Before the
first 3D consoles began to hit the market, racing games were limited to a very
two-dimensional experience. They didn’t have the complexity of the
action/adventure genre, which thrived on side-scrolling gameplay. That
perspective was something racing games could not use.
There were a
few gems toward the middle of the 16-bit era. Sega’s OutRun series was good for
its time, and though no specific names come to mind, I know there were a couple
others that moved the genre ahead.
Right now,
the average cell phone is similar to the way our game consoles used to be:
powerful based on what’s available, but lack the potency needed to take games to
the next level. Thus, the mobile version of MotoGP4 does not look anything like
the console edition. It doesn’t play much like it either. It is, however, a
mildly amusing distraction from bus stop boredom, and accomplishes more than
most racing games did back when consoles were primitive.
Tracks
Aplenty
Jerez.
Losail Circuit. Shanghai Circuit. Istanbul Park Circuit. These are just four of
the 18 courses available in the mobile version of MotoGP4. The others range from
well-known to obscure: Le Mans, Mugello, Circuit De Catalunya, Donington Park,
Assen, Sachsenring, Laguna Seca, Automotodrom Brno, Misano, Estoril, Motegi,
Phillip Island, Sepang Circuit, Communitat Valenciana.
There are
also 18 riders: Andrew Pitt, Jeremy McWilliams, Alex Hofman, Alex Barros, Marco
Melandri, Toni Elias, Sylvan Guintoli, Makoto Tamada, Casey Stoner, Randy De
Puniet, Colin Edwards, Chris Vermeulen, John Hopkins, Oliver Jacque, Loris
Capirossi, Dani Pedrosa, Nicky Hayden, and Valentino Rossi. None of these
drivers are equipped with a unique control scheme – they’re mainly here for the
sake of having more than one man listed in the rankings.
Game modes
include Quick Race and Career. To separate yourself from the pack, start a new
career and take advantage of the option to customize your bike. Four abilities –
Cornering, Braking, Top Speed and Acceleration – may be enhanced with credits
earned from completed races. All sales are not final. Should a racer decide that
his brakes need a bit more stability, you can remove credits from one ability
and apply them to another. Abilities can be reduced all the way down to zero,
allowing for a balanced restructuring of your bike’s performance – or a
one-sided upgrade that improves the single most important ability you want to
enhance.
The controls
vary by phone, but the general setup gives players the option to race with
either the arrow selection circle (found in most modern phones) or a combination
of keypad buttons. Either way works fine if your phone’s buttons are firm and
responsive. If not, you may have more luck with one particular type.
Acceleration can be set to auto or triggered manually by pushing up or the
number 2.
MotoGP4’s
gameplay is just what it looks like: a very basic racing game that feels like it
was made for the NES. It’s a fair time-killer, but don’t expect there to be any
amount of depth. The simple 2D aesthetics cause most of the tracks to run
together as one big environment, where all you do is push left or right. But
again, that is due to the technology powering game. MotoGP4 is not for everyone.
But if you’re dying for some 8- or 16-bit racing nostalgia, this game will take
you back to that memorable generation.
Note:
MotoGP4 is currently live on Boost, AT&T, Sprint, Nextel, and Virgin.
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Gameplay: 6.9
Straightforward
controls that like to go awry. The auto-acceleration feature is great until it
fails, which it does all too frequently.
Graphics:
5.5
The picture is
very clear, I’ll give it that. But the game doesn’t have many colors or
on-screen details. It’s a lot of the same thing being shown multiple times.
Sound: 3.0
MotoGP4’s
scratchy sound effects are terrible. With the quality of ringtones improving
each year, it’s about time some of that technology gets ported to mobile games.
Difficulty: Easy
Can you push
left? Can you push right?
Concept: 5.0
A throwback to
the 8- and 16-bit days. No new “concept” was created in the process.
Overall: 6.7
You can’t fight
technology. There will come a day when MotoGP is as exciting on a mobile phone
as it is on a console or as it would be on PSP. Given that mobile phone
technology is at least a few years away from reaching that point, you can’t
expect more than retro-style gaming to appear on the average phone. MotoGP4 is a
time-killer for the nostalgic crowd, but there aren’t any reasons for anyone
else to proceed.
