With Christmas just a month away, here’s a great story from one of our guest contributors ….
When we say “racing game,” we don’t necessarily just mean racing cars. If you’re an avid sports fan or an avid racing fan, you’d know quite well that there’s an entire subgenre of motorsports dedicated to motorcycles.
These include motocross, among others – all of which offer hours upon hours of thrilling races, jaw-dropping stunts, and awesome motorcycles.
And if you’ve seen any of these professional drivers pull off hard turns and twists with their customized machines, you’ll likely want to try these out for yourself. Thankfully, video games give us an opportunity to be in the driver’s seat and drive any of their amazing vehicles.
Unfortunately, not all motorcycle games are amazing. While most of them follow a similar format – that of racing to win – not all these games pull off the right kind of handling and the right kind of thrill for gamers.
If you have a device on hand and are looking for a motorcycle game, you might be a bit hesitant to try a lot of titles in the market. However, if you get the chance to test these games out before fully purchasing them, here are the qualities of a good motorcycle game you should pay attention to:
What kind of controls and mechanics do they have?
Motorcycle games may have the same “race to win” goal, but the way the motorcycles achieve that can be extremely different. This is especially since different games approach their controls and mechanics quite differently. Other games tend to be extremely realistic, and as such might make motorcycle controls a bit too technical.
Likewise, other games go for the “chill” route and make controls much easier, and instead relying on the track difficulty and the intensity of the races to give players a good time. Try to observe what sort of control scheme your chosen motorcycle game follows, and see just how helpful they are when it comes to the game experience.
- Remember to check how the controls actually affect the overall gameplay. FIM Speedway Grand Prix 15 remains a fan-favourite for speedway fans as it takes into account both technical skill and a ton of fun while playing. Its control scheme is simple to learn, but the motorcycles feel light enough that you’d want to experiment with them. Look for games that take full advantage of your controller.
- Likewise, pay attention to games that encourage you to experiment with controls. This goes for both online games and console games. If you’ve enjoyed playing drifting games with car racing titles, try to find the same kind of thrill with motorcycle games. Don’t just settle for “racing” games, settle for games that also let you use various skills.
What sorts of game modes are there?
When it comes to racing games, a huge problem with players has to do with keeping their attention to the screen. After all, racing a couple of times can be fun – but racing on the same track for the next hundred times can get extremely boring. When you get to play your motorcycle game, try checking what sorts of game modes are there. Sure, the main mechanic is racing – but what sorts of racing? Are there circuit tracks, sprint tracks, time trial modes, and others? Are there challenges that you can do to pass the time? Is there a campaign mode present? Try to see what modes you prefer in a racing game and see if the game you’re trying meets these expectations.
- Pay close attention to games that offer career modes, as they can actually make gameplay much more interesting and fun for players. For instance, a lot of bikers actually love SBK X: Superbike World Championship, which is the first in the SBK series to feature the Supersport and Superstock championship. This can help immerse players into the world of professional motorsport.
- Likewise, check how diverse the other game modes are. Aside from the usual racing-type arcade mode, what other modes are out there? Other games have time attack modes where you have to complete tasks on a certain time. They also have stunt modes or even practice modes to help you train.
What form of customisation is there?
If there’s anything else racing players love aside from the awesome races, that’s going to be awesome vehicles. In the case of motorcycle games, the more motorcycles you can choose from, the better. However, it’s perhaps customising motorcycles that really makes racing games fun. If your racing game features a customisation option, observe what parts of the motorcycle you can modify. Are you only allowed to modify appearances, or are there “upgrades” available as well? See how they affect your performance in the game. And in the case of aesthetics, see if the depth of customisation is something you’re looking for in a racing game.
- A lot of motorcycle games out there offer vast customisation options for motorcycles, which is likely a must-have for bike fans out there. When looking for a game, check for how realistic motorcycles look while customizing them. And see how these bikes actually look like while you ride or play with them in-game.
- Don’t just think about bike customisation, though! Think about how exactly you can customize the game area to your preferences as well. For instance, the Ride series actually feature not just a ton of motorcycles, but also tracks based on real-life places all over the world. This gives you a feeling of actually “being” on said tracks while racing.
What multiplayer modes are there?
What better way to play a racing game than to beat your friends with your awesome motorcycle build? That aside, racing games can be much more fun when played cooperatively. This is a great way to build (or destroy) friendships, locally or even over the internet. A lot of games nowadays offer a wide variety of multiplayer modes, so you can check the motorcycle game you have if they’re offering a similar thing. If they do, can the game let you play with friends locally? Is there an option to play with other people from other countries? If so, how fair is the system?
- See if the game is also compatible for cross-platform play. This can be of great help, especially if you have friends playing with different platforms.
- Try checking if your game also supports LAN or local area network play. This means playing with your friends nearby without necessarily relying on the internet to do so.
- When playing in multiplayer, check how efficient servers are and if there’s lag if you’re playing with other people across the globe.
The Perfect Motorcycle Game for You: Look for the Right Thrill
Motorcycle games usually have a few elements in common – you ride a motorcycle, you most likely get customization options, and you race to win. Thing is, not all motorcycles games just “get” that thrill right – and sometimes, that can ruin the experience. With the above tips in mind, you’ll hopefully be able to look at a game, try it out, and know exactly if it’s worth your time and money. Remember, when you look for a motorcycle game, look for a game that gives you just enough variety and complexity to make every gameplay experience satisfying and worth replaying.
