"Around and around and around she goes..."

I can't say I'm a big fan of realistic racing games. There's just something about the idea of taking a souped up vehicle on a track and driving it around the same thing over and over again until eventually you either crash or pass a little gem better known as a 'Finish Line.' Moto GP is no exception to this. While beautiful and downright remarkable when one first plays it, getting the knack of the game entails a feeling of 'same old, same old.'

Motrin cures Moto pain.

There's absolutely no way you can deny that the graphics in this game are the closest anything gets to reality. If the stunning lens flares that are enough to cause you to squint aren't enough, the rain effects the game sports will absolutely blow you away. The occasional droplet of rain finds its way onto the camera, dribbling off by the next turn or so. Driving close behind a rider means that the rain kicked up from his bike splashes all over your sight, hindering it for a good deal of time. Brilliant flashes of lightning accompanied by crackling thunder are abundant. Turning on a sharp bend forces a beautiful trail of water to get pushed off the road. In short, the graphics in this game are astounding. And that's not even getting into the special filters you can unlock to give it some odd special effects.

The Masochism Tango

I can't say I've heard any of the music to this game, save for the menu theme; Right away, I ripped a few songs and made my own soundtrack for the game. That's got to be another strong point of the game, right there. Don't like the music? Give it your own, and don't complain. Easy as that.

Around and around and around she goes. Where will she stop? ...The finish line, of course.

The game comes with a handy dandy turn indicator when you're coming up to one, which is probably a hindrance to the game's enjoyability more than a help. It turns red to notify when you're going too fast coming up to a turn, and eventually, you may find yourself getting into a habit of, ''Right turn, slow down, turn the bike, speed up. Left turn, slow down, turn the bike, speed up. Oooh, straightaway. Crouch head, go over 160 mph, marvel at the pretty blur effect. Big right turn, use both brakes, quickly turn, speed up.'' Lather, wash, rinse, repeat. Even though the ten different courses offer this style of play in different varieties, I personally felt that it became repetitive, and too quickly. There's an option to turn the turn indicator off and make the game more challenging, though.

Woohoo! Qualified for... 20th place!

Though the game sports some of the best graphics I've ever seen, I can't recommend a purchase of this, unless you're a diehard motorbike racing fan. The graphics are a good enough reason to rent this game, as well as the ability to create your own soundtrack, but if you're not a big fan of it, the gameplay may stale while you're just getting into it. If the rental simply blows you away, then by all means, buy it.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 08/25/02, Updated 08/25/02