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| Ritwikgames.com--Home--Games--Reviews--Motoracer 3--Full review of Motoracer 3 for the PC! |
| Motoracer 3 PC Review I admit that I was not taken with the first two Moto Racer games because neither offered realistic physics. The series did provide high-speed racing on a variety of fictional street courses, some of which were supposed to represent what you might see in a popular city or foreign country. They weren�t bad games, but they weren�t EA�s Superbike series, either, which automatically relegated them to second class citizenship in my book. The Superbike series--Superbike,Superbike 2000 and Superbike 2001 was a hyper-realistic simulation of the world superbike series. With each release the developer, Milestone, raised the bar with increasingly photo realistic graphics and stunning recreations of authentic and uncompromising racing bike physics. This was the series that was to motorcycle racing what Papyrus� NASCAR Racing series was to automobile racing--perfection, and unflinching dedication to realism. Casual PC racers were clearly not the target market for either series. With the Superbike series apparently discontinued, motorcycle racing gamers were ecstatic to learn that Moto Racer 3 would make its debut in early 2002. There were rumors that it would not only supplant the great Superbike series as a hardcore simulator of motorcycle racing, but that it would go that series one better by providing exciting bike action in several different modes: Supercross/Motocross, Freestyle, Speed, Trial and an all new Traffic mode. I guess one out of two isn�t bad. First, Moto Racer 3 like its predecessors is strictly for the arcade-racing crowd. Hardcore fans of the superbike series will be greatly disappointed in this title. Real-world physics and accurate bike modeling are non-existent. And the graphics, while not bad, are nowhere near the class of the now two-year old Superbike 2001 or the even older Superbike 2000. Yet, this odd mishmash of bike gaming somehow grows on you, if you are willing to accept it for what it is--a quirky, casual, multi-dish of biking in which none of the modes goes very deep. In fact, individually each mode fails to satisfy. But collectively, and if you can find this game at a cheap price, it�s worth getting and adds up to a unique brand of fun. WARNING! Before you play this game (but after install) download the patch for Moto Racer 3. There is one. And as far as I�m concerned installing the patch is not an option. Without it your setup options are nil. For example, you can�t change the resolution from the horrible default graphics without the patch. You�ll have problems with the controller without the patch. I�m talking basic necessities here, so you have to do it. Out of the box, Moto Racer 3 deserves a score less than half of what I finally gave it. Where Moto Racer 3 does offer some substance to fans of virtual two-wheel racing is in the multiple game modes. In each game mode there are three tracks/courses, but you have to sort of unlock each one by being successful in competition (instead of practice or friendly race). Degree of difficulty is determined by selecting easy, medium, or hard. Trial Mode -- is a test of balance and agility. You are required to navigate your way around a somewhat confusing course without falling off the bike or touching the ground. What makes it unusual is that the course could be a set of crates or steel tracks mounted on the trailers of a set of trucks lined up in what is supposed to be a course design. What makes it bad is how ridiculous it feels. Freestyle -- allows you to demonstrate your very best tricks and win points in the process. There are ten possible different tricks, everything from the usual Split to something called El Cordobes to another one called Hart (yes, this is the correct spelling) Attack. What makes it sort of cool is the spectacular lighting in the indoor arenas. Supercross/Motocross -- in Moto Racer 3 is a sort of poor man�s Motocross Madness. It looks almost as good but it plays poorly. What makes it good is the cool up and down movement of not only the bike tires but also the shocks. What makes it bad is the sense that you have little control over your bike. Traffic -- is the real innovation here. The default (free) track is a slice of the streets of Paris, tunnels included. This is the one mode that I found to be fun. You can only race against one A.I. opponent but it�s a kick to blast through heavy traffic (vans, trucks and the obligatory collection of Peugeots and Renaults) trying to get in front of your opponent while dodging those pesky little cars that are constantly changing lanes in an attempt to ruin your day. I smashed into my fair share of vehicles. I also passed completely through some others (talk about clipping problems!). What makes it cool is being able to actually spin your rear wheel at the starting line before easing up on the throttle and allowing rubber to bite into asphalt. What makes it bad is seeing an opponent you left a mile behind suddenly appear right behind you on the last lap to place in doubt what you thought was an easy win. This happened almost every time I was leading a race on the last lap. Speed--is the racing most similar to that in the Superbike series. Here you race against several A.I. opponents on what are supposed to be real superbike road courses. What makes it good are the camera angles with which you can race. They were obviously borrowed from the stable of excellent angles in the Superbike series. What makes it bad are the cartoon-like graphics and the arcade-like movement of the bikes; yours and the A.I. While the Superbike series offers uncompromising realism, Moto Racer 3, in this mode, compromises almost everything that represents realism. While Moto Racer 3 is not in the same league as EA�s Superbike series, it may appeal to gamers who don�t want realism, and instead prefer a quick action fix with a variety of different racing modes, none of which provides great depth or an overly tough challenge. Highs: Variety of racing modes in one game. Lows: Only three tracks per racing mode. Verdict: Appeal is limited to casual racing gamers or the very young. 75% END OF REVIEW Click here to go back to last page. |