Game Review: Moto Racer 2

Game: Moto Racer 2
Console: Sony Playstation
Developer: Delphine Software
Release Date: August 1998

Moto Racer 2 is a motorbike racing game, covering 2 different types of motorcycle racing; Motocross and Superbike racing. The game also has two types of handling for the bikes; Arcade or Simulation, which can be used on either of the categories. The racing modes the player is able to select from are Practice, Single Race and Championship.

The overall gameplay varies depending on which options are chosen, so I'll talk a little about each one. The best racing experience in the game is found in the Motocross races, the fast paced and competitive racing experience is shown off well, and although there's not much difference between simulation and arcade handling both play well enough for it not to matter. There's also the option to do stunts in Motocross mode when your bike is in the air, although the player does not control which stunt is done. Overall both control systems feel as if they'd be more at home in an arcade game than a simulation.

There are 5 championships to compete in, one which has purely superbike tracks, one with only motocross tracks, two combination championships and the option to create a custom race series with any tracks the player chooses. This choice of championships seems pretty wide until you consider the other racing mode, concerning the superbikes. Where the Motocross races do well is in their sense of speed and sliding controls around the corners, coupled with the forgiving crash physics when a wall is hit, which 4 times out of 5 will only slow you down rather than knocking you off the bike.

In Superbike races however, as the speed of the bikes is around 80mph greater, most of the time, when the player miscalculates a corner even slightly, they'll end up on the floor. Gone are the sliding corner physics also, and we are left with ineffective brakes and a lot of invisible side walls on the superbike tracks. This creates a problem which makes these races almost unplayable, as coupled with the fairly challenging AI, the player will fall behind in no time. 

Its a shame that there is such a large difference between these modes as it makes 3 of the 5 grand prix race series fairly unenjoyable. Besides playing the Motocross series and creating a custom Grand Prix series with only Motocross tracks, the player will have to endure the speedbike racing which leaves a lot to be desired. Putting this rather major flaw aside for a moment, we can still appreciate the game's fair graphical attempt, the backdrops are interesting and fairly varied, and the bikes themselves are rendered nicely in some views. Close-up the game's graphics seem to warrant more criticism, but at speed on a bike, it's less noticeable.

Sometimes when racing on a long straight, you'll be able to see the draw distance of the game before it loads what's on the horizon fully, but let's not forget the age of this game. The only real gameplay criticism I have of the Motocross races is that when two bikes hit eachother with enough force, a rather unsightly synchronised dismount occurs, disadvantaging both players. Musically the game excels with a rock-based soundtrack which goes well with the fast paced racing, and is one of the best features of the game,

The game has a lot of tracks to choose from (32 in total), which is a good amount of variety, especially for the time the game was released. There's also a choice of bikes which have slightly different specifications, however the difference between them is hardly enough to feel and could have been made more apparent. The track editor mode is fairly easy to use and allows players to edit any track in the game as well as create their own. This is fairly easy to use and although it doesn't allow for massively abstract changes to tracks, its a good feature.

Overall, the game hasn't aged particularly well in 15 years, the strain showing both graphically and in the disparate difference between the two types of racing. Half the game provides a fun, fast paced competitive experience akin to the real sport it's based on. The other half provides a frustrating crash ridden, hard to control mess which is unrewarding. Because of this, the game as a whole suffers and the combined race series are less appealing.

Rating: 55/100
Grade: D