Game Review: Moto Racer 3 Gold Edition (PC, Sold Out)

The original Moto Racer game was one of my favourite PC games at the time of its release, with many good fun circuits to play, spot on controls and with the full Direct 3D patch, super smooth and graphically pleasing.  The sequel offered more of the same with extra circuits and even an editor, so you could modify the existing circuits present to create some new ones, which was a nice touch.  By the time Moto Racer 3 originally was released in 2001, it was clear that extra needed to be added for it just to not be another bike game.   For the Sold Out re-release, the game was the Gold Edition, which meant you had all the patches already installed, and this also included extra tracks and bikes, along with improved graphics.

Installation Notes

To get the game going on a modern PC, there are a couple of things you will need to do.  First, the game came with SecurDisc CD protection, which was fine back in the day for those Windows releases, but unfortunately does not work on modern Windows. So, once you have performed a full installation of the game (which installed fine) you are recommended to use one of the no-CD patches out there, so that you will not be presented with an issue during run.  The second thing is once you have that patched executable, the game launcher screen with the options to change prior to play has a tick box in the Display tab for no intro  You will need to do that too as the introductory video is in a format that does not play correctly.  Once you have done that, you should be all set, and I had no issues at all running or playing the game from that point.

Amending the Options

In the game’s launcher window, there are various tabs with options.  You will have already chosen to choose no intro in the display tab, but you can also pick the screen resolution, the anti-aliasing on offer and any other graphical options needed to enhance the gameplay and speed, especially on lower spec machines.  I ramped up the resolution and anti-aliasing on full and it worked fine, but it is good you can tweak as needed.  The controller tab allows you to redefine the keys and the button mappings for the joystick or game controller, along with a handy reset to default.  You can also amend the network settings (for online play) as well as the sound and music, and the team sets if you want to import your own in (not that you would do).   The only thing to note is that although you can save the settings for future play, you cannot change these in-game without an exit and re-load.  That is a bit niggly and a change option during play would have been welcomed.

Unlock and Load

When you launch the game, you will need to create your biker, so entering name and country along with selecting a helmet and so on.  That profile is saved, so you can choose to use it next time and get going without issues.  Then, it starts with a title screen and three main options, whether you want to play solo or multiplayer, or visit the shop.  Unlike the previous games in the series, there is not a career mode.  Instead, you earn credits to use in the shop by performing well in races (and you do get one point anyway for each race you do) – and when you have enough credits, you can then use those to buy tracks, more bikes (including the 250cc set for motocross and the 500cc for Grand Prix) and generally see more of the game.  This does mean that you may need to take some time to unlock everything, but does of course offer its own reward.

Motorbikin’

In the solo player mode, you can select the rider, and the track.  There are five types of track: speed (aka Grand Prix). SX/MX (supercross and motocross), trial, freestyle and traffic.  This is a huge increase in variety, but therefore, there are less tracks in Grand Prix and SX/MX modes, even when you do get to unlock a few.  Each track has a cost, apart from the ones marked X that are out of the box and free to play from the start.  This means that you get Eastern Creek for the speed and Barcelona for the SX/MX modes.  The bike is either 250cc for speed and 125cc for the rest, with the faster bikes being unlocked.  As ever, you can choose automatic or manual transmission, with different handline bikes within the set, and then in the race mode, you can choose the full race, time attack, or practice, which is handy for you to get to know the circuits.   Time to get racing!

Grand Prix of Speed

The speed mode (aka Grand Prix) has several realistic circuits here, starting with Eastern Creek but also later unlocked, the likes of Sachsenring and Suzuka too – and the full circuit at that which is a nice touch.  Having watched enough of the latter two, I can say that the tracks are pretty much spot on, and really gives a good graphical impression of them.  The key here is that the controls, as throughout the modes, feel responsive even on keyboard with the right amount of sensitivity, and you can enable a linear control mode before you start, which for keys helps.  The tracks themselves do have corners that you will need to brake for, so it is a case of being able to work out where that is and how much braking to apply to get round the corner at full speed.  The computer opponents are fairly measured for each difficulty level, meaning that although with practice you can win at easy level, when the difficulty is medium or hard, you really do need to be on it, and does seem fair.  The satisfaction you have when you do make a corner that needs braking and come out of it super smooth really does give you a record to aim at.

Supercross and Motocross

Most tracks in this are of the supercross variety – these are with the usual motocross bumps, humps, and ramps to jump, but they are fully based inside a large stadium or arena – so the Stade de France and Barcelona tracks are that.  You start all together and then join the track for a loop of several laps, with some nice handling on the bike required, particularly in later levels where leaning forward into the landing to ensure you do not land on the back wheel and crash, particularly good to know.  The Reygades track being fully outside is more of a technical motocross circuit and feels more like some of the outdoor circuits in the first Moto Racer especially.  Either way, the sharper corners need some careful braking and acceleration to get round, and the jumps in the air are best reduced slightly if you can.  It can get a little frustrating in that you always seem to come off worse if colliding with a computer opponent, but careful steering in the early stages or a super start off the line can pay dividends.

The bonus tracks here are different and interesting – there is one which is based fully around a multi-storey car park or two and there is an impressive ramp to head between them both, before then zooming down to ground and getting across.  Lots of braking needed here to take the tighter corners, which is also the same for the Chantier extra track, where you need to go offline to dodge some of the hazards in the way, making it a much more urban track to try and get round.  It is good fun though and some of the ascents and descents here really do give you that sense of it being a biking rollercoaster.  Nice.

The Trial of Tension

The trials biking is very much like what modern trials bike events became – much more advanced than what Kick Start was back in the day.  Here it is an obstacle course, with you having to wheelie and get the bike over the likes of large trunks of wood, and artificially made obstacles all designed to be as fiendish as possible.  You cannot go too fast as there are many turns you will not make – and in each of the trial sections you need to get past a certain section, without feet down, to proceed to the next.  This can be quite difficult due to the variety of obstacles that you are presented with, along with their camber and way you need to steer around to find the best line, wheels raised to get up, without going too fast to fall off.  This does take some considerable practice and patience to do and when you do complete one trial within the time limits allowed, it does give you a good sense of achievement.

Freestyle Frolics

The freestyle courses are in similar arenas and stadia to supercross.  Several ramps have been set up so that you can bike in the air, and then pull off various stunts before then attempting a successful landing without falling off.  I could manage that but the stunts to be pulled were not always the easiest to do, and whilst this does seem to be a little bit showy for what it is, it is more of a nod to the other skateboard and bike games where you can do stunts.  It feels a little bit of an extra afterthought here to a degree, but if you master it with practice, patience can reap rewards here too.

Traffic Jam

The traffic mode is perhaps the nicest new additional mode present, and does resemble more of a racing game based purely on street racing only.  You face one opponent and the aim is to basically race the circuits, all around Paris, faster.  Having the one opponent may sound simple – but then factor in all the traffic that you will need to drive past, all of which are going at the normal speed limits in the main and so mean that hitting them at pace will mean a crash.  That careful drifting amongst the traffic to keep up, as well as braking for a couple of the sharper corners, really does come into its own and has all the adrenaline rush that you would need.  Sometimes the collision detection can be a bit unfair, favouring the opponent more, but nonetheless there is a real sense of pride taken when you do win and pull off some stunning overtakes.  I found this immense fun and certainly more of an arcade style racer mode which would have been enjoyable down the local arcade.  A welcome addition, this mode.

Mastering the Controls, With Replays

As playable as the game is, with the speed and SX/MX modes being relatively pick up and play, mastering the controls available really helps with the trial and freestyle modes especially, from knowing when to stop, how to make the tighter turns, and to ensure you do not career off.  It does feel very responsive overall though, so if you do come crashing off it is down to you and not the game, which is crucial.  The other key is to know when to brake, and how much to brake, so that you can take certain corners faster.  This really does save you plenty of time and will enable you, particularly with the faster bikes on offer when unlocked, to be able to get the faster times that you really want.

After each race, there is also the option to watch a replay, which can be quite good to enjoy if you have won, with various camera angles showing the way you will have cut inside a corner and gained places, or accelerated past on a home straight.  If you do win the race, you do also get to see a trophy presentation for the podium prior to the replay and that is very nice indeed, showing you lifting the trophy aloft with some suitably rocking music in the background along the way.  That was good to keep in there as an incentive.

Shopping For Extras

Once you have taken part in and won some races, you will notice on the menu where you select the track and bike the number of credits you have.  Generally, 12 or 24 credits are needed to unlock most tracks and so once you have those, it is off to the shop mode.  You can select the track or set of bikes or modes you want to unlock, and then click buy, and it is all done.  Handily you can tell on the main select screen what is unlocked by the fact that the Play button bottom right does not show red, meaning that the track is not unlocked yet.  Once you get a few races under the belt more of the game becomes available and it is a sensible progression, not too hard but fair enough to make you earn it.

Graphics and Sound

The graphics in Moto Racer 3 are very nice, with some well-drawn bikes, tracks and backgrounds and really do give you the sense of speed with their high frame rate and movement, with realistic cornering of the bike, masses of detail in the supercross, trials and freestyle arenas, and it is all very slick and polished.  The sound has plenty of in-game themes, including those that play with vocals during the replay, and the sound effects has the iconic “3.2.1.GO” speech from the first game along with some good bike noises accelerating and braking, and some nice sounds of the other bikes to give you that sense of being there in the thick of the action.

Final Thoughts

Moto Racer 3 is a more than worthy sequel, and the Gold Edition presented here has plenty of nice extras and enhanced graphics to boot.  What matters here though is the gameplay, and for each of the modes, all need their own tactics but all are playable, with a real sense of satisfaction when you beat your opponents.  Not being able to change the options such as control or displays during play is a bug bear, but once you are set up and ready to go, the game proves to be a very enjoyable experience, and one that you will be coming back to, so that you can beat your best time and show off just how good you are.

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