It’s an interesting idea, but one that goes awry since you need those stars to unlock new events.
So, if you decide you want a challenge, do the three-star race, and win, you’ll earn three stars lose, and you’ll lose three stars. Except that you’re not just picking how much or little of a challenge you want to face, you’re also betting those stars. Every event has three difficulty settings, as represented by one, two, and three stars for easy, regular, and hard, respectfully. Then there’s the painfully slow load times in Moto Racer 4, which are just long enough to give you time to wonder if maybe you shouldn’t play something else.īut the biggest problem comes in how the progression and difficulty in Moto Racer 4‘s career mode is set up. If I didn’t know better, I’d think someone swapped out my good speakers for crappy ones.
Specifically, in how they make the engines sound hollow and cheap. But it’s actually the game’s sound design that’s more annoying. This is most obvious in its graphics, which lacks the detail and definition of a really good looking Xbox One or PlayStation 4 game. Granted, some of its problems are superficial, but that doesn’t stop them from killing some of the enthusiasm I might’ve had for a better made game.įor starters, Moto Racer 4 is decidedly low-rent. The thing is, while much of Moto Racer 4 works well, and is what I was hoping for in an arcade-like motorcycle racing game, it comes up a bit short. Instead, this is much closer to being a motorcycle version of Need For Speed. You’d need to add power-ups, more cartoonish visuals, and someone who looks like Ron Jeremy before you could call this Mario Racer 4. That said, Moto Racer 4 isn’t as arcade-y as, say, Mario Kart 8. With the exception of one track set in a desert airplane graveyard, the unpaved courses are never set up like you’d find in a motocross game, as this doesn’t have a lot of small hills or super tight turns. In fact, when Moto Racer 4 has you racing a dirty bike on a muddy path, this still plays like an arcade racing game, not an off-road racing game. And this is regardless of whether you’re driving a motorcycle on a paved road or a dirt bike on an unpaved trail. Not only are they nicely twisted, and set in a good number of locales, but they also have multiple pathways as well as some crazy jumps. The tracks in Moto Racer 4 are also varied. In terms of the race events, there are not only normal races, time trails, and multi-race championships, but elimination events as well. Not surprisingly, Moto Racer 4 has the same kind of variety usually found in arcade-style racing games. Similarly, while you can be killed when you crash, collisions with oncoming traffic and barriers don’t send you flying nearly as often as they do in a realistic game. And while you do a wheelie when you do this, it still works like a nitro boost in a Need For Speed game, since there’s no risk of wiping out when you’re showing off. Moto Racer 4 also, like other arcade racers, gives you a quick burst of speed with the touch of a button. It’s decidedly one of those racing games where you can just ease up on the gas and glide through all but the sharpest of turns. Not only do you not have to manipulate the front and back brakes like you do in a motorcycle sim - this only has one brake button - but you don’t really even have to use the brakes all that much. First, and most fundamentally, the controls are simple but not overly sensitive. But while the on- and off-road arcade motorcycle racing game Moto Racer 4 ( Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC) aims to fulfil that need, it’s somewhat undermined by a badly executed difficulty system and a generally cheap feel.Īs an arcade racing game, Moto Racer 4 performs as you’d expect, whether you play the career, do a one-off race, or go up against your online pals. While fans of arcade-style racing games have always gotten to drive dirt bikes on off-road courses, there haven’t been many lately where they’ve gotten to take motorcycles on to city streets or designated tracks.