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July 7, 2006 | 1:38 AM PST
As arguably the purest and most direct melding of man and machine outside of science-fiction, motorcycles have long held appeal for speed freaks and rebellious teenagers alike, to say nothing of the legions of non-riders that find themselves drawn to the raw mechanical beauty and sleek stylings of the two-wheeled rockets. For those that do opt to take a dance down the roadway with nothing separating them from the asphalt but horsepower, the combined sensations of freedom, power, danger and exhilaration provides an experience unlike anything a four-wheeled contraption can provide. Moto GP 2006 does an admirable job of translating that one-of-kind rush to the digital realm, providing players with a satisfying sense of speed, authentic sound, realistic physics, and tight controls. Furthermore, the game provides a myriad of gameplay modes, multiplayer options, and unlockable content to keep adrenaline junkies coming back for more.
That said, Moto GP 2006 is unlikely to make new fans of those who found previous entries in the Moto GP franchise unappealing as the primary nuts and bolts of the experience have remained relatively untouched. Indeed, if you are a fan of the franchise, stop reading, and just buy the game if you haven’t done so already. As for the rest of the gaming population, there is little doubt many Moto virgins will be immediately turned off by the game’s steep learning curve, but those that manage to keep a firm grip on the handlebars will gradually uncover the best pure simulation racer on the Xbox 360.
Controls
Riding a motorcycle is not the same as driving a car. While that may seem like a relatively easy idea to wrap one’s head around, many gamers have been shocked to find that whatever skills they may have amassed through playing sim racing games such as Gran Turismo or Forza: Motorsport aren’t worth a heck of a lot in the realm of virtual motorcycle racing. Since the majority of gamers have more experience driving cars both in and out of the virtual realm, those taking their first taste of the Moto GP franchise with this latest installment are likely to initially find the bikes somewhat unwieldy.
Unlike an automobile, a motorcycle cannot maneuver at high speeds simply through turning the front wheel in the intended direction and letting the rest of the vehicle follow suit. In order to balance on a motorcycle as it turns, the rider must lean into the turn, shifting and balancing their body weight in concert with the motorcycle. Once a rider commits to a certain trajectory for a turn, there’s very little he or she can do to make rapid and/or incremental changes to their path without having a severe negative effect on their speed coming out of the corner. Riding damn-near sideways around a corner at 60+ mph with one knee barely inches off the tarmac isn’t exactly the prime position to be making mid-turn adjustments, and any loss of stability caused by a misconceived shift in body weight mid-turn can result in a loss of control or full-out crash.
True to reality, players attempting to succeed in Moto GP 2006 must learn how to gauge an upcoming turn and carve a perfectly premeditated path through it at the proper speed, taking into account of course, the positions, proximity and paths of the other riders. Overcoming the initial difficulty of the game isn’t a matter of battling flawed gameplay mechanics, but rather about learning the basic workings and subtle nuances of motorcycles and motorcycle racing, a task greatly facilitated by flawless controls.
Responsive, but not oversensitive to the point of robbing the bikes of a sense of weight and momentum, the controls have long distinguished the Moto GP franchise from the pack, due in most part to the added precision afforded by the dual-braking system. Different application of the front and rear brakes (mapped to the right and left triggers, respectively) yield different effects, as using the rear break effectively will allow players to powerslide through some of the wider turns with minimal loss of speed, while skilled use of the front brake is necessary for navigating tighter corners.
Moto GP 2006 also features an auto-brake button (B by default) that players can use for just about any turn, wherein the computer analyzes the situation and applies the appropriate braking technique. While this makes things slightly easier for the uninitiated, the computer isn’t flawless (nor is it a miracle worker), so the auto-brake fails to provide the same level of precision cornering as manual braking, especially in the hands of a player with a firm understanding of racing lines. Those players that take the time to master controlling the front and rear brakes individually will have a clear advantage.
In addition to the aforementioned braking functions, gear-shifting is handled through the shoulder bumpers, and players can accelerate either through holding down the A button, or pushing the right analog stick forward. Tapping the Y button will cycle through the 1st person and third person viewpoints. Players can remap the controls as thsey see fit, though the default layout seems likely to be the most intuitive option possible on the Xbox 360 controller.
Gameplay
The meat of Moto GP 2006 is found in the single-player campaign, which features two distinct gameplay modes: Grand Prix and Extreme.
Based on the 2005 and 2006 MotoGP seasons, the Grand Prix lets players compete against pro riders across all 17 of the official. Licensed and recognized by Dorna Sports, the parent company that operates the Motor Grand Prix, Moto Gp 2006 features 19 pro riders, each of which rides true-to-life replications of their real-world Yamaha’s, Kawasaki’s and Ducatti’s. All of the bikes in the game are rendered complete with the requisite logos, decals, and paintjobs that set them apart visually and all of them perform in accordance with official performance stats. While all the motorcycles competing in the MotoGP are limited to a particular spec (900cc) for the sake of healthy competition (no upgrades allowed), players do have the ability to tweak a litany of specifications including the suspension, brakes, and gear ratios among others. These adjustments can be made on the fly during practice runs, and the ease with which changes can be felt is a testament to the strength of the physics engine at work. Additionally, players can customize the color-scheme and logos of their own bike and racing leathers with a handy paint-shop-esque editor.
That said, Moto GP 2006 is unlikely to make new fans of those who found previous entries in the Moto GP franchise unappealing as the primary nuts and bolts of the experience have remained relatively untouched. Indeed, if you are a fan of the franchise, stop reading, and just buy the game if you haven’t done so already. As for the rest of the gaming population, there is little doubt many Moto virgins will be immediately turned off by the game’s steep learning curve, but those that manage to keep a firm grip on the handlebars will gradually uncover the best pure simulation racer on the Xbox 360.
Controls
Riding a motorcycle is not the same as driving a car. While that may seem like a relatively easy idea to wrap one’s head around, many gamers have been shocked to find that whatever skills they may have amassed through playing sim racing games such as Gran Turismo or Forza: Motorsport aren’t worth a heck of a lot in the realm of virtual motorcycle racing. Since the majority of gamers have more experience driving cars both in and out of the virtual realm, those taking their first taste of the Moto GP franchise with this latest installment are likely to initially find the bikes somewhat unwieldy.
Unlike an automobile, a motorcycle cannot maneuver at high speeds simply through turning the front wheel in the intended direction and letting the rest of the vehicle follow suit. In order to balance on a motorcycle as it turns, the rider must lean into the turn, shifting and balancing their body weight in concert with the motorcycle. Once a rider commits to a certain trajectory for a turn, there’s very little he or she can do to make rapid and/or incremental changes to their path without having a severe negative effect on their speed coming out of the corner. Riding damn-near sideways around a corner at 60+ mph with one knee barely inches off the tarmac isn’t exactly the prime position to be making mid-turn adjustments, and any loss of stability caused by a misconceived shift in body weight mid-turn can result in a loss of control or full-out crash.
True to reality, players attempting to succeed in Moto GP 2006 must learn how to gauge an upcoming turn and carve a perfectly premeditated path through it at the proper speed, taking into account of course, the positions, proximity and paths of the other riders. Overcoming the initial difficulty of the game isn’t a matter of battling flawed gameplay mechanics, but rather about learning the basic workings and subtle nuances of motorcycles and motorcycle racing, a task greatly facilitated by flawless controls.
Responsive, but not oversensitive to the point of robbing the bikes of a sense of weight and momentum, the controls have long distinguished the Moto GP franchise from the pack, due in most part to the added precision afforded by the dual-braking system. Different application of the front and rear brakes (mapped to the right and left triggers, respectively) yield different effects, as using the rear break effectively will allow players to powerslide through some of the wider turns with minimal loss of speed, while skilled use of the front brake is necessary for navigating tighter corners.
Moto GP 2006 also features an auto-brake button (B by default) that players can use for just about any turn, wherein the computer analyzes the situation and applies the appropriate braking technique. While this makes things slightly easier for the uninitiated, the computer isn’t flawless (nor is it a miracle worker), so the auto-brake fails to provide the same level of precision cornering as manual braking, especially in the hands of a player with a firm understanding of racing lines. Those players that take the time to master controlling the front and rear brakes individually will have a clear advantage.
In addition to the aforementioned braking functions, gear-shifting is handled through the shoulder bumpers, and players can accelerate either through holding down the A button, or pushing the right analog stick forward. Tapping the Y button will cycle through the 1st person and third person viewpoints. Players can remap the controls as thsey see fit, though the default layout seems likely to be the most intuitive option possible on the Xbox 360 controller.
Gameplay
The meat of Moto GP 2006 is found in the single-player campaign, which features two distinct gameplay modes: Grand Prix and Extreme.
Based on the 2005 and 2006 MotoGP seasons, the Grand Prix lets players compete against pro riders across all 17 of the official. Licensed and recognized by Dorna Sports, the parent company that operates the Motor Grand Prix, Moto Gp 2006 features 19 pro riders, each of which rides true-to-life replications of their real-world Yamaha’s, Kawasaki’s and Ducatti’s. All of the bikes in the game are rendered complete with the requisite logos, decals, and paintjobs that set them apart visually and all of them perform in accordance with official performance stats. While all the motorcycles competing in the MotoGP are limited to a particular spec (900cc) for the sake of healthy competition (no upgrades allowed), players do have the ability to tweak a litany of specifications including the suspension, brakes, and gear ratios among others. These adjustments can be made on the fly during practice runs, and the ease with which changes can be felt is a testament to the strength of the physics engine at work. Additionally, players can customize the color-scheme and logos of their own bike and racing leathers with a handy paint-shop-esque editor.
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