Nothing quite like a new season
Moto GP 2 doesn’t really offer too much in the way of upgrades for owners of the previous version of the game. Visuals have improved slightly, as have the animations for crashing. Some new tracks and drivers have been added, as well as a few unlockable videos of highlights from the 2002 Moto GP season. Some features which were saved for Live last year have been implemented for the offline mode, but in all seriousness, owners of Moto GP might want to give it a miss unless everyone suddenly abandons playing the original on Xbox Live.
Lean into it
One of the best features of Moto GP 2 is the fact that the level of simulation is fully scaleable. If you’re a bit crap when it comes to physics, weight distribution and general handling of a bike (like me), you can tone down the realism, but if you want a fully realistic experience, you can set the meter to full. You’ll probably want some degree of realism though, because Moto GP 2 does an excellent job of recreating all the thrills and spills of the real thing. The physics system is second to none – all of your turning and weight distribution is handled by the left stick while braking is handled by the triggers – left trigger for front wheel and right trigger for the back wheel. A variety of factors can vary how your handling works – road condition, surface and weather. Take a corner too tight, run off the tarmac too fast, and you’re going to fly off the bike. If you’re unlucky enough to clip someone’s tire, odds are you’re going to cause a serious accident, especially if you’re in the middle of a pack. AI do seem to have a pack mentality in the easier difficulty levels, but unlike some other racing games of late, Moto GP 2’s AI is a legitimately formidable opponent – no rubber band AI here.
Moto GP 2 boasts a couple of different single player modes. There’s the usual Quick Race and Time Trial modes, a stunt mode which allows you to unlock videos by obtaining high scores, and the career mode. Career mode is definitely the meat and potatoes of the single player mode. When you start your careers, you have to create a rider, so you get to choose their appearance, the colour of their leathers and bike, and distribute 18 ability points across four main categories (turning, braking, top speed and acceleration). You can then enter a training mode to obtain more points by completing sets of objectives, or jump straight into the saddle and start the first round of the Moto GP season. Each round throws a few more challenge opportunities at you if you need the points, but there is also the opportunity to earn more ability points by winning the races. You can build up the rider over the course of the season, and even take him into another season after completing the first one (with the option to raise difficulty).
Just like its predecessor, the main strength of Moto GP 2 is its multiplayer, particularly when it comes to playing on Xbox Live. You can take up to 15 opponents on in a Quick match, Optimatch or Create a match. You can even select the difficulty in the latter two to ensure that you are racing against people of your calibre. Moto GP 2 will automatically log you into Live if you’re already connected to your DSL line, so the transition from normal play to Xbox Live should be almost seamless.
You should expect to get decent mileage out of Moto GP 2. The single player options provide long hours of interesting gameplay (probably 15-20), while multiplayer should last you for as long as you can be bothered playing the game. Xbox Live multiplayer should remain one of the most attractive options to potential buyers of Moto GP 2.
Bugs in the eyes at 300km/h are not pleasant
Moto GP 2 is easily one of the most attractive games currently available on the Xbox. Bikes and riders have been beautifully modelled, while rider animations (including crashes) have been recreated with a stunning degree of realism. Riders will shake their fist at you if you collide with them, and your bike will have scratches and paint missing after you crash. Environments have stunning detail – all roads are bump mapped, tires will rip up grass and kick up sand should you traverse off the tarmac. During storms, other bikes will leave vapour trails, your vision may be slightly obscured by water kicked up by other bikes, and the sky will be reflected by the wet road. Moto GP 2 also provides an excellent sense of speed, which is something we don't get treated to in many simulation racers. Most importantly, Moto GP 2 has an impressive frame rate which never slows down.
The aural experience of the Moto GP has been faithfully recreated, with all your usual engine noise, revving and skidding sounds. Your team will occasionally brief you over the radio about what is coming up on the track. Xbox Live headsets are supported, though you can only hear the voices of the riders closest to you for reasons of realism (and to cut down on voice clutter). Finally, custom soundtracks are supported so you can burn around the track to your favourite tunes.
Get the champagne, so we spray each other like silly tramps
Moto GP 2 provides and excellent recreation of the real thing. The single player modes are in depth and very enjoyable, while the Xbox Live multiplayer should consume the lives of all Moto GP freaks. It’s a tough call on whether to get this one if you have the original Moto GP as there isn’t really too much new material added, but they may decrease the amount of Live servers for the original, so you never know. If you didn’t buy the original, then we recommend that you purchase Moto GP 2 immediately.
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