MotoGP 3 PC Hands-On - The PC Learns the Meaning of Speed
We saddle up with the PC version of THQ's upcoming two-wheeled racing game.
It's a dreary day for the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello, in Tuscany.
The third game in THQ's heralded MotoGP series is set for release at the end of the month and, just like last time, MotoGP 3 is making an appearance on the PC. We've been playing the Xbox version for months, but only recently got a chance to take the PC version of MotoGP 3 out for a spin, and so far we're feeling positive about the game's chance of success.
The first thing you need to know about the PC version of MotoGP 3 is that this is, for all intents and purposes, the same game as the upcoming Xbox edition. All of the modes found in the console game--including both the grand prix and extreme mode tracks--are found in the PC version of the game. The similarities run right down to the menu screens, which are identical to those found in the Xbox game. You can't use the mouse to navigate the menus; instead, you'll be scrolling through the menu choices just as you do when playing the console game. That said, the menus themselves are tidy and well organized, so you won't miss the mouse much anyway.
So what will the PC game offer MotoGP fans who happen to be Xbox-less? For one thing, outstanding visuals. MotoGP 3 on the PC has the same vivid color palette as the console game, bolstered by sharp bike and rider models, as well as high-resolution textures all around. Even the backgrounds, which tend to look rather dull and unfocused in the console version of the game, come to life on the PC. The lush green mountains that set the backdrop on the Rio track, the Sepang circuit's gorgeous grandstands shaped like hibiscus flowers (the national flower of Malaysia), and even the teeming crowds that line the stands all benefit from the graphical power of today's powerful video cards.
Other touches add to the visual quality of the game: dynamic reflections on the helmets; dramatic heat shimmer effects on tracks such as Losail International and Phakisa; puffs of dirty gray smoke from the mufflers (coupled with authentic "hiccup" gear-change sound effects that we didn't notice in the console game), and, of course, that kinetic sense of speed the series is known for. All of these touches bring a nice sense of immersion and tension to a game that might otherwise just be turning laps on two wheels.
Graphics aside, there's always the rock-solid gameplay of the MotoGP series to fall back on, and it looks like the PC version of MotoGP 3 is set to deliver here as well. The game features both single-player and multiplayer modes. The single-player game, in addition to having a full set of grand prix tracks on which to race--a schedule that follows the real 2004 MotoGP schedule, by the way--includes the newly introduced extreme mode, which essentially doubles the number of drivable tracks that you'll have. By taking inspiration from the real-life MotoGP schedule locales, the developers at Climax have created 17 original tracks in extreme mode, some of which will feel quite different from the traditional race courses found in the game.
Though the original courses in MotoGP follow a regional theme (the Dutch course, for example, is lined with windmills), some of the circuits diverge sharply from their grand prix roots. The Whale Coast track, for example, is a mountainous but extremely fast circuit inspired by the rugged coastline of South Africa. The neon-drenched Tokyo course, which has you racing through tunnels and along urban highways, is a stark contrast to the technicality of Japan's Motegi GP course. On the other hand, the Hungarian course, which runs through the streets of Prague, echoes the sharp turns and stop-and-start variety of Hungary's Brno circuit. All of the tracks found in the game, whether they're real-life GP circuits or the fictional tracks inspired by them, are drivable online in MotoGP 3's multiplayer game.
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- GameSpot Score7.6good
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MotoGP 3: Ultimate Racing Technology Review
Unfortunately, the PC version of the game doesn't have the same online support and tight control that made the Xbox version so great, but at $20 it's an acceptable alternative for racing fans.
- Oct 12, 2005
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- THQ
- Climax Group
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- Release: Aug 30, 2005
- ESRB: Everyone
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