Game Info

Developer : Housemarque

Publisher : Fathammer

GPS: No

 
Game Brief / Options

Choose one of nine bikes and race on any of eight tracks to rip up your opponents with speed, skill and tricks. Get airborne to earn extra points with phat tricks like nac nacs, heelkickers and more. Go solo or challenge a friend via Bluetooth: it's all the same as you've still got to win.

Features:

  • 1-2 Player Bluetooth Multiplayer modes .
  • 4 Game Modes, Quick Race, Ghost Race, Cup and Multiplayer.
  • 9 pre-rendered motocross tracks.
  • 9 different motocross bikes.
  • 3 Difficulty levels - Easy, Normal and Hard.
  Screenshots

 
Graphics / Presentation

This definitely wasn't designed with the Gizmondo in mind, despite the last minute name change to make you think on the contrary.

Presentation is all pretty basic with some dodgy menu and loading screens, and some very low polygon bikes on the select screen.

In-game graphics sadly do little too impress, the pre-rendered backgrounds are the nicest thing, but as with all pre-rendered objects in games it has a bad effect on the collision detection.

Although the backgrounds are pre-rendered the bikes and riders are made of polygons and don't look too bad, but nothing too amaze you and lack any real detail.

The shadows under the bikes look bad as well, basically consisting of 10 or so transparent polygons making it look like a load of squares swarming under your bike!

  Video

There is not a video currently available.

Music

There is not a mp3 track currently available.

 
Music / Sound Effects

In-game sounds are nothing too write home about, the bike engines sound very tinny and could have done with a little more bass in there to improve it a little.

Sliding and turning seems to make a very scratchy noise and doesn't quite sound right as you tear around a corner.

The vocal soundtrack is decent enough in itself, and probably helps the feel of the whole game, it's a vocal rock style track with a decent beat to it, though with most single tunes in games, it  will soon start to grate on your nerves and drive you insane!

 

 

Availability

Release UK : 20th April 2005 / £19.99

 

Release North America: 22nd October 2005 / $29.99

 
Playability / Controls

The controls in Motocross are of a mixed bag, on one hand its pretty each to pick up and get straight into the racing, on another, its hard to see sometimes because of the isometric view what exact line you are supposed to be on.

Sometimes it goes a little too fast and you end up flying off the track and loosing vital seconds as you lose the lead, this is another example of this game being programmed for a larger screen i.e a PDA, all the programmers have done is zoomed in on the track, certainly making it harder seeing what's ahead.

Interest will soon wane as the lack of game options and any real amazement in just biking around the tracks will soon come apparent in this game, even the cup mode won't keep your interest once you complete that, it's a shame as it was quite fun while it lasted, but as I've said, the fun only lasts once and the only hope is you find another Gizmondo friend to Bluetooth against, which is unlikely for most of us.

Marks For:
  • Instantly Playable.
  • Fast and smooth.
Overall:

For £20 this is fairly expensive for what your getting, if it was priced at £10 then it would have scored a little higher, but certainly not worthy of a silver.

It's one of those games that you wouldn't mind a quick go on, but in the end the lack of challenges makes you wonder why and you end up putting it away.

In the end its an very average game, certainly not one to show off to your mates and only worth picking up for under a tenner.

Marks Against:
  • Game modes too short.
  • Game engine doesn't keep up with the action.

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