After snagging the official MotoGP license from THQ in 2007, Capcom
released MotoGP 07 on the PlayStation 2; a promising, if far too
difficult, rebirth of a game license that had previously thrived in the
hands of developer Climax and publisher THQ. MotoGP 08 is Capcom's
series debut on the PC (as well as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3).
While the game likely won't create a new generation of virtual racing
fans, those who have some two-wheeled gaming experience will find a
demanding driving model and plenty of stiff competition to keep them
busy.
Hard-charging AI, three different handling settings, and multiple
weather options are combined for a true test of skill in MotoGP 08.
There aren't any surprises in MotoGP 08's list of game
modes--you've got the standard list of single-player modes you'd expect
from a racing game: Single Race, Time Trial, Championship, Challenge
mode, and so on. The highlight on the single-player menu is the Career
mode, which gives you a chance to create a rider from scratch and work
your way up through three bike racing series (125cc, 250cc, and, the
pinnacle, MotoGP). As you enter races, any points you score by placing
high enough in the final results will earn you attribute upgrade points
you can apply to one of four aspects of your particular bike: top
speed, acceleration, braking, and traction. You can then take your
souped-up bike online and enter the competition in online racing events
against up to 11 other online riders.
While Career mode is certainly the best single-player mode in the game,
it has its quirks. First of all, your career ends after five years
regardless of how many series championships you've won. Second, once
you've selected from the game's various AI and handling difficulty
levels, you can't change them for the entirety of your career. This is
especially frustrating once you've maxed out your bike and can smoke
the easy or medium-level AI opponents. It would have been more
user-friendly to give players the chance to tweak options in between
seasons to keep up the challenge.
This lack of career option flexibility is a shame because MotoGP 08 is
all about the challenge. While the learning curve is a bit gentler than
in last year's PS2 debut, even an experienced MotoGP vet will find some
challenge at the default difficulty level. If you bump that up to hard
or champion level, you'll face cunning, hard-charging AI opponents that
won't give you an inch; you'll be fighting for every position and
having a fine time of it (except when you're cursing out loud at your
own lack of skill).
Fans of motorcycle racing games will relish the game's bike physics,
which are excellent. There are three handling settings to choose from:
easy, advanced, and simulation. With a little track time, MotoGP vets
will likely be able to settle in at the advanced handling level with
little trouble, but throughout every race, the emphasis on the racing
line and careful acceleration out of corners is a hallmark of the game.
The advanced handling setting is touchy enough; when riding in the
simulation setting, even the slightest error on the throttle while deep
in a turn will result in a spill. When running against the upper-tier
AI opponents, any mistake you make is magnified by their unyielding
aggression, and you'll find yourself in yo-yo battles for position at
nearly every corner on the track.
While the feel of the bikes in MotoGP 08 is just right, the riding
model is not without its problems. The developers have chosen to
downplay the consequences of contact between riders. While it is
possible to be knocked off your bike by an opponent (and only slightly
more difficult to dismount him with some dirty driving), more often
than not, you can run into a rider ahead of you with little
consequence. In fact, once you've gotten used it, you can actually use
this to your advantage by using a rider ahead of you as some extra
braking when approaching a corner too fast. The tracks, too, have their
quirks. For example, in some corners, the game will penalize you for
cutting corners by instantly slowing your bike down to a crawl. It's a
fine idea in theory, but its implementation is inconsistent; with
enough experience, you'll know exactly which corners you can take
advantage of and which you'll need to play straight.
As with the console game, up to 12 players can hop online to race in
the PC version of MotoGP 08. Actually getting online is confusing, and
neither the game manual nor the game itself does a particularly good
job of explaining the process (you need to fill out a form on the
game's loading menu). Still, once you're online, network performance is
decent--even if the lack of features leave you wanting. You can only
run races one at a time--there's no option for virtual championships
where players can run multiple races for points--and can only bring
your Career mode bike into a race if the host allows it. Even when
using custom bikes, however, there's not much in the way of
customization; you're stuck with the actual team leathers and bike
paint schemes, as well as a series of unique helmets from which you can
choose. In an era of customization in such games as Forza 2 and
Midnight Club: Los Angeles, next year's MotoGP game simply must have
more options for making your rider appear unique.
A fine sense of speed will have you tightly gripping your controller (or keyboard). Wait, can you grip a keyboard?
The game's system requirements are modest, and on the Intel 2.13 GHz
machine we ran the game on, the frame rate was solid throughout. That
said, the game has its graphical high and low points. Best of all is a
thrilling sense of speed (especially on such long, straights tracks as
Shanghai and Mugello) that really puts you in the seat of the rider.
Unfortunately, decent speed doesn't make up for certain tracks that are
simply a bore--with plain backgrounds and sometimes grainy asphalt
textures that aren't impressive. New details, such as the night race at
Losail, and the brand new Indianapolis GP track set at the historic
Indianapolis Motor Speedway are great additions to the game. The
hardcore fans will also find a lot to like with the game's audio
presentation; not only is there a big difference among the 125cc,
250cc, and MotoGP bike engines, but individual constructor bikes have
an engine sound all their own.
A slightly more approachable learning curve coupled with a great deal
of challenge means that MotoGP 08 provides enough to keep you busy for
months to come while not being as punishing on new players as the
previous game in the series. Now that the series has moved to the
next-gen consoles and the PC, the real work begins. Next year's game
must primarily make sure that it has the same suite of offline and
online features that players have come to expect from modern racing
games. There's a lot to like in MotoGP 08's meat-and-potatoes approach
to two-wheeled racing; here's hoping that next year's game offers a
more extended menu.
