The only racing game where you can compete with up to 20 players online
On the track, progress has been made with major enhancements to the handling model and the physics engine. Last year, we struggled to handle bikes around corners, judge our braking distances and perfect our lean. In MotoGP 10/11, it’s still a difficult game to master, but bikes do feel weightier and therefore less prone to careering off track. Races are fast and aggressive and once you begin to learn the ins and the outs of the various courses – as well as start to understand that you have to really slow down as you approach corners - then things really do get quite exciting. A.I. can be incredibly annoying -punishing you badly for the smallest mistake - but the fact that you can toggle assists and tweak your bike to make things easier ensures that you at least stand a chance even on the higher difficulty setting.The most bizarre addition on the track this year is the ability to re-wind a section of the course and try again - further proof that Capcom is pandering toward the more casual racer this year. It’s totally unrealistic, of course, but it’s there if you need it…and it’s very, very tempting to use frequently as you try and adapt to the new handling model. As with most racing games, the first few times you drive around the courses can be extremely painful as you get used to the twists and turns. But the more you play MotoGP 10/11, the more you get used to the bike, or learn to tweak its handling to suit your style. And the more you get to know the tracks, the more rewarding it inevitably becomes.
Overall, it seems as though Capcom has learned quite a few lessons from last year’s game. The simulation style obviously didn’t attract the attention it wanted from the masses, and so instead has reverted to giving players the option of an arcade mode, and the ability to really customise the game to suit their own skill level. Though we’ve yet to play online in a race of more than six people, getting into races is smooth, the lobby system is excellent, and the races totally lag-free. MotoGP 10/11 is still going to take the majority of race fans, even those who have played the last game, some getting used to as they struggle to get to grips with the new handling model. However, the rewards are there for the persistent, and it’s abundantly clear that the franchise is heading in the right direction once more.
