Moto GP 06
Posted June 22, 2006
Climax has continually captured the raw, guttural essence of motorcycle racing in every version of Moto GP. Taking monumental advantage of the power under the hood of the 360, Climax has brought the bike-infused franchise into the next generation of consoles with speed and style. While Moto GP 06 doesn't take a progressive leap in terms of gameplay, the tight control, incredible visuals / sound, and the addictive online portion is more than enough to keep offline and online Xbox 360 owners racing for weeks. 
Gameplay:
The variety of gameplay modes includes Grand Prix career and several unlockable versions of extreme mode dependent on the level of bike. Additionally, a practice mode has been included to teach the finer aspect of passing, braking, turns, and acceleration. Grand Prix career mode is an excellent introduction to the simulation based world within Moto GP 06. Most importantly, completing a series of races and finishing out the career at numero uno will increase the stats of your rider and ultimately allow for easier control. The Grand Prix career can be completed on multiple difficulties to unlock all of the stat upgrades.
After completion of the Grand Prix mode, the Extreme modes are unlocked. Decidedly more arcade based, this mode contains more exciting tracks in real-world locations around the world. Control of the extreme bikes is much more forgiving than the heavily sim-like Grand Prix mode. Progression through the various extreme modes requires building enough monetary wealth to purchase the next bike up in the power range (600cc, 1000cc, & 1200cc).
Controlling the motorcycles in either mode is heavily based on mastering the nuances of the braking system. For anyone new to the series, I implore you to run through the practice exercises before attempting a race. Heading into the race without understanding the differences of front and rear wheel braking is a recipe for disaster-laden frustration. All of the Moto GP games have involved steep learning curves which initially turn some gamers away from the series. Moto GP 06 is no exception.
If you have mastered the control, the single player A.I. is your next target. The A.I. on the first two levels of difficulty is barely competent enough to outpace your bike at all. The real challenge exists in the final to levels of difficulty, champion and legend. Both of these modes will make you practice those curves incessantly. Legend mode is purposively locked until you beat champion mode as starting any sooner would cause many thrown, broken controllers. I found legend mode is easiest to beat by reducing the lap count to one and pulling into the lead early on. Climax did a finely crafted job at providing a heck of a challenge on the upper echelon of difficulty.
My favorite online mode is the stunt mode in an extreme race, but tag is also enjoyable. Stunt mode requires you to perform wheelies and other dangerous maneuvers to rack up point totals. Tag mode is a competition of best times when handling the various corners on the track. Xbox Live play is usually lag free, although an occasional bouncing rider will slip through in a 16 player race. Online play can get particularly nasty as knocking people off their bikes is almost an art form for some dirty gamers. Beyond the multiplayer, there are a collection of leaderboards that allow for comparison with friends and such.
The 1000 gamerscore points are broken up into 24 achievement tasks. Almost all of the points can be attained through single player mode but 30% can be racked up in multiplayer as well. The achievements are not overly tough to accomplish if you have a mastery over the control system. The points do require an investment of time to go though the various modes and acquire a maximum number of points / bikes. While the points are heavily geared at the completion of the game, Climax did an admirable job applying gamerscore points appropriately with a moderate amount of challenge involved.
Graphics:
Visually, Moto GP is simply the best looking racer available for the Xbox 360, almost photo-realistic. The bikes are tremendously detailed as you can tell each individual mechanism on a particular bike. The riders are also impressive, although they overdue it in the animation department during crashes. The tracks are fantastically crafted right down to the various types of cobblestone on the extreme stunt tracks. It's often distracting attempting to admire the gorgeous landscape around the track while moving at 150 mph. The weather effects are mind-boggling, especially when the clouds break after a rainstorm. The wet, slick track just gleams from the sun's lighting effect overhead and has caused a crash-inducing glare for me on several occasions.
There are a couple slight issues with the frame rate unfortunately. I found them most prevalent while riding near the pack of fifteen competitors. Once you break away from the rest of the group, the frame rate equalizes and racing becomes easier. Additionally, the frame rate dips after a U-turn style curve as the 360 has to load the upcoming environmental textures on the track. For the most part, the frame rate isn't much of an issue as the slowdown is only minor and can easily be overlooked.
Audio:
Just like the previous Moto GP games, anyone with a Dolby Digital surround system will be blown away by the directional effects. Directional sounds comes into play, more so than car racing games, because the high pitched whine of your competitor's finely tuned crotch rocket provides ample warning for passing. Climax went the extra mile to record actual sound effects of the entire spectrum of motorcycle brands included in the game. Each bike has distinct sounds that can be carefully memorized to instinctively know when to shift gears.
The soundtrack during the menu sequences is comprised of various techno and rock tunes. The majority of the music is forgettable, but nothing is overly grating or worth loading up custom tunes over. Climax did an excellent job capturing the true auditory nature of motorcycle racing.
Conclusion:
While Moto GP 06 is an excellent addition to the small Xbox 360 gaming library, it's not a massive leap in gameplay compared to its predecessor on the Xbox, Moto GP 3. The slight differences include more challenges and a larger number of tracks. Owners of this new version will likely be gamers new to the series, folks looking to showcase their HDTV / surround system, or the growing number of gamerscore fanatics. Those who own a copy of Moto GP 3 should give this improved version a rent before purchase. Additionally, I recommend waiting until Moto GP 06 hits the $40 to $50 range before adding it to your growing Xbox 360 game collection.
Gameplay:
The variety of gameplay modes includes Grand Prix career and several unlockable versions of extreme mode dependent on the level of bike. Additionally, a practice mode has been included to teach the finer aspect of passing, braking, turns, and acceleration. Grand Prix career mode is an excellent introduction to the simulation based world within Moto GP 06. Most importantly, completing a series of races and finishing out the career at numero uno will increase the stats of your rider and ultimately allow for easier control. The Grand Prix career can be completed on multiple difficulties to unlock all of the stat upgrades.
After completion of the Grand Prix mode, the Extreme modes are unlocked. Decidedly more arcade based, this mode contains more exciting tracks in real-world locations around the world. Control of the extreme bikes is much more forgiving than the heavily sim-like Grand Prix mode. Progression through the various extreme modes requires building enough monetary wealth to purchase the next bike up in the power range (600cc, 1000cc, & 1200cc).
Controlling the motorcycles in either mode is heavily based on mastering the nuances of the braking system. For anyone new to the series, I implore you to run through the practice exercises before attempting a race. Heading into the race without understanding the differences of front and rear wheel braking is a recipe for disaster-laden frustration. All of the Moto GP games have involved steep learning curves which initially turn some gamers away from the series. Moto GP 06 is no exception.
If you have mastered the control, the single player A.I. is your next target. The A.I. on the first two levels of difficulty is barely competent enough to outpace your bike at all. The real challenge exists in the final to levels of difficulty, champion and legend. Both of these modes will make you practice those curves incessantly. Legend mode is purposively locked until you beat champion mode as starting any sooner would cause many thrown, broken controllers. I found legend mode is easiest to beat by reducing the lap count to one and pulling into the lead early on. Climax did a finely crafted job at providing a heck of a challenge on the upper echelon of difficulty.
My favorite online mode is the stunt mode in an extreme race, but tag is also enjoyable. Stunt mode requires you to perform wheelies and other dangerous maneuvers to rack up point totals. Tag mode is a competition of best times when handling the various corners on the track. Xbox Live play is usually lag free, although an occasional bouncing rider will slip through in a 16 player race. Online play can get particularly nasty as knocking people off their bikes is almost an art form for some dirty gamers. Beyond the multiplayer, there are a collection of leaderboards that allow for comparison with friends and such.
The 1000 gamerscore points are broken up into 24 achievement tasks. Almost all of the points can be attained through single player mode but 30% can be racked up in multiplayer as well. The achievements are not overly tough to accomplish if you have a mastery over the control system. The points do require an investment of time to go though the various modes and acquire a maximum number of points / bikes. While the points are heavily geared at the completion of the game, Climax did an admirable job applying gamerscore points appropriately with a moderate amount of challenge involved.
Graphics:
Visually, Moto GP is simply the best looking racer available for the Xbox 360, almost photo-realistic. The bikes are tremendously detailed as you can tell each individual mechanism on a particular bike. The riders are also impressive, although they overdue it in the animation department during crashes. The tracks are fantastically crafted right down to the various types of cobblestone on the extreme stunt tracks. It's often distracting attempting to admire the gorgeous landscape around the track while moving at 150 mph. The weather effects are mind-boggling, especially when the clouds break after a rainstorm. The wet, slick track just gleams from the sun's lighting effect overhead and has caused a crash-inducing glare for me on several occasions.
There are a couple slight issues with the frame rate unfortunately. I found them most prevalent while riding near the pack of fifteen competitors. Once you break away from the rest of the group, the frame rate equalizes and racing becomes easier. Additionally, the frame rate dips after a U-turn style curve as the 360 has to load the upcoming environmental textures on the track. For the most part, the frame rate isn't much of an issue as the slowdown is only minor and can easily be overlooked.
Audio:
Just like the previous Moto GP games, anyone with a Dolby Digital surround system will be blown away by the directional effects. Directional sounds comes into play, more so than car racing games, because the high pitched whine of your competitor's finely tuned crotch rocket provides ample warning for passing. Climax went the extra mile to record actual sound effects of the entire spectrum of motorcycle brands included in the game. Each bike has distinct sounds that can be carefully memorized to instinctively know when to shift gears.
The soundtrack during the menu sequences is comprised of various techno and rock tunes. The majority of the music is forgettable, but nothing is overly grating or worth loading up custom tunes over. Climax did an excellent job capturing the true auditory nature of motorcycle racing.
Conclusion:
While Moto GP 06 is an excellent addition to the small Xbox 360 gaming library, it's not a massive leap in gameplay compared to its predecessor on the Xbox, Moto GP 3. The slight differences include more challenges and a larger number of tracks. Owners of this new version will likely be gamers new to the series, folks looking to showcase their HDTV / surround system, or the growing number of gamerscore fanatics. Those who own a copy of Moto GP 3 should give this improved version a rent before purchase. Additionally, I recommend waiting until Moto GP 06 hits the $40 to $50 range before adding it to your growing Xbox 360 game collection.