Moto GP 3 (Xbox)

[MartyG]

I am a biker, and I am a Moto GP fan. I'm also an avid computer biker game fan and have all the itterations of the Moto GP series on both PS2 and Xbox.

I've just spent the last hour and a half playing Moto GP 3 (Xbox) Moto GP 2 (Xbox) and Moto GP 4 (PS2).

Moto GP 3 Xbox is broken.

On boot the game looks identical to MGP2 from the boot sequence to the Live sign in - in fact the graphics engine looks like it hasn't been changed one jolt. But then you play it.

Why has the handling been altered to over twitchy? Why has the collision detection been utterly destroyed and why is wheeling now so difficult? These are 250+ bhp HP bikes we're talking about that lift the front if you sneeze on them wrong.

I think my biggest issue it this: it's exactly the same game with broken handling, and this leads to my second issue. WTF is there street racing in a Moto GP game???????????? It's like putting a Ford Focus series in an F1 game.

I can see why it's been done, because management came along played it and said: "Isn't this Moto GP2?". The only reason I can see for including it is because the developers got embarrased at the fact it's the same game but with the afore mentioned broken handling and so stuck in something extra and irrelevant.

There are no street races in Moto GP - there is no place for them in a Moto GP game.

Should you buy Moto GP 3 if you own Moto GP2? No, absolutely zero point unless you want the same game again. The only thing that saves it is the online integration, but then you get that in Moto GP 2 - so what's the point?

Moto GP 4 on the PS2 at least gave the series some thought with the inclusion of 125 and 250s (that are relevant to the Moto GP series - and they really do make a difference to playing the game) and actually, this has become the better game from a single player aspect.

To sum up my initial impression of Moto GP 3 : ft:

[MartyG]

Oh - and I forgot to mention that the sound hasn't been changed either - it's still very poor where MotoGP4 PS2 really went to town and captured the real sound of the Moto GP bikes that graced the 2004 series.

[lordcookie]

it was the only game on the xbox I still had to look forward to. That is really, really disappointing news.

[VR46]

Is it any different/better than the OXM demo three months ago ?

Must admit I have preferred all the PS2 Moto GP incarnations over the XBox ones, it was only Live that kept me playing Moto GP 2 on the Xbox for so long.

I thought the street racing was sh*te also by the way, race 50 yards, brake really hard, race 100 yards, brake really hard .... you get the idea, it was like going round a track with square corners on the demo.

[MartyG]

There's no frame rate issues in game on the full release that there were with the demo, but the replays stutter - actually they look pretty awful tbh, but who really watches them unless they're with their mates?

As must be obvious, I'm really disappointed with this game - after the lengths Namco went with Moto GP 4 on the PS2 to improve their series, I was really hoping that the same would apply to the Xbox series - and push the game to the next level. It hasn't happened.

[PeteJ]

I think my biggest issue it this: it's exactly the same game with broken handling, and this leads to my second issue. WTF is there street racing in a Moto GP game???????????? It's like putting a Ford Focus series in an F1 game.

To add something new to the series? I thought it was a pretty good idea actually, and the reason I also bought back into the Moto GP Xbox franchise.

I say almost, but your comments on the gameplay are pretty worrying. The original games handling was pretty much perfect; wouldn't have thought they'd ever need to change it. Ahh well.

[MartyG]

The franchise is Moto GP though and anything outside Moto GP is irrelevant - there are no street races in Moto GP. As I said, it's like buying an F1 game and getting to drive a Ford Focus. Why not include dirt track or Motocross?

Fine if you're going to release a motorcycle game and declare it as such - but don't say it's a Moto GP game and then put street races in.

As I said, the only reason I can see for including them is because Moto GP 2 is the exact same game otherwise (broken handling and different tracks aside).

I thought the Moto GP 2 game was excellent - it encapsulated all that was good of Moto GP 1 and put it online, the bikes behaved right, you felt like you were going fast and being part of the experience - the problem is Moto GP 3 hasn't actually done anything but break things, and you'll end up in the dirt even if someone slighlty nicks you.

I think the other thing that really narks me - and I've mentioned this in my MotoGP 1 and 2 reviews - you cannot accelerate or brake without actually touching the accerator or brake - so why oh ****ing why are the animations still showing the bikes doing so with the riders waving their hands in the air?

[fragmast3r]

not one to normaly read anything in first play, but on this occasion im glad i did, i too live bikes and bike games, but thanks to martyg Ive just saved ?35

[mr_sockochris]

Well I love it. Feels pretty much exactly the same as Moto GP 2 to me, so I'm not sure what you think is so broken about it, but I've not had any problems. I was skeptical of the street racing at first, but it gives you something else to do given we've raced most of the real tracks in the past game(s). They're not ever going to replace what the game is really about, but they do look beautiful and the good tracks defintly outweight the bad. My only real complaint is that they took the sim setting away, I used to love playing online with everything set to 100% sim.

In summary I wouldn't reccomend picking it up if you have MGP2 and you're short of cash, but it's been keeping me busy all week so it must be doing something right.

[Fuddle]

been playing it solidly all week, and i'm really enjoying it myself.

the extreme courses are an unrequired addition to me, but if it brings in more users, then its worth it. if you feel that strongly about them being there, just dont play them (and i hardly have so far)
admitedly that might make it a bit of a waste if you still have no2, but just the fact that there are actually people playing this online makes it worth it imo....and i was still playing 2 regularly right up untill this was released, and even though there was a few regulars it was nothing compared to how many people are on now...including all those long time fans making the transition to this version, none of which i've heard complaining so far.

as for the handling, its practically the same. power sliding seems a little more tricky, and you have to watch how long you hold them, but i havent ever thought of it as being twitchy.
i'm playing it almost exactly the same as no2 with no trouble.

[MartyG]

But the street racing has nothing to do with Moto GP. Moto GP 3 proclaims to be a Moto GP game, Rossi doesn't come to work and feck off around the Isle of Mann - yes it might be a nice addition - but my point is it's only included because otherwise it is exactly the same game.

[Fuddle]

cant argue with that, but it still is a moto gp game if you want it to be.

personally i would have prefered them to just have the extra 2004 bikes and tracks as downlodable content for the old game, but you cant blame them for wanting to make a bit of money from those people that think it will be 'extreme' (which it isnt).

[MikeRox]

So, if I had ?40 in my pocket, I already own the original Moto GP, didn't bother with 2 as it seemed too similar to the original and I was gonna wait for it to drop in price (which never happened as the ?24.97 pre owned stickers prove :/), should I spend my money on Moto GP 3 for Xbox, or Moto GP 4 for PS2?

[Fuddle]

personally i havent played 4 on ps2, so maybe i shouldnt comment, but online stuff is a big draw for me these days. and its obvious that this xbox version is heavily bent towards that goal (single player cpu ai is ****, and technically you dont need to play single player ever with regards to unlocking stuff, although it is the easiest way). so if you skipped 2 and love xbox live it might be worth it.

depends how much you like the ps2 series and maybe how well it works online i guess, which i'd certainly be interested to hear about too.

[MikeRox]

I've never played the PS2 versions but Moto GP 4 really caught my eye, regarding the xbox, I won't have Xbox Live at uni as it isn't really practical and I'll be taking a modded Xbox down so that I have my beloved SNES games and stuff as well as not having the physically have the games down there so I don't lose as much if my flat gets broken into so Live isn't really a seller for me on it tho I'm assuming it has decent System Link options like the first one so I could play on Xbox connect