MotoGP 07
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Publisher: THQ Genre(s): Sports / Racing Home Page: http://www.motogpthegame.com/
And they're off! It may look "realistic" but this camera mode is practically unplayable. As previously mentioned, controlling MotoGP racing bikes in a realistic manner, on a PC, is just about impossible so various compromises have to be used. One can still use the brakes independently but the "combined use in one key" choice is the better option, to be honest. Beyond that, the only other controls are direction, throttle and body position - the latter has 3 options: pushed forward, tucked underneath the screen; neutral semi-upright and pushed back, bolt upright. Moving towards the front of the bike helps keep the nose down and improves top speed; whereas going the opposite way helps with straight-line braking. In previous incarnations, the body position didn't make a huge amount of different but to their credit, Climax have addressed this... by going totally over-the-top. Shifting forward now acts like a turbo-button, boosting your top speed by a notable margin; sorry, Mr developers, but 240 bhp bikes don't have much problem accelerating or going over 180 mph, with the rider in a neutral position. Pro racers do it simply to eke out every fraction of performance from their bikes. Braking is a little better; shifting back does help in real life (as it prevents the front from loading up too much) but it's still a bit too exaggerated here. Playing MotoGP 07 on the keyboard is a frustrating affair and ultimately limits the level that one can achieve, but using an Xbox 360 controller, the game's nuances (what few there are) really come to life. Very subtle changes in direction and throttle position are still not possible but the game is infinitely more enjoyable this way - not surprising when you think as to what the only other platform the title is available on. Me Rossi, me GodAt this point, I must now moan about some of the racing mechanics. Let's start with "powersliding," basically when the rear wheel spins up, rather than gripping. In actual racing, this is done by just winding the throttle up but, in the game, it's achieved by either a quick double-tap of the accelerator or messing about with the rear brake. Even shoving the sim settings to 100% doesn't allow you to spin the rear in the dry, off the throttle alone; on the grass or in the wet is another matter entirely though. So why have the devs gone with this idea? Simple: modelling traction and grip for bikes is difficult, very difficult.
The modelling of off-track material is also inconsistent, sometimes having glue-like tendencies, other times pulling you across (which only happens in four wheeled vehicles...). It's not a major issue but it's made worse by the fact that if you place any fraction of your tyres off the track or rumble strips, you automatically incur a time penalty. "Err, hang on! So not only do you physically slow me down if run onto grass, you then artifically stick on extra seconds!" This is another example of the developers not knowing how to (or choosing not to) correctly model traction and grip. The opponent AI has been, allegedly, improved but it's hard to tell - they still act like numpties in slow corners, they don't give up the racing line if they're being lapped and they still dangerously bunch together off the starting line. They ruthlessly defend apexes too, often ramming into you if you fail to yield. It works better, though, at the harder difficulty levels, where they just "get on with the racing." For beginners though, one's opponents are an exercise in tactical avoidance. Speaking of the opponents - they may all have their respective leathers and logos, but with just the one rider model and animation set, it's like the Attack of the Clones. There's no distinction between their riding styles either and all they ride into corners like Alex Barros (laaaaaate on the brakes). Beyond the bikes and tracksIf just racing the tracks against the PC bores you, there are alternates: time trials are good for the perfectionists, track challenges, checklists and unlockables provide "achievements" to aim for and multiplayer allows one to royally kick the pants of other players. The pathetic manual offers no guidance on how to create servers or join games, and half the time you're left wondering where is everyone. One soon realises that most people just hook up to a server, race a quick match and then bounce off again. Why? Because there's no match-making system, or at least none detectable: it's quite difficult to race against people similar to yourselves, so you either leave them all for dust or just watch bikes flicking about, zooming off into the distance.
If you don't fancy playing against someone off the Internet or you don't have a LAN setup, then there's a split-screen option for up to four players. It works quite well but not with a typical PC monitor: the viewing areas, with the full quartet of racers, is just too small; hook it all up to a big TV and it's good fun... provided your system doesn't spit the dummy out with having to handle that many input controllers.
Related Stuff Games: MotoGP 07
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