Reviewed: June 26, 2005
Reviewed by: Cliff O'Neill

Publisher
2K Games

Developer
Deibus Studios

Released: April 28, 2005
Genre: Racing
Players: 1-2
ESRB: Teen

3
3
2
2
3.0

Supported Features

As it turns out, the PS2 is reaching a similar point in its existence, though the quality of budget titles is much higher than it was on the PlayStation. Motocross Mania 3, however, is not a quality game, just a cheap one.

Slippery control begins the game’s downfall. Simply put, you never truly feel as though you are in complete control of your rider. Thus, navigating the tortuous obstacle-filled courses immediately becomes an issue. Although several control configurations are available, none offers the tight control that’s necessary.

Wonky bike physics present another problem, resulting in many unwarranted crashes. Granted, Motocross Mania 3 is meant to be arcade-like, but bungling through the courses doesn’t make for a very engaging (or even practical) racing experience. Inconsistent collision detection compounds the problem by making you unsure what will cause a crash.

For example, certain times you can plow through traffic and barriers, other times you cannot. What’s worse is a slightly crooked landing can send you flying over the handlebars, yet a major miscue off a jump may have no negative consequences. All this uncertainty and inconsistency makes races far too unpredictable.

Speaking of unpredictable, the game’s navigation system is haphazard. Since the courses are fairly open ended, you must rely on an on-screen arrow to point you in the general direction of checkpoints. More often than not, however, the arrow leads you astray, causing you to lose precious seconds or take an undesirable route. In many cases, this can be overcome by familiarizing yourself with the layout of the courses, but the larger environments and point-to-point races demand a clearer navigation system.

Why worry about proper racing, though, when you can simply pummel your rivals to death with weapons and motocross stunts? Combat is supposed to be Motocross Mania 3’s main attraction, but it ends up being sloppy and spiritless. While a variety of weapons is available (baseball bat, hockey stick, crowbar…severed bear claw, etc.), each inflicting a specific level of damage, fighting and motocross racing don’t exactly make a winning combination here.

Neither the racing element nor the combat element received enough care to complement each other desirably. Since the game’s motocross aspect is lackluster, races usually devolve into clobbering matches. Furthermore, relentless rubber-band AI all but requires you to take out the competition to finish strong, as your opponents are always close behind.

Pickups, speed boosts, and a bullet-time-like feature called “mania” serve to instill some balance and break up the monotony a bit. Even so, the game’s faulty collision detection, shoddy bike physics, and imprecise controls overshadow anything positive about the game. That’s a shame, too, because Championship mode – the game’s main mode (there’s also Single Race, Time Trial, and a few mini-games) – would have been enjoyable had the basic gameplay mechanics been up to snuff.

In Championship mode, you participate in various events that involve racing and combat, winning money and points as you progress and challenging other riders for their bikes. You use the money you earn to purchase new weapons, armor (for added protection), and bike upgrades. Three difficulty levels comprise the Championship mode, and you’ll need to play through at least the lowest difficulty to access more of the game’s features (only a few courses and eight riders are initially available).

Truthfully, though, you must brave the higher difficulties to unlock anything worthwhile. Whether or not you actually make it that far will depend purely on how well you can tolerate the aforementioned gameplay kinks.

Where shall we begin? First, the racers, aside from being completely soulless, are hideous and animate poorly. Riders’ faces look like mush, while female characters proudly display their awful boob jobs. Animations don’t fare much better, with stunts seeming as though they were holdovers from the PSOne era. The rag-doll crashes are a bit more acceptable, if only because it’s somewhat satisfying to see the horrible monstrosities (i.e., the riders) twist and contort in agony. At least the dirt bikes are presentable.

As for the environments, they’re largely a mess, thanks to blurry backdrops, blotchy textures, drab colors, and unsightly background scenery. While animated and destructible elements litter the courses, they do little to enhance the overall look of the game. Lighting tricks and special effects (such as motion blur, flames, and camera pans) attempt to provide some needed flair, but only highlight how insufficient the rest of the graphics are.

Of course, it goes without saying that a strong frame rate is vital in any racing game. With graphics like these, you would expect a consistent frame rate. Sadly, that isn’t the case. The frame rate is rather shaky to begin with and tends to drop dramatically when the screen fills with action.

Amazingly, Motocross Mania 3 features a widescreen mode, meaning someone actually took the time to make sure the game looks equally bad on a 16:9 display. So, for all you widescreen television owners out there, you can see the game’s homeliness in all its glory.

Rounding out the audio are stock-sounding engines, annoying bone cracking, trite voice-overs, repetitive groans, and sufficient ambient noises. In addition, entering mania mode gives you the “pleasure” of hearing some lunatic enthuse the word “mania” in his best Don Pardo (of Saturday Night Live fame) voice. Actually, despite being out of place, that kooky voice sample is perhaps the highlight of the audio presentation.

In short, if you’re looking for value, look elsewhere. However, if you’re looking for a quick way to waste $15, then look no further than Motocross Mania 3.