Reviewed: June 6, 2003
Reviewed by: JoLene Lark

Publisher
Big City Games

Developer
Techland

Released: May 20, 2003
Genre: Racing
Players: 4
ESRB: Everyone

4
8
5
5
6.5

System Requirements

  • Windows 98/ME/2000/XP
  • Pentium III 500 MHz
  • 128 MB RAM
  • 500 MB Hard Disk Space
  • DirectX Graphics Card x 16mb
  • DirectX Sound Card
  • DirectX 8.1 or Higher
  • 4x CD-ROM
  • 56k Modem for Internet play

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    FIM Speedway Grand Prix is a unique racing game. I was up for a challenging new sports game and this seems to be a decent fit. FIM Speedway Grand Prix is a game that consists of competitors from around the globe. Speedway is a close cousin to the United States motor cross sport with quite a few differences. This sport consists of dirt bike racing on smooth oval tracks.

    FIM Speedway Grand Prix features:

    • Official FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) license.
    • Amazing 3D graphics.
    • Game modes include Championship Season, Single or Timed Race.
    • 10 officially licensed racing tracks.
    • 22 riders from the FIM circuit.
    • Multiple camera angles and positions.
    • Special visual effects.
    • Realistic animations and sound effects.
    • Split screen mode allows 4 players to compete simultaneously.
    Another aspect that is neat in FIM Speedway Grand Prix is that you do not race against more than three other bikers. Speedway races consist of many heats and your overall score is totaled at the end to determine your overall placement. This is a great system in that if you lose a race you don’t have to ever restart unless you don’t have enough points at the end of that race. Another aspect about FIM Speedway Grand Prix racing is that you get to race a variety of talented people.

    FIM Speedway Grand Prix contains ten actual racing tracks and twenty-two riders that are actual Speedway racers from 2002. The ten tracks are found in a variety of countries such as Germany, Sweden and Australia.

    FIM Speedway Grand Prix is rather strict rule wise. There are many ways for your race to be prematurely ended

    1. Tape touched- you started the race too soon, instant heat disqualification
    2. Doubled- You have been double (lapped?)
    3. Out of track- you have veered off the track
    4. Fall down- you fell down and can no longer take part in the heat
    General game options consist of grand prix series, single race and training. I would suggest doing the training as it will help you to get a sense of what the handling of each rider’s bike is. This practice will also help you so you will not veer off the track by an inch and be instantly disqualified.

    The graphics of FIM Speedway Grand Prix are pretty good. The animation of items such as dust clouds, exhaust fumes and dirt coming off the bikes were well within average/above average quality. The most impressive graphic in this game that I witnessed is what I have to call the belly flop. When my rider hit the wall he was ejected off his bike and underwent what I can only describe to be a fish out of water body flopping in slow motion on the ground.

    The next graphical aspect I wish to mention is the race replay feature. In this mode you can watch your heat over again. The bonus with this is that you can watch the race from the camera angle of your competitors as well as tweak the camera angle to your liking.

    Overall sound was pretty basic and not too overwhelming. Music is only found on the menu and setup areas and was prone to cutting out sporadically. That track that does play seems to loop after a bit of time. The actual announcer in this game sole purpose was to announce the riders, rider’s status and play by play action. The best parts of the sound area were the sound effects made by the bikes.

    The initial excitement for this game waned quickly due to the fact that every race was repetition in action, four laps in a certain number of heats all on a smooth circular lane track. Another factor for such a low value score is the game's difficulty. It took me quite a few tries to successfully finish a heat, let alone a race. The fact you can get disqualified so easily also makes this game a bit frustrating.

    The most valuable part in this game was the garage area. In this area you can adjust or buy improvements for your engine, chassis or tires. Some of these changes can be voluntary however the longer one plays the more your fixes come out of necessity. There is a percentage scale that shows you the wear on each part.

    FIM Speedway Grand Prix also supports multi-player gaming. This game mode is only available in the single race mode. FIM also allows up to four players to race against one another via a split screen system and shared controllers; four people sharing one keyboard how realistic is that…The box also said that there was online playing available, but after looking for five minutes for this option I gave up.

    FIM Speedway Grand Prix was an excellent entry level game for this type of racing in the United States. The games graphics were definitely its strongest point. With the use of the latest DirectX 9 technology the gamer will appreciate all the dirt flying around.

    The most disappointing aspect of this game was its rigid rules. Many races led to disqualifications due to falling off, hitting the tape or more commonly going off the track. If you are a diehard motor cross fan feel free to demo this game. If you are looking to race on something other than a standard oval dirt track don’t buy this game or even demo it. However if you want to experience a more worldly racing game this one will be well worth the money.