notch proposition during sessions in online multiplayer. The career mode though is where this iteration shines brightest, and fans of the sport are going to be in heaven. Whilst working your way towards victory at the Moto GP World Championship, you are free to be as hands-on as you like with every facet of your reputation and performance during your ascension, and it is up to you to hire the best press officers, engineers and team managers to help you on your way.
The game makes an admirable nod towards the endlessly appealing ‘Kudos’ point system popularised by the likes of Project Gotham Racing, the soundtrack is uncharacteristically superb (throwing obscure drum ‘n bass in with the uber-hip likes of Evil Nine) and the Career mode is ongoing, and lasts for as long as you want it to. Moto GP 09/10 is a pretty terrific evolution of a solid format, and does what it does with consummate, and even cocky, skill and panache.
Watch the Moto GP 09/10 trailer here…
Tags: Evil Nine, Games Review, MotoGP, MotoGP 09/10, Project Gotham Racing, ps3, Racing Games, Xbox 360
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08 one was sick