WelcometoExtremeGamer

Reviewed by Jive Turkey
Oct. 15th 2005

Introduction: Well, after a long hiatus from doing reviews I have returned to give you all a glimpse into MotoGP3. MotoGP3 is the latest motorcycle racing game put out by THQ to offer you the high speed turns and fast action that car racing just doesn't seem to always offer. So what does this game offer that the other MotoGP's haven't? Well, a fair amount more!

The Game:So, what we have here is a game that has taken the old MotoGP and added a new mode, along with some other licensed features from the MotoGP 2004 season.

How does all this stack up? Well, the learning curve on this game is pretty quick. In the rookie modes you can easily keep up with the pack of riders within the first half hour or so. To get better takes some time. But, after a few good hours put into playing it and getting to know the tracks you can keep up with the higher levels. It's important to have patience with any racing game, as I'm sure all you racing fans know. The game is customizable, so that takes a lot of time to really learn how to tune the bike right to be competitive. But, in comparison to most racing games this is pretty slim. The diehard race fan might get a little annoyed by this.

Season mode is excellent. You race on 16 licensed tracks that have been carefully put in to try and provide you the detail of a real race track. From the season you win races to and get points and at the end if you are ahead in the points lead you win. Just like the real season. But, you also get points from each race that you can use to improve your riders skills. It takes a while to build up a really good rider. However, that is part of the challenge! That's why we play there types of racing games. Along with this you can tune your bike between each race, so that helps to give you that little competitive advantage.

What makes this game really new is the addition of its Extreme Mode. In Extreme Mode you get to race on the streets in some high speed action. In this mode there is 16 different street tracks that you can race on, along with 3 classes of bikes 600cc, 1000cc and 1200cc. This mode is pretty cool and gives a lot of new features. For each race you do well in you can earn money to buy parts for your bike, things like: weight reduction, tuning, better brakes, etc. These parts have 3 levels of enhancement. So, the first level of these parts is $100 to buy, the second is $200, and the third $300. It makes you want to keep doing really well in all the races to earn a lot of money! All this helps to build you a bike that is fast and competitive. Like career mode you also earn points to build up your rider. And, each bike can be tuned to the way you like it for each track. The tracks are pretty cool and sometimes the races are at night, sometimes in the rain, its all for the added entertainment value. In total there at 16 tracks in the Extreme Mode, but they are all fictional, so don't try to find that particular street in whatever town they say they are from.

Another feature of the game is the "seed" level. When you play you will start to lower your seed value and unlock features of the game. The seed can also be used as a measure in online play to show your experience at the game and try to avoid people who are much better than you (or worse). Its always fun to race against people who are your own caliber.

Overall, this is a good game. It has some good game physics and the riders are pretty well done. Rating drivers on a particular level in "acceleration" or "turning" is always going to seem fake, but it's the best that can be done I would guess. The game was well designed and players will have no problem jumping right into the seat to take a drive. All the little factors that go into a good racing game seem to be here. Aside from the minimal amount of tuning most race fans will want this game in their collection.

Graphics & Sound: Well, like any race game the graphics are adequate. What do you really need for a racing game? The bikes look fairly realistic and the tracks seem to be adequate with plenty of background stuff. When you are riding there are a number of different viewpoints that you can use to do the race. Personally I like to use the helmet point of view, but that is pretty difficult until you really get to know the track.

The sound is ok in the game. What makes it good is that you can use a custom soundtrack. So, you can pick whatever music you like. The stock music seemed pretty good to me, I found myself just keeping that on most of the time.

Mojo:It's another racing game? If you love racing games this score will go way up. If you aren't into racing games, well this will go way down. What makes it a little more innovative then a regular racing game is the Extreme Mode and all the added features that it comes along with. But, there isn't much left to do with racing games in the end. Simulation fans will always want more realism, whereas arcade fans will always want more action. So, this is a highly personal score.

Lowdown:If you are into racing games this is definitely a game to pick up. You won't get tired of the action. But, just don't play the game on rookie for long, its way too easy in this mode. I would suggest going right to a higher level. If you hate racing games then obviously this isn't the choice for you! I think most people will really enjoy this game. It is a lot of fun and fairly easy to learn to ride. You don't have to spend too much time tuning the bike so it is a little easier for the casual fans of racing. But, pure simulation fans will find this a problem. So, I would say that depending on your tastes you have to give it a go! I found myself racing for hours and hours without a break to try to memorize all the tracks and turns to shave off those extra seconds. What are you waiting for? Try it already!

Gameplay: 7, Graphics/Sound: 7, Innovation: 8, Mojo: 5. Final: 7/10

FEATURES:

  • New rides: Check out fully licensed riders, tracks, and bikes from the 2004 MotoGP season. Purchase and collect street racing bikes, then upgrade them to the highest specifications and customize them visually in Extreme Mode.
  • Six different game modes: Take part in Quick Race, Grand Prix Mode, Time Trial, Training Mode, Multiplayer, or all-new Extreme Mode, with 16 additional circuits.
  • Multiplayer and online racing: The split-screen multiplayer option lets up to four players race at once. On Xbox LiveT, up to 16 players per race can compete simultaneously (or 10 in Extreme Mode).
  • Graphics and game engine: Get ready for impressive visual and particle effects systems running at 60 frames per second, including new rendering and lighting systems. And don't forget MotoGP 3's ultra-realistic bike physics engine!
  • Unlockables: Develop your Rider's Seed and earn attributes. The game's unique learning curve is extended by unlockable tracks, riders, cheats, and additional bike and rider liveries.





MotoGP 3
Ultimate Race Technology

 
Publisher
THQ
 
Developer
Climax
 
Genre
Racing
 
Released
Sept. 2005
 
ESRB
Everyone

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