I-Play has taken over the saddle from THQ Wireless for this seasons officially licensed MotoGP mobile racing game and added their own brand of hi-octane to this motorcycle franchise. Taking a high speed motorbike around a turn at 120 mph with only your kneecap and two credit card size pieces of rubber touching the ground has to be a hair-raising experience. MotoGP 08 seeks to simulate this on your mobile device and as such it does a remarkable job.
Modeling the actual riders, bikes and tracks from the 2008 GP international circuit, MotoGP 08 lets you race the entire 18 race championship. As you progress through the races the announcer tracks your accomplishments and disappointments giving you a real sense of connection to this hi-speed championship. The fact that the race tracks are faithful recreations of the actual layouts minus some elevation changes enhances and further draws you into the world of MotoGP.
Podium finishes reward you with bike upgrades to increase performance The circuit leader board is updated after each race awarding 25 for 1st, 20 for 2nd etc so you know exactly which riders you need to beat in the next race. It all goes to make for a very exciting and involving 18 race championship.
The speed of the game and handling of the bikes are excellent. You can tap left or right for fine tuning or go hard for sharp turns. You can even fine tune on the turn because these bike don’t snap to attention the second you let off the key. The one handed control feels spot on. The length of each race is two laps so unlike the real MotoGP these bikes are equipped with boost (5 key) as you have to pass 17 racers unless you run a qualifying time trial to improve your start position. In any case, the time of each race is under 4 minutes which is perfect for a cell phone.
The graphics as you can see are very good and match the real world tracks but if you take your eyes off the tracks to look around you’ll probably be passed as the AI in this game is as good as the graphics. While the lower tier riders are easy to pass, once you reach the leaders they’ll use blocking tactics and good racing lines to make it tough on you. Then once you’re in the lead if you’re not hugging the turns you won’t be there long. There were many times I wished for a rear view mirror. Yet there is a fairness to the races in that if you are passed you usually know why. Either you took a turn too wide and drifted off the track or zigged when you should of zagged.
Regrettably, the only sound in the game is listenable music which can be changed by restarting the race. Perhaps game developers are afraid of the footprint the game will make by adding sound FX to mobile games but its been done successfully before.
Personally, I haven’t followed the MotoGP circuit. This game tweaked my interest enough that I watched the recent Indianapolis race on TV and I now know that that ‘Ros’ guy I was always chasing is Italian Valentino Rossi, the current runaway MotoGP point leader. That is my testament to the success of MotoGP 08 which earns 41/2 stars and a permanent place on my memory card.
Reviewed by Goyami on Nokia N73