GAME
Moto GP Ultimate Racing Technology 3

Format: Xbox
THQ
£39.99

4 005209 062879
Age Restrictions: 3+
Available
02 September 2005


Moto GP 3 is the latest in the Moto GP franchise, establishing an all-new gameplay mode and expanding on the highly acclaimed GP circuit racing. The addition of Extreme Mode brings street racing to the title, allowing players to race on city streets around the world or as a rider on the Moto GP circuit. The game features 16 new tracks in Extreme Mode along with 16 new bikes. The races in Extreme Mode span urban streets in Japan to the country roads of France, set at different times in varying weather conditions...

Moto GP Ultimate Racing Technology 3 is possibly the most impressive bike racing game on the market at present. The graphics are fantastic and the gameplay is spot on. In fact the only element that lets this game down is the rather bland music. It's not that it's totally dire, it's just that there's nothing that exciting about it.

There are so many different race types to choose from including some pretty impressive street racing. The Shires course actually made me really believe that I was racing through the English countryside. But probably the best place to start (you'll need to unlock elements and earn money before you can progress any further) is the Grand Prix level.

When you start a new season, assuming that you don't just fancy a one off race, you can practice racing around the track, then move up to qualify, or you can just start the race at the back of the pack.

It's worth going through the tutorial stages (even if on one of the levels the vocals and text give conflicting information on how to perform a move) before your start racing. When you first start racing, your bike handles like a brick and you'll be all over the track as you over compensate for each bend. The trick is to follow some of the other riders in the qualifying laps and see how they handle each corner - you'll be surprised at how slow you can go and still beat them. In fact a good trick is to keep you finger on the accelerator and then at the last minute slam on both the rear and front brakes to take you down to a crawl as you enter the sharper corners.

There are problems though. Take for example the fact that you invariably come off the worse in any collision and the added frustration that you get dethroned a little too often by other bikers who ram into you. There's also the fact that your bike can be a little slow to respond when cornering (although to be fair this is a problem that can be fixed as you earn points and transfer them into tweaking you bike).

Ignoring those very minor negative points, and you have one hell of a great bike game.

Pete Boomer

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