"The Need for Speed of motorcycle racing....well almost"

Gameplay 8/10
Moto racer 3 tries to add variety to the basic racing found in this game by offering some diverse gameplay modes. There are 5 gameplay modes. The first mode is called Speed, which is basically motorcycle racing. The second mode is called SX/MX which is motocross racing (dirt bike). The 3rd mode is Freestyle in which you perform various stunts. The next one would be Traffic in which you and an opponent must race through traffic congested streets to the finish line. And finally the last and most unusual mode is called Trial in which you must ride through an obstacle course on your bike without falling off. Now depending on the mode chosen you must either earn a certain amount of points by doing tricks, or place in a certain racing position to earn credits. In Moto Racer 3 the way you progress is by earning credits and using those credits to unlock new levels and motorcycles. Unfortunately there aren't too many of both, there are only 3 levels for each mode and not too many bikes. I found the racing levels to be a bit easy while the trial and freestyle to be on the hard side, so there is a bit of a balance issue. The motorcycle control is more on the arcadey side although you can customize some of the settings on your bike for a more realistic experience.

Graphics 9/10
The graphics in Moto Racer 3 are good (at least on the high settings). The cities are very well done with good textures. The dirt bike stadiums are done ok with various real company banners. The trial levels look the least realistic with the man made obstacle courses (but I think that's what they were going for). The only problems with the each level's graphics is that for the most part they are a tad too bland and the racing levels have too many unattractive tunnels or nothing but grass and trees. There were however some really nice details in the traffic levels such as each cars working head and tail lights which signaled in which direction they were turning.

Sound 8/10
There really isn't much to talk about here there is menu music, and music in the levels. It isn't breathtaking but fairly good. The sound effects sound as they should and the engine isn't too loud, as it is in some racing games.

Controls 7/10
The controls are pretty standard for the racing part of the game. They are not too complicated and don't have all those extra and unnecessary buttons. The main objection I had was that the controls for the freestyle mode where not easily accessible to newcomers and required a lot of time to get comfortable with.

Replay Value 8/10
I didn't mention earlier that this game has multiplayer which considerably increases the replay value. Otherwise this game isn't too long. And the length as in other games mainly relies on your skill, but overall shouldn't take you more than a week or two of casual playing to unlock evrything.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/28/04