I've been playing a near-complete version of Moto GP for some time now, and I must say I'm surprised. Though its roots are founded in the arcade, it has managed to get rid of the problems concerning arcade motorcycle games. Arcade games are designed to make you pay more; hence, control tends to be unforgiving (making it easier to lose). But on the GBA these petty quarter shenanigans are put to rest, and I find the result to be great. No longer is crashing at every turn a constant fear, and no longer will hitting a enemy spell instant doom. In fact, the controls are quite tight and forgiving (until harder tracks come along). All this leads to a much more enjoyable package... but Moto GP adds much more.

The final version should have five modes, but my copy only had four of them. Still, that's three more than most old-school bike racers had! With two different tournament modes; real racers, bikes and tracks; four player support (with one cart); and varying weather, MGP would already be a decent package. But the game wowed me by including hills via a very resourceful technique: stretching textures and peripheral scenery placement while shifting the background layers. Adding a new dimension to the gameplay, the hills are what really make the courses unique and fresh. I haven't played multiplayer, but it should be a lot of fun. The only gameplay issue I found was its inherent design, made for short time periods (just like a real arcade game). But this game has all the stuff that makes a purchase worthwhile, and I could see it as worth keeping close by. The classic rock music, though limited in songs, is fabulous, and hopefully the full version will have more of these jammin' tunes! Just about every sound effect in this game has a retro arcade feeling that some will love, some will hate (I'm of the former).

The game does have some problems, and hopefully they will be amended before release. The graphics need to be worked on, as the visuals are the definite low point of the game. Billboards and enemy racers are way too blocky up close, while the background rotation seems quantitized at times (maybe it's the frame rate taking a dive). I also have some beef with the colors: many pictures and sprites look like non-optimized GIFs or worse! I strongly urge THQ and Visual Impact to save what they have for multiplayer (as any higher wouldn't fit in the GBA memory) and increase the in-between tones for when a cart is available. The weather effects are already fairly good, and with a little work on the rain...they could be great. Password saves aren't exactly desirable for a racing game, though I have seen entry screens much more painful from THQ in the past. It's unlikely, but maybe THQ will splurge and put EEPROMS into these things for the final release.

Overall, this is a game to look for this year...unless Visual Impact and THQ read this and decide to continue streamlining. As long as none of the features already implemented are taken out of this game, Moto GP will be a very good game. And if my complaints are addressed, this game could be a big hit! Though I have a review in the works, I'll wait until the final version is released so that I can make any necessary changes and assess what you'll really be buying in stores.