Moto GP - Playstation 2 - £44.99 by Namco 

 Out Now

You'd think that for such a massive games giant such as Namco, they'd be able to use a spell checker on the titles of their games. I mean why else would they decide to call their new PS2 motorbike sim "Moto GP"?

"MOTO" ISN'T A PROPER WORD YOU MORONS….SURELY YOU MEAN "MOTOR". Nghhhgh….they certainly don't teach spelling at computer school.

Anyway, spelling mistakes aside, this is the first Motorbike game to arrive on the fresh faced PS2, and it's a bit of a corker to be sure.

Give or take a couple of wheels, Moto GP is a bit like the-now-a-bit-dated-but-still-great Gran Turismo on the PSOne in that it's a "proper sim" rather than an all out arcade game. You can't really just pick it up and play it immediately, expecting to be really good at it (well you could…but you'd graze your knees on the tarmac) Oh no no….this game requires dedication.

All the "proper" manufacturers are in there - Honda, Suzuki and Kawaski, and you can tweak and customise your bike to your heart's content. There's real bike drivers in there as well and real courses - but sadly there's only a total of five and erm…they're usually ovals - but hey! That's how it is in real life.

You've got your usual Arcade, Season, Time Trial and Versus modes which work in exactly the same way as every other racing game - so I won't bother explaining them.

Namco have got the most important thing - the gameplay, thankfully spot on with this one. The bike physics in this game feel just about perfect, which is so crucial to a good racer - I found myself leaning into the corners a lot of the time when I was playing….which is a good sign that everything's as realistic as possible.

The graphics and sound in Moto GP are mighty fine, and much like most of the new PS2 games, they seem amazingly detailed and smooth compared to PSOne titles. There's not a hint of fog or glitching, and in fact the whole presentation is smoother than George Clooney eating a Crème Egg in a tuxedo….drinking a smoothie.

Be warned though, Moto GP is not for beginners or casual gamers, it's one of those games that you'll probably have to invest a lot of time in, learning the courses, tweaking your bike, polishing your helmet etc - to get the most out of it - so if you're expecting a quick fix then you're probably better off going for Ridge Racer V or (even better) SSX to satisfy your arcadey appetite.

 4/5

- Eddy Vista