MotoGP 06 (Xbox 360)

I couldn't agree more with the last reviewer, at least someone reviewing this game has a brain.

Read the title: 'Moto Gp 2006'. Why on earth are people expecting all-out arcade? Do they even know what the Moto GP is?! "Ooo, it's got a bike on the front cover, it must be a bike arcade game." Wrong, wrong, wrong. Honestly, if you're not going to actually learn about the game's features before buying it, it's like going on a blind date. You're just wasting your money.

On a good note, I personally love this game. I've played in recent months Tourist Trophy by Polyphony Digital (PS2) and was very pleased as I am very familar with PD's Gran Turismo series. It's quite a jump going from GT and other car games to your first bike game, but this is one game I can't take out of my 360!

Playing for a few hours now, I do believe this is probably my favorite bike game I've played and love games with simulation.

So, here's a note to those who can't be bothered to research and learn what the game is about: All the riders and tracks (as far as I can tell) from the 2005 and 2006 Moto GP are thrown into this game, with excellent (realistic) physics and, yes, it is tricky to begin with, but in time you do learn how the different bikes, riders and tracks are different and how to compensate accordingly. In other words, you do need practice at this game , in general, to get better at it. Common sense really :)

Graphics and content are as expected: tip-top and better than other games in it class. This is a game for Moto Gp fans and, to some extent, motorbike fans. Just don't expect 'unrealism'. Buy away!

MOTO GP 06 is a motorcycle-racing simulator, although as well as the 2006 names etc it also has the 2005 ones. As well as being able to have just one race (you can race in a track from the championship or an Extreme one), you also have a Career mode that allows you to race on tracks around the world, while earning attribute points (which you can apply to improve aspects of your bike, such as braking, accelerating, cornering and top speed) by completing challenges, championships and increasing your seed rating.

One thing that really is cool is that you can customise the look of your bike and rider, including logos. This is a really fun feature and it's really easy to use. There is also a Workshop that you can access between races to allow you to tune up your bike and alter it.

During a particular stage in a championship, before you go into the race itself, you can elect to practice the track (which also allows you to get used to the weather conditions -- sometimes it can be raining, and this is a pain compared to drier conditions, understandably, but it looks cool, especially as the rain leaves drops on the screen, as if it was looking through a camera lens, just like if you were watching a race on TV). There are also some challenges you can have a go at; these normally allow you to improve your riding skills by making you do a section of the track you are currently on and telling you what to do to complete the section in a (very tight!) time limit. Fortunately these challenges are an option and not forced upon you, because they are really very difficult and can be frustrating when you keep failing just because you went off the track (the time-limit counts down quicker while you are off the track, as if the challenge wasn't hard enough).

Racing is genuinely thrilling. You feel like a part of the action, and you use the Right Stick to accelerate and brake, and the Left Stick to lean forward and back on the bike (if you lean forward there's less air resistance, so you can ride faster) as well as steer. Braking can be done via the Left and Right Triggers for rear- and front-wheel braking. The Left and Right Bumpers are used to shift down and up gears (if you've set the game to manual gear-shifting). There's also a button to allow you to look behind you for as long as you hold it down, so you can see just how far behind you (or not, as the case may be) the riders behind you are.

If you go off the track you suffer a time-penalty, and I find that kind of spiteful in a videogame; the ability to turn it off would help. The game is challenging enough (and perhaps a little random as to whether or not you fall over? It certainly seemed so on occasion).

You can also choose various different views while riding, including some cockpit views (which I don't much like as the windscreen is dark enough to stop you from seeing riders in front of you quickly enough to avoid them if you are in danger of crashing into them.

If you fall off your bike for whatever reason, you are fortunately reasonably quickly allowed to remount your bike and continue on your way. However, if you fall off whilst off the track, you can sometimes be what looks like placed facing at right-angles to the track, meaning that there is half a chance that you could ride off in the wrong direction; very annoying and could have been avoided by facing you in the correct direction, as it normally does.

After each race, you can look at an action replay of the whole race, and these are especially cool and fun to watch. It's a shame that some of them are spoilt by occasional pop-up and glitching in the backgrounds, but if you can see past that then they really are top-quality.

Graphics and sound are excellent, with very convincing motorcycle sounds and some cool-looking motorbikes and riders. Whenever someone crashes it's really convincing as the biker flails in the air and bounces off anything he hits, sometimes even grabbing his knee in pain. The attention to detail really is superb.

If you like racing games that are a bit different, then this might be worth a look. It is something of a simulation, however, so if you're an arcade junkie then you might find yourself falling off too often! It's just a shame that the challenges are next to impossible.

This game offers a good and challenging NON-ARCADE moto gp experience. Why are people expecting an easy arcade race??? Im seein reviews statin this game is TO HARD... Lol? Yes its hard, but once u get the hang of it, its great. U have to get your line right to get around the bends, and you have to brake at the right time. Once you learn when to do those (doest need to b perfect either! not everyones going to get the best time in the world!) you can play a realistic, challenging, great looking and fun game. There are a few minor bugs, but i avnt pld a game where there hasnt been bugs on. So it doesnt spoil anything.

One big complaint, is with the opponents A.I. Its really bad. I dont think they actually compete, there jus on a fixed track to get them round to the finish. They make no attempt at all to avoid crashes and they jus generally act really stupid!

Overall this game is worth the money. Multiplayer is intense and generally lag free. Multiplayer will make this game last for ages. And the single player is long lasting and mostly fun to play (apart from the A.I). Fully recommended.