Motocross Madness 2 Review
Motocross Madness 2 isn't the most realistic motorcycle simulation you can buy, but it's definitely one of the most enjoyable.
When Motocross Madness hit shelves almost two years ago, gamers and critics alike were taken aback at just how much fun the first racing simulation from Rainbow Studios turned out to be. "Simulation" might not be the right word to describe a dirt-bike game with bare-bones setup options and a physics model that lets you pull off jumps and stunts that would leave real-life riders and their bikes piled up in a broken heap - but no matter how you define it, the fact remains that Motocross Madness was one of the most exciting and addictive games of 1998.
The original set a high standard, but for the sequel, Rainbow and Microsoft have managed to deliver a game that's even bigger, badder, bolder, and better in just about every way imaginable. From its eye-popping scenery graphics and breathtaking crash and stunt animations to its impressive array of indoor courses and fully realized outdoor environments, Motocross Madness 2 almost never ceases to impress. Whether you opt for a hair-raising 15-minute session of stunts or a marathon session of online racing against fellow Motocross maniacs, the game always leaves you eager to give it one more go-round.
Some Motocross Madness 2 owners might feel slighted that the game doesn't ship with a course editor, but there should be plenty of courses to keep them happy until Microsoft makes the utility available for download: The game features more than 70 venues, from noisy indoor arenas to snow-capped mountains, sun-scorched deserts, hilly forests, working farms, and more. Cyber-cyclists can choose from more than 20 models of dirt bikes, starting with nimble, quick 125s and moving all the way up to 600cc monsters that can easily prove to be too much to handle for beginners.
It's a bit disappointing that the game only has 12 models of bikes from three real-life manufacturers (Honda, Yamaha, and KTM), but it's probably just as well since you'd be hard-pressed to spot any significant handling differences between comparably sized cycles. The game's garage feature is equally slim: You can adjust front and rear suspension settings and tweak the power curve to deliver more horsepower at various RPM settings, but at the end of the day most gamers will happily use one of the preset configurations for each of the bikes. Besides, most of us would rather spend our time designing custom rider skins (which can be uploaded for all to admire in a multiplayer match), rather than getting greasy in the garage.
The 70 tracks are divided among six single-player events, including the original game's Baja, Freestyle Stunts, Nationals, and Supercross modes, in addition to Enduro (similar to Baja) and a career-based Pro Circuit where your performance determines how soon you'll move up to new bikes and courses. Both Baja and Enduro events are set in the great outdoors on tracks that consist of a series of waypoints - but the path you take from gate to gate is entirely up to you. To finish at the front of the pack, you'll need to log more than a few practice sessions to explore the area in search of shortcuts, but even this is a blast because of all the goodies the developers have packed into each area.
As you burn through the countryside, you'll marvel at low-flying planes, jump over speeding trains, scream past (or slam into) cars and trucks, and dodge slow-moving farm machinery. Add lushly detailed terrain and vegetation, and it's easy to see why you can spend hours just feeding your wanderlust.
Motocross Madness 2 Quick Links
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- GameSpot Scoregreat
Player Reviews
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Critic Scores
- IGN 8.6 / 10
- Gaming Age A-
- Eurogamer 8 / 10
- GameZone 8.9 / 10
- Game Rankings 91 / 100
- Electric Playground 10 / 10
- Game Vortex 10 / 10
- PC Gameplay 9 / 10
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- Microsoft Game Studios
- Rainbow Studios
- Motocross Racing
- Release: May 26, 2000
- ESRB: Everyone
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