Moto GP 09/10

Moto GP 09/10
PS3 – XBOX 360
Capcom

The Good – Arcade mode is a good addition – Does everything well
The Bad – Caught between a Sim and an Arcade game – daunting for newcomers

Moto GP 09/10 doesn’t seem to know if it’s a simulation or an arcade game, everything is done well but I don’t think it’s going to draw in any new fans to the genre.

Hardcore racing fans of the genre may be disappointed, because MotoGP 09/10 is in the realms of arcade physics. Players can set the racing difficulty to gentle, moderate, severe or insane , but even on the highest difficulty the riding experience is beyond forgiving. You can ride the 800cc bikes almost flat out along a long straight, only to drop perfectly into the corner after barely a second of heavy braking.

Your overall goal is to win the championship, starting with 125cc bikes, then 250cc and finally the mega powerful 800cc monsters from the proper MotoGP series. Your career mode includes basic team management, but also your event calendar. Each event in the championship season includes a practice session, qualifying and the final race. The Career mode is a bit like a racing version of Football Manager. You start out by creating your own rider and racing team, and then picking your own colour scheme and selecting from two budget bikes. You also have to employ press officers to net you better sponsorship deals and engineers to research bike upgrades.



If you're a bike novice, it'll take a long time to get to grips with the handling, it may be fairly forgiving compared to most sims, however it's still not easy to learn. The game includes a helpful coloured racing line option, complete with braking zones, so it's perfectly possible to learn how to take each corner, but for some players it'll still be a bit too much. There is also an Arcade mode, which has the same rules as games like SEGA Rally. Here you're challenged to finish races while earning extra time for impressive riding, you have checkpoints and gates to meet before the time runs out.

If you don't have a big interest in bikes or MotoGP, this isn't for you. There's nothing here for casual bike fans or anyone who might be on the look out for something accessible in the bike racing genre. It's an incredibly solid package, though, and one that fans will get a lot out of. The career mode is perfectly functional and offers more than just racing for championship points, while the online functionality allows for mammoth 20-player races.

7/10