I'm not a big risk taker. But in 1996, two friends convinced me to get my motorcycle license with them. I was convinced we were going to get killed. In the end, however, I was the one who fell in love with the two-wheeled world. I rode an ancient Honda for years, then graduated to a sportbike. For me, there's nothing like carving up Colorado's sinewy mountain roads, leaning deep into an apex then rocketing out of a corner on the other side.
Along the way, I also became a motorcycle racing fan, taking in American Motorcyclist Association races at the now-defunct Pikes Pike International Raceway. My favorite rider was Nicky Hayden, whose dirt-riding background taught him how to slide bikes 'round corners—a riding style he took to the pavement when he graduated to sportbikes. Nicky won the AMA championship in 2002, then answered Honda Racing Corporation's invitation to jump to the international big league: MotoGP.
The MotoGP championship, which takes place on 17 tracks around the world, is motorcycling's premier competition. Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Suzuki and Ducati extract upwards of 250 horsepower out of a mere 990 cc's, and these potent two-wheeled steeds weigh in at a scant 320 pounds. Riders such as five-time champ Valentino Rossi, Marco Melandri, Sete Gibernau and Nicky Hayden vie for top international racing honors.
For a number of reasons, I had to sell my faithful Honda CBR 1000F this spring. But MotoGP '06 means I can still dive into hairpins and crack the throttle open to my heart's content.
Track Time
For armchair racers who love to feel digital wind whistling through their helmets, MotoGP '06 is an adrenaline-inducing dream come true. Players can choose to race through either the 2005 or 2006 season and (eventually) compete in the more arcade-like Extreme mode.
Those who don't want to waste time can go directly to the Quick Race feature, which is where I began. After a few Quick Race laps, I scrolled down to Racing Career mode to launch my own two-wheeled campaign. I chose Yamaha's YZR-M1 as my weapon, designed my bike's logo (as well as personalized leathers and helmet), then hit the track. The racing pattern at each track follows that of the real-world competition: practice, qualifying and then the actual race. Practice affords an open-ended chance to explore each track's idiosyncrasies, while qualifying is an all-out time trial to obtain the best starting position.
The first thing that's apparent behind the handlebars in MotoGP '06 is how utterly realistic it seems. The game's designers have based bikes' barking engine notes off real recordings; similarly, each track is designed with incredible attention to detail. Photo-realistic graphics make for a simulator-like racing experience. Precise controls, such as independent front and rear brakes, further enhance the game's authenticity.
As racing games go, MotoGP '06 demands finesse to efficiently pilot bikes around corners—and without crashing. Eventually, I quit trying to play it like a video game and began to choose lines through curves as I would in real life. Amazingly, my lap times improved as I did so. Victories (or placing high in the rankings) secured money and credits to improve my bike, unlocked new rides and raised my overall seeding in the international competition.
Everything But the Injuries
Once I completed a season of GP racing, the game's Extreme mode was unlocked. Unlike the initial races, the three progressive categories of Extreme racing on 600, 1000 and 1200 cc bikes are more arcade style. Here, the name of the game is all-out speed, rather than the precision of MotoGP racing. Competition in this mode also afforded additional ways to tweak my bike's performance, maximizing my chances of winning on 17 new tracks.
Other types of "extreme" elements worth noting include crashes, which hurtle riders' bodies down the track like rag dolls. Like the game's other aspects, this one is incredibly realistic (except for the fact that your rider never gets hurt). Equally authentic were the raised fists I occasionally received from other riders if I cut them off. Finally, heavy rock tunes blasted during some races. But even with the music's volume cranked, it was almost impossible to discern these songs' lyrics (which were the only content concern the ESRB noted for this E-rated game).
When it comes time to fire up the engines, then, MotoGP '06 offers an immersive racing experience at exotic locations such as the streets of Shanghai, the desert of Qatar and the famed tarmac of Le Mans in France. And the chance to mix elbows and knees with the likes of Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden at 230 mph makes this game the most virtual, legal fun you can have on two wheels.
