Customer Reviews

MotoGP 08

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

If you're like me - love motorcycle racing, actually know what MotoGP is (not motogR, like another reviewer said), and don't come expecting this to be the two wheel version of GT5 - you will have fun with this game. Granted, graphics aren't groundbreaking, and sounds are pretty generic (so $60 price tag must be mostly to cover the use of MotoGP trademark), but as of now this is the only way I know of to "ride" the tracks of MotoGP circuit in your living room. As much as I was positively wowed by the racing games like Grid, I still have more fun with MotoGP08, simply because it is motorcycle racing.

For your reference, I'm a club motorcycle racer (yes, "real life"), MotoGP fan, and an avid fan of simulation racing games like the Gran Turismo series. I bought this HOPING it would be challenging and realistic. I also own and have played many hours of SBK '08 (the equivalent Superbike World Championship game from the same studio: Milestone).

First off, this is EXACTLY the same physics engine as SBK '08. If you didn't like that, you won't like this. Riding feels exactly the same, and the bikes behave the same way in general (though the 125cc bikes handle very differently than the 800cc MotoGP class bikes). This means that everything that is frustrating about SBK '08 is frustrating about MotoGP. As many other motorcyclist reviews have pointed out, it's very hard to push to the limit without being able to feel all the things you'd normally feel from a bike. You can't really tell when you're about to lose traction, nor do you know when you can safely brake more. Eventually, if you're patient, you can figure out where the limit is by crashing again and again. The most frustrating thing for me, control-wise, is that it's incredibly hard to make small trajectory adjustments (for instance, leaning very slightly to the left on a curved "straight" while full-on the gas, something that's very easy on a real motorcycle). This goes for steering, brakes, and throttle.

One key difference between MotoGP '08 and SBK '08 is that SBK is much more complete when it comes to making adjustments to your bike. MotoGP gives you a few sliders for generic things like "turning speed" and "gearing," whereas SBK allows you to set your suspension compression and rebound, as well as select individual gear ratios. If that's important to you, SBK might be better, but for most players, it's probably unwanted complication.

My favorite part of this game is the course selection. SBK only includes twelve or so tracks from the SBK calendar. MotoGP '08 has all of them. If you sit at home watching these races on TV, and you want a chance to see the track from a different perspective, this is your game. If you like learning lots of new tracks, this is your game.

Finally, the MOST INFURIATING aspect of this game is that the AI racers ride like you're not there. In real racing, where bikes and cars have roughly equal abilities, passing is done by forcing your opponent to yield to you, usually by out-braking him into a corner. If they don't yield, you crash and therefore can't pass. In MotoGP '08, however, it's so bad that riders on faster bikes will slam into you on the STRAIGHTS when you're at full throttle, nail you in a turn at full lean angle, and more or less always ignore your presence anywhere. This makes the game unplayable at higher AI difficulty levels, because even if you're faster, the AI riders will cause you to crash or constantly bump you off a fast line. Even on the "medium" difficulty level, I'd get pole position before every race (fastest qualifying lap time) only to get knocked into the runoff at the first corner.

So, would I buy this game? Well, I did, but only for the reduced price of $[...]. I would NEVER have paid $[...] for this game. It's just too unpolished, and the number of game features that actually work the way they're supposed to is rather small. If you love motorcycles, racing video games, and MotoGP, it's probably worth your time. Otherwise, not so much...

I have MotoGP for the first Xbox and loved it for years.
When I got my PS3 this was the first game I looked for because I wanted to see the improved graphics. I am not disappointed.
I was surprised when I saw these reviews but as always I checked amazon.co.uk for more input.
There are more people who reviewed this game there and their attention span seem to be a bit longer.
Of course you can not drive this game perfect the first two times you try, that would make this game last 20 minutes before you got bored. The handling is great and actually more difficult than the Xbox version.
Even on easy level you can now fall off quick if you're not careful, that makes it more fun than if the bike acted like a pinball machine.
When you get more skilled it is very fun to accelerate out of a corner and at the same time look back so you can see the rubber getting stuck to the ground.
Because I've played it on the Xbox it is almost impossible NOT to win a race at the easy level for me, and when you get more skill and get to the advanced level this game will not let you win without driving almost perfect. As it should be.
I believe that this game will give me many hours of fun for years to come.

I've had this game for 3 years and still play it. Compared to the Moto GP 09/10 and 11/12 this game blows them both away. It's not perfect but it is fun. After 3 years there are still people playing online at least every Monday. You can't pick it up and master it in 2-3 hours but same goes for real bikes. If you take the time to learn your lines and braking markers it is well worth the effort of breaking the track records. The online play is really where all the fun is. Up to 12 guys lined up trying to race clean is a blast. If you get the game be patient and hopefully we will see you online. Thanks

I love this game!!! Very realistic and challenging... amazing!! It keeps you playing and playing for hours!!! For the ones who love motorcycles live me... I really recommend!!!

I am an experienced gamer and motorcyclist. In simulation mode this game is too hard. On a bike in real life- you can feel it if you're about to lose it, and then correct. In Simulation mode- you just dump it with no warning. So this game lost my attention.

Once you get a hang of it, this game is not that much different than the PS2 versions of it. I mean yes, I loved Namco's versions better than Capcom's but this game steals some Namco feel.

The real fun is online, and there are usually always people online.

If you love motogp and motorcycles, I would ignore the comment about "DONT.BUY.THIS.GAME."

That's so dramatic

I think this game is the cat's meow. I am so glad I bought it. Multiple skill levels allows you to be in the race from the start and make it challenging as you learn the tracks. Superior graphics and sweet motorcycle sounds. I ride a motorcycle and have been to a MotoGP event and this is like being in the mix! Buy it.

Preface: For the first half-hour I hated the mechanics of MotoGP08, so what comes next assumes you can get past that first 30 minutes of learning how to get the bike to obey.

It's also not like GRID or Motorstorm or Burnout or DIRT.
So what is it like then?
Tomb Raider...
Like in Tomb Raider, and unlike in Motorstorm, I cared if I fell, because the
controlls and physics ARE tough, but learnable(unlike SBK's), and dare I say loveable? Where N4S Shift will steer and brake for you, and SBK will actively destabalize you into a wall>:( MotoGP will listen to just your inputs.

And now for some SBK bashing...
Oh SBK why do I so despise thee? is it your 60 second load times between every
screen, is it your painfully awful "music", is it how your bikes feel like they're
racing on a two foot wide track covered in ice?

Closing notes:
-No chicks in this game:(
-Has rain:>
-20 second load times:)
-SBK, aweful
-MotoGP, awesome.
-2 stars for fun? Burnout was "fun", Motorstorm was "fun",
MotoGP08 is intense, is demanding, will make your palms
sweat and knees tremble, I can't call that "fun".

I enjoy racing games. After playing my fair share ranging from Gran Turismo on the PS1 all the way to Burnout Paradise on the PS3, I had figured the worst racing games I have ever played were behind me.

Well I rented this game needing a little change of pace and I was floored.......really floored.......by how BAD this game is. The graphics in the game were pretty much on par for a mediocre PS2 game (Gran Turismo 3 comes to mind). The courses are bland. The bikes look decent, but still nothing to write home about. Frankly, coming from a company like Capcom, I was hoping for more....... Auto Modellista was a better game than this with better graphics.....and that game was just around average for the PS2.

The controls are pretty much what you would expect from a sim only far less forgiving. I spent the first three or four times racing simply getting a grasp for them. I am sure there are some of you out there that thrive on realism, and in that case I suppose you wouldn't mind it, but I detest playing a game that makes me feel like I am going to crash if I so much as look at screen funny or miss a turn if I yawn (and I did yawn ALOT playing this game).

Overall there isn't much to be said about this games saving graces. Saying this game is sub par is being generous. As much as I wanted to find something good, I couldn't. Avoid this game like the plague, because frankly, I spent four bucks renting this game and I still felt gypped.