Jet Moto

"Heh, cool."

Hmmm, Jet Moto...a game of racing hoverbikes on insane courses and jockeying to find out if you're the best of the best.

-Graphics {8/10}-

Not bad at all, very detailed in the levels, and with the bikes, although most of the color scheme's for each team look the same, and you really can't tell a difference in the bikes type unless you look close enough at the rear thrusters.

There is some pixalation in the gameplay, and you'll see it when you're in the middle of the pack. Some of the bike parts block out at certain points, but you'll spend alot of your time looking at the race stages, so that really doesn't matter.

-Sound {8/10}-

Upbeat racing style music. Every stage has it's own style of music, and most of it fits. When you get into the later stages, there is that underlaying tone of urgency about the music that keeps you on your toes, and makes you want to be ahead of the pack.

The usual sound effects of thrusters firing, the grappling magnetic pull and the grunt of your character flying off the bike sounds good. However, the crashes sound like someone just crushing a tin can...each and every single time, and it sounds much like smashing into another bike.

I would have hoped for a different sound effect at each instance, because you do spend alot of the time in the beginning crashing into things. This is one of those games where you have your choice between the in-game music, or the music on your CD player.

-Gameplay {8/10}-

Hoverbike racing at it's best. You race for supremacy over your competitors in head to head racing against 20 other contestants. Each track is a blast to play, and master, to get the best time, and the best placing.

Most of the time, as you play through the season mode, you'll do a few of the stages over, cause you'll want the best amount of points to ensure your advance in the racing statisics. This is an elimination race, so if you can't make the points, you can't unlock the higher tracks.

After completing the game, and gaining access to the stunt race, doing tricks, which in this particular game doesn't really matter, will net you more turbo power. But again, if you're a master of the tracks, the only reward you'll find, is that of listening to the crowd cheer for you.

There is a practice mode, which, later on in the game, if you want to truly master the stages, you can play to race alone on all of the unlocked tracks, to see what the best course of action is to take in the race.

The Head to Head option is your run of the mill competition against another friend, it doesn't offer anything that will effect the game, just bragging rights for the winner of the race, but it is fun none the less.

-Control {8/10}-

Tight control, and this game is geared towards the old style PSX, meaning the digital control, and not the analog. Some of the turning and the grappling around the corners will take a bit of fancy finger work though, trying to right yourself coming out of a 90 degree turn at top speed.

But that's all nothig that a couple of times through a course won't cure. Practice makes perfect in any racing game, and this one is no different. A steering whell option probably would have been nice, but then again, you're not controlling cars, you're controlling bikes.

Each bike is different in the way that it handles on the tracks, but don't be discouraged if you're not able to ace a track or particular bike right off the bat. Remember, that with practice of each bike, you can take the bike with the best handling, and the worst accelleration and top speed, and win first place everytime.

-Overall {8/10}-

This game was the true start of the hoverbike racing games. It's got the tracks, the speed, and the sound along with the decent control. Although there were a few places that could have used some tweaking, this game does live up to the amount of fun that it proclaims.

It's a rental, or a buying purchase. It's really up to you after you have played it once or twice. It is fun, and you'll spend a few hours racing. But, in light of the racing games that are out there now, such as Gran Turismo and the Need for Speed series, along with the later Jet Moto's...this one may be overlooked.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/19/00, Updated 03/19/00