MotoGP
Score: 70% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: THQ Developer: Visual Impact Media: Cart/1 Players: 1 - 4 Genre: Racing
Graphics & Sound: MotoGP is one of those games that makes you wonder just how much more power developers can squeeze out of the GBA. MotoGP essentially runs the same engine we've seen in other GBA racing games such as Mario Kart and GT Advance, so there's really nothing new, but it's still quite a feat on a portable system. The riders, bikes, and just about everything are very detailed and fun to watch. The only flaw is the short draw distance in front of your rider. Most of the time this does not pose much of a problem, but it does cause some turns to appear quickly - so expect some crashes. The sound is nothing new, consisting of mostly guitar riffs, a repetitive fanfare and typical racing sounds, but it does what it's supposed to.
Gameplay: The basic goal of MotoGP is to be the first around one of 16 tracks in either Grand Prix, Tournament, or Quick Race modes. Anyone familiar with racing games in general will quickly grasp the concept of MotoGP. Others, while it may take them a race or two - Moto GP is so easy to understand, even rookies will be racing like a veteran in no time flat. This is not to say MotoGP isn't without its problems, since it commits one of the cardinal sins of portable games - not only is there a password feature, you are limited to the times when you can get these passwords. Overall, this makes the game very unfriendly to travel, something of a no-no for a GBA game.
Difficulty: Much like the rest of the game, MotoGP is your typical racing game in terms of how difficult it is. How hard you find the game is solely based on the amount of skill you have since the game presents a very nice difficulty curve that's never too hard, but will never hand you the race.
Game Mechanics: MotoGP has a very easy to use, if not sparse, control system. The A and B buttons control your speed and brakes and the D-pad maneuvers your rider. When you find yourself falling behind, you can pull back on the D-pad and perform a wheelie to give your rider a nice boost of turbo. Other than the extremely awkward save features, MotoGP had a hard time holding my interest. While MotoGP is a solid racing game, I found it overly repetitive and dull. There wasn't enough in the game to keep me wanting to come back for more. MotoGP is an excellent choice for racing fans, but the more casual gamer looking for some racing action may want to look around before settling on this one.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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