Moto Racer 3 unveiled

Yesterday, Infogrames unveiled the third game in the Moto Racer series. Originally an Electronic Arts property, Moto Racer was picked up by the French publisher about a year ago, but nothing of the latest game had been shown until now.

Like the previous two games, Moto Racer 3 blends street and off-road motorcycle racing into one package. The physics of the game appear to be realistic, but anyone with even a passing knowledge of driving mechanics should feel right at home with Moto Racer 3. While we weren't able to play the game, an Infogrames representative did demo it to us for about 20 minutes. Moto Racer 3 has six distinct types of racing and 32 bikes in all--16 street and 16 off-road bikes. The six events are street racing, supercross, motocross, freestyle, trial, and traffic. Despite its name, street racing actually takes place on closed circuits that are modeled after existing racetracks, which is a new addition to the Moto Racer series. One of the most famous tracks in the game is the Suzuka International Raceway in Japan. Motocross and supercross racing are essentially identical, except for the fact that the former takes place in outdoor areas while the latter takes place in smaller indoor arenas. Freestyle racing is a stunt mode. Here, players will take their dirt bike and attempt to pull off any number of 20 stunts on a variety of different jumps. All these midair moves are motion-captured, and they include daring maneuvers like the superman. The trial mode is one of the most unique in Moto Racer 3, and it involves a motorcycle event that hasn't caught on as fast in the US as it has in Europe. In this mode, players will receive a small bike that, while it does have off-road wheels, isn't really a dirt bike. Players will have to skillfully and slowly maneuver their bike up and over various objects by bunny hopping, performing wheelies, and pulling off fronties. Finally, the traffic mode is similar to street racing, but unlike the latter, it does take place on an actual street. In fact, players will race through Paris with other bikers while trying to avoid city traffic.

The control will be fairly straightforward, with input for accelerating, braking, and turning. Additionally, players will be able to lean forward and backward on the dirt bikes, which will enable them to load their shocks before hitting a jump for added distance. And while the bikes won't be licensed, players will still be able to upgrade and enhance various components like the shocks, engine, transmission, and tires.

The graphics in the build we saw yesterday are significantly more advanced than those of the first two installments in the series. The developer is obviously going for a photo-realistic look to the game, and everything about Moto Racer--from the bike models to the tracks--looks very impressive. While it wasn't enabled in our build, full-scene antialiasing will make the final cut in Moto Racer 3, according to Infogrames. The game will have multiplayer support for up to eight players, and the company expects to have additional maps available for download some time shortly after the game's November release. We'll have more on Moto Racer 3 shortly.