MotoGP 09/10

By William Barker

Casey Stoner, Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden, and Jorge Lorenzo are the not the kind of names I have on my Facebook friends account. And that’s because I’m not a high level sports agent or a discreet transgender prostitute, but I have been seeing their names on my LED TV screen lately as I plunder the podium in MotoGP 09/10.

As a motorcyclist myself, and a big fan of the MotoGP (go Stoner!) this is one particular game that I was very much looking forward to.

So what’s the rub? First impressions are good – it’s a fun game with more depth than previous versions and a very satisfying career mode. The physics of the game are a bit odd at times, but after clocking up a few hours, what initially feels like a ‘twitchy’ control system begins to open up and the racing is rarely dull thanks to tough AI opponents.

Taking it from the top, you sit through a fairly decent intro with some pumping techno tunes to get you in the mood for some dancing. After you’ve had a jig, and sat back down to play, there are several options to choose from:

- Championship
- Career
- Arcade
- Time Trial
- Multiplayer
- Options

I had a fiddle with the options, setting the speed to KM/H and turning down the (now progressively ambient) menu music, and then hit up career which is where you’ll find the meat of the game.

While the championship mode is good, you only get to race a single season, while the career mode sees you starting in the 125cc class, having to buy a bike with your meagre funds, pick team colours and this sort of thing.

Starting on the slower, smaller bikes is also a good way to get a feel for the game, and early on team management will only expect you to finish races, rather than get top 10 or podium finishes.

There is a tutorial of sorts, which encourages you to take the racing line and gives you bonus points for doing so, but I found the controls too sensitive at first (you can’t adjust the sensitivity) so it was kind of pointless. Instead I just jumped into first practice and then qualifying for the first round at Losail in Qatar, qualifying 12th and finishing 10th. Not bad for my first outing!

You’ll have to hire staff, like press officers to help improve your reputation, and you can modify parts of your bike, all of which cost money but the payoffs are usually worth the expense.

The game engine in MotoGP 09/10 is fairly detailed and leans more towards the simulation side of the fence than the arcade side, but it’s not completely unforgiving, unlike some bookies who don’t even wait a month before sending in the muscle. Gabby, you know I can get the money, dammit, I just need more time! They give me $10 for these reviews!!

Where was I? Ah yes, the physics of the game. There’s a decent leaning curve here and the sensitive controls take time to get used to, but after an hour or so of game time most seasoned players should be comfortable.

And unlike the previous game in the MotoGP franchise, you don’t have to use two sticks to play, which is a good thing. Instead you accelerate/brake with the shoulder buttons and steering with the analogue stick. The developer (Monumental) should be congratulated.

I actually liked the fact that you have to learn the game just to stay on the track - let alone be competitive - and this challenge makes winning races all the more satisfying. The only downside is that when you have a split screen multiplayer game, newbs will end up destroying themselves and their bikes after a few high speed corners.

Interestingly, and not unlike the Forza racing games, if you make the racing harder (turn up the difficulty setting, turn off automatic gearbox etc) you’ll get much higher payoffs at the end of each race, which a great incentive for pushing yourself to higher levels.

There’s also a Gotham Racing-inspired system that’s a little bit like Kudos. You get points for clean sections and overtakes and lose points for touching other bikes mid-race. It’s a cool system as it encourages proper racing and rewards you with faster character progression and unlocks new stuff too.

Career mode is arguably the best thing about this game, and though there is an online mode with up to 20 players going at it at once via Xbox Live, it never really grabbed me by the goolies and made me want to jump online. Perhaps that says a lot about the gameplay, which is good, but not great.

The same thing can be said for the visuals. The graphics engine is very powerful and cranks out some pretty sweet 3D models, and the trackside detail is also impressive, but I couldn’t help feel more polish could have been added. That said, the game runs at a rip-snorting 60fps, which goes a long to making this title one of the best looking MotoGP games yet; the sensation of speed is awesome.

Sound sampling is good, the bikes don’t sound as appalling as some games and special mention must go to the voice over guy who talks you through the early stages of the career mode. It’s like he has a Scottish accent that been mixed with a Japanese accent. I call him Jottanese.

What kept me coming back to this game were the smooth graphics, the challenging gameplay and the career mode. Multiplayer can be good if you get the right people involved, but overall the single player game offers several weeks of good gaming.

The verdict? Will be hugely enjoyable for fans of the MotoGP championship and gamers who love motorcycles, but it could be a stretch for casual gamers. Good, but not great.

Game: MotoGP 09/10
System: Xbox 360
Online: Yes
Developer: Monumental Games
Distributor:  Capcom

Rating: 75%

(Ratings Key/Explanation)