Ride the Japanese GP Suzuka
and other courses including our Donnington and France's Paul Ricard in a
game that doesn't need much introduction given that it's a motorbike racing
simulation and what else is there to do than race round and round each track?
Well, there's a little bit extra going on, but it doesn't stretch to anymore
than selecting your bike, helmet and all the typical options.
As with many of the PS2 games it does look very good indeed. The graphics
move fast and the bright blue sky in the backdrop looks gorgeous, with each
of the tracks replicated faithfully, so everything you expect then.
And that continues with the sound too. The roar of the bikes' two-stroke
500cc engines is loud, but it's a very linear experience. We know what a
bike sounds like so there's nothing that will surprise here. Optional tunes
play in the background but I prefer to turn these down as they just get in
the way.
The major minus with this game comes in the implementation. Start a race and
all your virtual opponents race off into the distance. Once you've got used
to the game you can occasionally catch them up, but it is difficult to control
and takes a while to get into it.
What you'll find whenever you play is the ability to overshoot and come off
the track frequently. How the others stick to the tarmac I'll never know but
I can only stay on by dropping my speed markedly, which kills the feeling of
momentum and just annoys you.
Also, when trying to get off the dirt track, turning your bike doesn't move
you as quickly as it should, pivoting about a central point and not instantly
moving you in the desired direction.
Also, when you come off your bike, for some reason the vibrating controller
takes its cue from your bike flipping about and not your rider (!)
Overall, it looks good, but that's about it. I played this sort of game
in the arcade over 15 years ago but here, on the latest console, it just
lacks any FUN.
GRAPHICS SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC PLAYABILITY ORIGINALITY ENJOYMENT
As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B
37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Jan 2011: Intel Quad Core Dell XPS 8100, i7 CPU 860 @ 2.80Ghz, 8Gb RAM, nVidia GeForce GTS 240, Windows 7
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
Ride the Japanese GP Suzuka
and other courses including our Donnington and France's Paul Ricard in a
game that doesn't need much introduction given that it's a motorbike racing
simulation and what else is there to do than race round and round each track?
As with many of the PS2 games it does look very good indeed. The graphics
move fast and the bright blue sky in the backdrop looks gorgeous, with each
of the tracks replicated faithfully, so everything you expect then.
The major minus with this game comes in the implementation. Start a race and
all your virtual opponents race off into the distance. Once you've got used
to the game you can occasionally catch them up, but it is difficult to control
and takes a while to get into it.
Overall, it looks good, but that's about it. I played this sort of game
in the arcade over 15 years ago but here, on the latest console, it just
lacks any FUN.
