It’s bees a while since we all have seen a good motorcycle game, and if you’re looking for a good motorcycle game then keep looking. There are many things that Namco Bandai could have done to make this game better. But I’m guessing they want to keep things simple to port the game over to other systems.

MOTO GP is an arcade game that is good to play when you have some extra time, but since you don’t want to waste quarters its better if you just buy the PS2 game that is already available. It is even better when you have it on the go with your PSP, but like I said in the previous lines this game is good to play when you have some extra time or if you’re a MOTOGP fan and I’m sure that there are some fans out there.

This is the first time the MotoGP championship has appeared on PSP, allowing fans to race against their biking heroes, including Italian legend Valentino Rossi and Spanish veteran Sete Gibernau, on some of the most exciting circuits in motor sport.

MotoGP will let players experience one of the most exhilarating and competitive motor sports in the world – and gives them the chance to take on their friends in thrilling Wireless multiplayer races for up to eight players via Ad Hoc Mode. Key features include:

* Single player thrills and up to eight-way competition via Wireless Ad Hoc Mode

* The official licence of the MotoGP championship

* Extensive range of game modes – compete for the championship in Season Mode, or test your mettle against the best in One on One Mode

* Fast-paced arcade-style racing to excite MotoGP fans and anyone who relishes high-speed competition

The game features 4 game modes: Arcade, Season, Multiplayer and Time Trial. You can race against 18 riders to try to win first place. Like many arcade games no matter how many times you win 1st place you will always end up last place when a new race starts. The average amounts of laps are 5 per stage and you must catch up within to other riders within those 5 laps. If you end you 5 or in a lower place you will not be penalized like other games. You can continue through out the game. Depending on which motorcycle you picked you must meet the requirements if you want to move on at the end of the tournament.

Once you start a new season you must finish it no matter what. Each season has a certain amount of races each spanning from 1+ min and 5 laps in each race. You will be playing through MOTOGP for at least one hour just for one season. There is no save in between races and if you exit the game you loose all your game data and have to start over again.

The controls are basic; however the handling of the motorcycles could have been better. Even when you slow down on a curve to about 20MPH you still loose balance and ride off course. By default the controls of the motorcycles are given to you with bad handling and turning but you can change that in the settings before the race starts. The rider does not loose his balance on the motorcycle but by the time the player decides to turn away from other riders the player will have already crashed into someone else.

The handling of the controls can make any player feel uncomfortable even when they have it set up to their liking. The default controls are as follows:

+ And Joystick: Move around, X: Accelerate, O: Look Back, Triangle: change camera, Square: break, L and R triggers: shift down and up.

When moving left or right, the motorcycle will woggle and it will take the player some time before the player can get his motorcycle to drive straight. This normally happens around turns or when you’re trying to pass other riders.

The graphics are those similar to the one on the PS2 version. No one can expect anything less from the PSP. The environment, riders and motorcycles are there with enough detail to get around. The rider’s shadow moves all 360 degrees when the player moves or changes positions. Namco Bandai didn’t really focus on the environment that much because this game is all about going fast and trying to beat the other riders to win 1st place. When the players ride slowly they’ll notice that the grass does not really look like grass and the mountains are triangulated.

There are not enough sound effects to fill in the entire game, and what I mean by that is that the only sounds that the games has are: The music, the sound of the engine, a choppy sound when you hit or crash into someone, and the wheels hitting the ground every time the player goes off course. There are a lot of empty spaces that the developers left behind and unfulfilled.

The game and the races are long enough to make this game last a while, but the races are way too long and by the time the player gets bored of the game they will realize that they haven’t even passed the third level. There are not many things that you can unlock, only rewards and a few motorcycles. Just like other racing games out there it does not matter which machine you pick each and every single machine will take you down the same path. Picking a different motorcycle will not change anything in the game. The only thing that will change is the speed but that’s about it.

Not much work was put into MOTOGP for the PSP, it looks like if they just port it without making much changes. Instead of wasting money buying this game just go play any MOTO GP game that you have on the PS2. There is no difference between any MOTOGP for the PS2 and the PSP. Probably there are some few tracks and a few added riders and motorcycles but is that enough to buy this game. This game is better off being rented than bought.