For the ones that don't know, Moto GP 07 is the sequel to MotoGP '06, created by Climax Studios. The whole series recorded some success in the past years, being the only multiplatform moto-racing game, and the official game for the Moto GP championship. Anyway, the last installment was released with some delay, because Climax Studios were bought by Disney Interactive Studios. Some rumors went even further in speculations, denying any new plans for Moto GP series. Even the fans could not imagine the Micky Mouse brand next to motorcycles. But surprise! Moto GP 07 was released for XBOX 360 and for PC. And I think this was a smart move, as the series were a trend for Climax Studios.

General Issues

The main core for MotoGP '07 remains the complete 2007 championship which includes official riders, team data, all new 800cc bikes and the new Misano event. The official champioship has two modes. One where you can race with any of the official teams and one where you can choose your own bike from a pack of chassis and some bodyworks. Dressed in a the same graphical engine but tuned for the next-gen wave, the game looks eye-candy, with a lot of attention for details. Bikes are in the center of the game, so every graphical detail hovers around them. Even the composure of the tire can be seen from a closer look.

 

Replays are the ones that help you admire the bike and the environment, otherwise you will be too concentrated on driving the bike. Light reflections effects are much more used, as the game features weather changes. You can race in sunny, cloudy or rainy day. This time a rainy day has a deeper impact on the visuals. It features also water jets which are present behind the back wheel. Tracks like Mugello, Donington Park, or Laguna Seca are recreated with every detail that accompanies them: hills and forests around Mugello, the green lawn invaded by tents at Donington, or the legendary cork-screw curve at Laguna Seca.

Tracks like Jerez, Sepang, or the one in China are perfect examples for the interactive crowds. As you pass near a tribune, you can hear the crowd roaring, like in a soccer game, giving you courage to squeeze that acceleration to the maximum. But in the next corner you will probably fall down. And this is not necessary because you have pushed too hard, but because the handling of the bike is somehow different from the previous versions.

Handling

Slightly changes have been implemented in the physics of the bike. Not necessarily in a good way , but at least gives some more realism in the game although you will use the same directional keys. Acceleration and deceleration will have a greater impact on your bike. A hard acceleration in a curve, or a powerful brake will cause a fishtail effect. It's great as a visual effect, but it will disturb the trajectory of your bike. So you have to learn how to use this effect like in real life. For this you will need to use both brakes separetly. A minus for the braking effect which seems to be much brutal than in the other versions. Everytime you brake, a narrow rubber print will appear on the asphalt, because of the front wheel which begins to "dance" under yourself. The effect it's too brutal for an arcade racing game, but it looks nice and realistic. If you get passed these artificial tricks, you will feel that the handling in general it's the same.

Extreme mode

The biggest addition to the game is the revamped Extreme mode. Again you have to buy a bike from a dozen of fictional bikes and then race them on fictional tracks. But this time the developers went even further and introduced parts to upgrade visual and physical the bike. You can change the type of tires, front and rear suspensions, brakes, rims, etc. Every tuned part will increase one of the characteristics of the bike. If you are not satisfied with this you can further set up your bike by changing the composure of the wheels, the softness of the suspension, gear ratios, etc. The bodywork editor gives you the chance to create thousands of different lay-outs for your bike. You just have to be patient and try every combination. Almost every track in this mode comes from the previous Moto GP game. But of course with big improvements in the graphical design.

As you already know, the tracks in Extreme mode are urban tracks which are placed in desert, tropical, highway, countryside, or metropolitan sites. That's why the design of every track is much more different from a classic one, implying lots of up-and-downs, blind curves, multiple chicane sequences but also much longer straight lines. It forces the gamer to be more attentive and to learn much better the tracks, as some of them tend to be very technical.

Difficulty level

Following the actual trend, where every new installment of a game tends to be become more and more less difficult, Moto GP 07 is a walk in the park for anyone who played previous versions. In a short comparison test, the Pro difficulty level is easier than the Pro difficulty in Moto GP 2. Only the Champion level brings the real fun for a fan of such games. If you are still not satisfied, you can try the online mode which features even pink-slip races.

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