Moto GP 2

That said, I think MotoGP2 is great, although it does have some shortcomings. Visually, the graphics are probably 80-85% of what Gran Tursimo 3 is, although the rain streaking on your visor in 1st-person "Wet" mode is pretty impressive. The sound effects aren't great, but they do help to indicate when you're starting to slide your tires excessively, or if another rider is right on your tail. As for the music, I personally like the techno soundtrack and don't find it anywhere near as annoying as many reviewers seem to. The Replay mode is nice, although the inability to dynamically change camera angles is inexcusable--when I'm wheelie-ing down the front straightaway, I don't want to see the onboard camera view of the sky, I want to see me and my bike in show-off glory!

As far as gameplay goes, I found it to be pretty good, although like with GT3, I find that the analog buttons of the DualShock controller are not up to the task of duplicating a smooth throttle roll-on or progressive brake squeeze, making acceleration and braking a somewhat "blippy" affair. Each of the 39 bikes available is rated based upon Top Speed, Handling, Braking, and Acceleration, but to be honest I found that they all ride identically. Similarily, when adjusting the five different settings available (Acceleration, Transmission, Wheel Size, Handling, Braking), I found no really meaningful effect.

While riding, there is no "Look back" feature to check out who's behind you, so you basically have to rely the sounds that bikes right on your tail make, or hope that your rider decides to perform a head check animation during a straightaway--these are the only indications of a pursuer that's "hot on your tail". Neither help you to perform much in the way of defending your lead, so you have to rely on pure speed and clean lines--not a bad thing, I guess, but somewhat disappointing.

I did like that you can hold down the "Action" (R2) button in conjuction with the throttle and/or brakes to perform burnouts, wheelies and stoppies--while not very useful, it's a cool touch. Also, I like that the gameplay difficulty can be tailored much better than in Gran Turismo 3. If you turn "Sim" mode on, for example, and choose Manual Transmission, it becomes quite challenging. Conversely, turn "Sim" mode off and get an Automatic Transmission, and you'll be powersliding out of turns and basically having a blast--it may not be very realistic, but it's a lot of fun, and much more rewarding (for me) than the authoritarian demands for constant precision made by GT3. After all, when I want the most realistic motorcycling experience possible, I just go ride my bike!

All in all, while I wish it were a Superbikes-themed game, I really like MotoGP2. It's just difficult enough, and has enough depth, to be entertaining and have good replay value, but it's not so difficult that you have to make a huge commitment of time to start having fun with it. And if you're a fan of motorcycle racing, or a motorcyclist, it's about as good as you're going to do with a PS2.


outstanding   February 8, 2002
 7 out of 8 found this review helpful

This is a great game if you know a thing or two about how motorcycles function and how they can be optimized for use in a race. I find it amazingly challenging, and more than a little bit exhilarating. I also own motoGP 1, and they are very similar but two has more tracks , wet weather conditions if desired, and better depiction of gradient changes which cause the bikes to accelerate or decelerate according to whether or not the gradient increases or decreases...plus the sounds are more pronounced and the graphics are cleaner...a great game for the racing enthusiast who likes to bring the race home with him or her.


Fun but several flaws   February 8, 2002
 2 out of 3 found this review helpful

I have to disagree with the person who wrote this is the best motorcycle game out there. That compliment belongs to EA Sport's SBK2001, no contest. However, my PC is an endless source of irritation, and having purchased the PS2 for DVDs and GT3, I decided to give Moto GP 2 a try.

One thing this game has over SBK2001 is the ability to release your inner McCoy/Haga: the game models rear-wheel steering, and the track is soon full of the blackies that result. Also, I found analog throttle control adequate; while it's a bit touchy, it's not on/off and you can fantasize it reflects the peaky torque of a 2-stroke 500. This doesn't quite make up for the rotten modeling of leaning: a slight change in direction is followed by an extreme and implausible lean angle that's so cartoony it looks spring-loaded. This is less irritating when playing in 1st-person view, but suspension of disbelief is impossible during the much-hyped replay feature.

Lowsides are pretty easy to commit, but highsides don't happen frequently enough, and when crashes happen, the physics aren't modeled well. The bike flops down and the rider falls uniformly; contrast this in SBK2001 where both bike and rider are thrown spectacularly and believably, almost as a consolation prize to the player who dumps it. Maybe because the game's bike physics are so basic, you can't bump other riders into the gravel. Again, in SBK2001, this was a great feature both for winnowing the competition and also as punishment by the other riders were you to slow down abruptly or take a bad line.

Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but I can't get a decent launch from the line in the game; everyone gets a gap on me before the first turn. In the challenge mode, I have a feeling my times are being brought down by bogged-down RPMs; still, it's more of a challenge than the license tests in GT3.

The game's sound is slightly better than an old Atari console, but not up to PS1 standard, let alone PS2. Especially annoying are the transitions: when you pass another rider, there's no gradual decay in their engine noise, it just disappears.

As I look over all my gripes, I wonder whether my 4 stars have more to do with how much I like bikes than how much I like this game. I suppose virtual apex-carving is still more satisfying on GT3, but you just can't "high-side" on the last turn of Trial Mountain (though I've come close).