MotoGP 09/10

The doctor is in.

This week I was given the privilege of blasting a brand new Yamaha R1 around the Stowe circuit at Silverstone. Although it was on a cold morning where I couldn't get any heat into the tyres, for those brief 20 minutes of amateur riding I was reminded of all the reasons I love biking.

It's that feeling of smugness as you filter through a quarter-mile queue of traffic. It's that rush of adrenaline as you shift up into second and gun the throttle. It's that split second of contemplation as you brake late, lean in and accelerate smoothly through a well rehearsed apex. The reasons are countless.

But in terms of replicating the riding experience onto a control pad, developers aiming for a simulation experience invariably run into problems. Although cars have a quantifiable number of human-controlled variables used for movement - i.e. steering, clutch, accelerator, brakes, etc. - motorcycles in comparison aren't nearly as easy to replicate through an analogue controller.

I should also stress this is far beyond the subtleties of front and rear braking. Any serious motorcyclist understands the significance of leaning and counter-steering, and how they work on an often subconscious level.

Perhaps this is why I've always taken games like Road Rash over the technically brilliant Tourist Trophy. While controlling throttle, brakes, gears, lean and weight distribution simultaneously may be what biking is about on the road, achieving the same level of aptitude on a pad feels unintuitive and, dare I say it, boring.

'MotoGP 09/10' Screenshot 1

Unlike in MotoGP 08 where you choose an arcade, advanced or simulation model, this is now naturally included.

However, as a racing fan I was determined to get on board with MotoGP 08 with a view to bagging James Toseland an unfathomable first year win for Yamaha Tech 3. Unfortunately, I lost interest in a lacklustre game and the real James has now been relegated back to WSBK.

For MotoGP 09/10 it seems Capcom, along with new developer Monumental, has taken the basic template from MotoGP 08 and built an actual game around it. The most noticeable way in which it has achieved this is with the new super-imposed racing line that expands across each of the 17 GP circuits. The line pinpoints the optimum place to brake and accelerate through trickier corners, and if you start to place a better lap time by riding a line that's slightly faster, the on-screen line will adjust itself mid-race to better suit your riding style.

Hardcore racing types may see this nurturing mechanic as being cheap, and Monumental will almost certainly give racing purists the option to turn it off. But for those of us who don't know Le Mans and Assen like the back of our hand, the riding line helps to keep MotoGP fun without straying into arcade racing.

'MotoGP 09/10' Screenshot 2

The d-pad is now used for rider actions like fist-pumping at the crowd and jeering angrily at a competitor you've traded paint with.

Because at its heart MotoGP 09/10 seems to be trying to stay more simulation orientated, while giving new players a shot at placing a healthy lap time that won't instantly be ridiculed. Even the control system has been reworked so as to be more intuitive.

The most significant change is the introduction of a new tuck-in control, which replaces the weight-shifting mechanic from the previous game. The new system is simple to understand and easy to implement, as at its basic "tucking in" makes the rider more aerodynamic, allowing for faster acceleration on the straights - while at the same time limiting how quick you can turn.

Its effectiveness is highlighted by the fact I'm only allowed to race in the 125cc division during this hands-on, with tucking-in maxing out the light bikes to around 140mph - about a 20mph increase - on the straight at Mugello.

I'm also given a demonstration of the solid new career mode, which in terms of functionality looks set to vastly improve upon the rushed attempt that was in MotoGP 08. As well as dealing with the actual racing itself, players will now get the opportunity to hire and fire their own engineers, team managers and press officers while aiming for MotoGP glory.

This off-the-track element seems to be more about statistics - and unfortunately it doesn't look like you can level-up the loyal pit-crew who got you through those first races - but it'll be interesting to see how this extra layer adds to the finished game.

The other new mechanic introduced in MotoGP 09/10 is the Rider Reputation system, which anyone who's played Project Gotham will see as a direct rip of the Kudos system. Players are given a point score at the end of each race with positives given for actions like showboating, slipstreaming and overtaking and negatives given for crashing and colliding with other bikes. It seems this score is more than just superficial as a high Rider Reputation will net you better sponsorship deals and contracts with more esteemed racing teams, whereas a lower score will have the opposite effect.

Furthermore your accumulated Rider Reputation points can also be used to upgrade your bike, with areas ranging from the frame to engine and suspension. I'm not sure how exhaustive this process will be, but if Monumental can strike a good balance between risk and reward - especially with pros for showboating - then it could help to keep those mid-season races interesting as you strive to get better upgrades for those final tracks.

Plus, who can resist pulling off a wheelie as you head towards the finish line, with the slight possibility of flipping the bike completely over for a hilarious blunder.

'MotoGP 09/10' Screenshot 3

Capcom plans on updating the game with championship content as the 2010 season unfolds. These downloads will be free.

The scope for these kinds of antics will only increase online, as players try and race to their limits without low-siding from aggressive cornering. It also seems Monumental is aiming for something big, because in addition to lobbies and mid-race voice chat it's working to get a maximum of 20 virtual riders hooning around a circuit at once. If it can achieve this with stable netcode, then the online future could be very competitive, with online leaderboards seeing seconds shaved off the lap times till the best possible time is reached.

With MotoGP 09/10 now being very late into development the near-finished product is looking like an improvement upon MotoGP 08 in all areas. Even the graphics are a significant step up with the rider animation looking very authentic and the race tracks now appearing far less static. Each race is also introduced with a skippable start-up scene between the rider and his line crew, which is handled in a strangely opaque colour scheme. Suffice to say that players can also look forward to more professional menu systems and an overall feeling of movement and speed.

'MotoGP 09/10' Screenshot 4

MotoGP 09/10 will come with a new Arcade mode that sets players track and bike specific challenges.

But the most poignant thing I get from Monumental's interpretation of the MotoGP licence is of a game that aims towards biking simulation but without losing inventive gameplay elements that make for a fun experience. Playing MotoGP 09/10 may not be 100 per cent like riding a bike, but by not obsessing over perfect physics Monumental seems to be striking a three-way balance between simulation, gaming and accessibility.

If MotoGP 08 was the barebones beta, then MotoGP 09/10 is looking like the finished product, but it remains to be seen whether Milestone can craft the better world-class racing game with SBK X. Either way, this race is far from over.

MotoGP 09/10 is due out for PS3 and Xbox 360 on 12th March.

Comments (23) Latest comment 2 years ago

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  • Darren #1 2 years ago

    MotoGP 08 wasn't a terrible game but it was very, very average, dull even, and as such a big disappointment after the excellent MotoGP 07, which was the last version by Climax Brighton, the developers of the series which started on the original Xbox. This follow up is going to have to be a massive improvement if it is to get my cash next time round.
  • kingmong #2 2 years ago

    rossi rossi rossi. wtf is moto gp going to be like when the G.O.A.T retires?

    For example my brother, a lifelong biker, switches off the tv and walks away if vale crashes out during a race.
  • flakmagnet_ #3 2 years ago

    "Relegated" to WSBK? I'd personally rather watch a WSBK round than a MGP round if given the choice. MotoGP 09/10 however is looking good, I do hope they manage to strike the right balance between Sim and Arcade this time. Fun to play but not too over the top.
  • Wonderboyf60 #4 2 years ago

    Dont mind the bikes, but prefer F1, Hurry up Codemasters and at least show us, what you have been up to.
  • themorganator #5 2 years ago

    I'm glad the journo writing this report is a biker, because car driver reporters won't understand the requirements of a good bike game.

    I'm going to keep my eye on this one! Thanks EG!
  • Javier·de·Ass #6 2 years ago

    There's only one question that matters, does the camera tilt? Goes for both third person and first person cameras. The camera should never tilt, ever. It's a game ruiner for these shitty motorbike games.
  • LOLLERS #7 2 years ago

    The camera should tilt, it just shouldn't be heavily locked to the movement of the bike. If it never tilted, it would be ass.
  • banjo21 #8 2 years ago

    If its anything like the Climax games then gr8 - if its anything like last years atempt then I'd rather eat poo.
  • metalangel #9 2 years ago

    Excellent article, glad to have someone who knows their stuff and not someone who once played the full-size bike Super Hang On arcade machine (and didn't like it).

    How do the realism options in MotoGP 09/10 compare with those in the SBK series? One thing I really like about SBK is I can tweak it exactly as I like it so it's just challenging enough without binning it on every bend if I so much as think of adjusting the throttle.

    WSBK is hardly a relegation! MotoGP is the 'pinnacle' of bike racing in the same way F1 is of car racing (in that it's all about money and can be deathly dull at times). That HUD in the screenshots is ugly as hell, I trust that's because we're still in development? The whole 'reputation' thing to tune your bike worries me a bit.

    My money's still on the SBK series at the moment...
  • mooseman721 #10 2 years ago

    You could have a useful tilt in this game, if they can implement the playstation eye or natal to track head motion. Motorcyclists look through a corner, not straight at it, if we did that we'd be getting picked out of hedges all day!!! Good use of a biker to write this feature, nice to have someone that gets it.
  • CHAZBIGPOTATO #11 2 years ago

    I loved the original, got the Xbox live expansion as a european beta tester. Interestingly, one of my favourite games this gen uses motorbikes (trials HD) but in real life I'm not that interested in motorbikes.

    I bet you all feel priveliged to know that.

    Ahem!

    Er, Friday night then, eh?..

    Cool! Ace! Mega!
  • ThatGuyOverThere #12 2 years ago

    Not a biker but have been thinking about getting a bike game, if only to have something to play against my brother. I guess the issue is to have a wide enough appeal for the average console gamer (who may not have driven anything in the real world) but to not totally piss-off someone who knows the real thing.

    An example is camera tilt. I prefer first-person perspective when racing in Forza or GT5:prologue because that's how I drive in the real world, but how do bikers ride? Your head isn't locked to the bike, but the platform you're sitting on is constantly shifting. How do you replicate that in an accurate but still usable way?
  • patchbox360 #13 2 years ago

    06 was the best online racing experience i've ever had - they fcked everyone of these games up since that time - 08 was a horrible prank
  • UsernamePending #14 2 years ago

    Someone should come up with a Manx TT bike game - the Nurburgring for bikes. Or have they and not told me?
  • Lusterpurge #15 2 years ago

    If I were reviewing this, I'd give it a 09/10.
  • HSH25 #16 2 years ago

    I might have missed it, but I didn't see any comparison to the good Moto GP games that were developed by Climax (the studo thats now making Split/Second), as far as I'm concerned the clearly superior games have to be mentioned whenever you look at a bike game (especially one with the Moto GP license).

    All I want to know is if it compares at all well to those games.
  • Darkjinxter #17 2 years ago

    There is indeed a Manx TT effort for the PS2 usernamepending. Pretty good it is too, a very minimal camera tilting option, or the full tilt if you want it.
    It's a damn shame they never followed it up with a current gen version as riding around those bland tracks in MotoGP games can be monotonous compared to the everchanging and recognisable scenery of the Isle of Man.
  • arqueturus #18 2 years ago

    A bike game being previewed/reviewed by a biker? What an unusual thing :)

    I've generally stayed away from bike racing games for the same reason Matt mentions - namely (as a biker myself) there hasn't been a serious simulation that really works because you move a bike with your body mostly, not with the main caontroller i.e the steering in a car. I think that's why arcade bike racers works so well - the control of the bike is assumed to be competant, the rest just comes down to the the route of the track.

    Still, I've always got hope that 09/10 will turn out to be great.
  • metalangel #19 2 years ago

    @arqueturus: That's something I never considered before! A sim forces you to become competent first and then lets you concentrate on performance while an arcadey one just gives you the ability to focus on your performance from the start.

    The problem with bike sims is that there is far too much to do for it to be reasonably simulated on a joypad, or indeed any controller beyond one of those full-size arcade machines I mentioned earlier. A car, after all has three pedals, a wheel, and a gear shift. Whereas a bike has two brakes, a clutch, a gear shift and a throttle AND the need to move yourself around on the seat. When I first got SBK08 I figured since I could do all this in real life, I could do it all in the game. WRONG. Even without manual gears, the finger contortions to brake appropriately, shift my weight, corner and maintain tension on the chain were impossible (even though, unlike most console games, Milestone lets you redefine any function to any key!).

    This is before even considering how imprecise the triggers are in comparison to a real throttle and brake lever.

    The other thing I wonder about is whether any of these games model countersteering. I, for a period with SBK, wondered if it did as I found it far too difficult to turn quickly. Tweaking the setup helped (there's an option to ask the mechanic to do it) but I still note I can't throw it over fast enough sometimes.
  • Javier·de·Ass #20 2 years ago

    Isn't too hard to imagine a system where you control the biker around on the bike to shift weight on one thumbstick and steer the bike with the other stick. With this you could countersteer all you want. Which is how you should always turn a bike anyway.

    "An example is camera tilt. I prefer first-person perspective when racing in Forza or GT5:prologue because that's how I drive in the real world, but how do bikers ride? Your head isn't locked to the bike, but the platform you're sitting on is constantly shifting. How do you replicate that in an accurate but still usable way?"

    You model how a biker turns and lock the camera to the helmet and not the bike of course. Pretty much all motorbike games get this wrong and it blows my mind.
    Edited by 1 at 01/02/10 @ 01:26
  • costa_k #21 2 years ago

    Anyone fortunate enough to play the early Climax games,on and offline,should know that all other bike games are crap in comparison.I bet this will be no different.
  • bliprunner #22 2 years ago

    Just tried the demo and the handling is terrible, far too arcadey, almost like you're driving a car.

    The great thing about the Climax versions, and possibly Microprose before that (correct me if I'm wrong) was the feeling that you were bombing around balanced on two wheels.

    You lose that feeling, and for me, you lose the appeal. This is simply branded up shovelware for kids who want to be Valentino. Nothing wrong with that, just don't expect a great game. I forsee a Eurogamer 6 or 7 maximum.
  • Javier·de·Ass #23 2 years ago

    feels pretty good to me, AND THE CAMERA DOESN'T TILT PRAISE JESUS

    will probably get this. graphics are really poor though, awful image quality. but that doesn't really matter.