Moto Racer Advance
Encyclopedia
Moto Racer Advance is a motocross
racing game
developed by Adeline Software International
, produced by Delphine Software International
and published by Ubisoft
for the Game Boy Advance
. It was released in PAL regions on October 4, 2002 and in North America on December 4, 2002. It is part of the Moto Racer
series and was the last game to be developed by Adeline Software and also the last with any involvement from Delphine Software.
Moto Racer Advance features several different modes, but much of it centers on a "Progression" mode, which requires the player to compete in races in a variety of environments. Multiplayer is supported through the link cable. Moto Racer Advance garnered positive reception from critics, noting its graphical quality and overall presentation as two of the main reasons for its success. IGN
's Craig Harris called it one of the top racing games from 2002. As of 2009, Moto Racer Advance has received compilation scores of 86% and 83% on MetaCritic
and GameRankings respectively.
The player controls a motorcyclist and must try to win races on various terrain and settings. Each motorcycle in the game handles differently with some performing better on paved roads and others working better on rougher terrain.
There are a number of different modes: Grand Prix (GP)
, Motocross, and Traffic. GP takes place at a number of different locations across the world on paved tracks in places such as San Francisco and Russia
. The paved tracks require the player to learn how to effectively use their brakes around corners. The GP courses contain small differences between them, giving more variety to the courses in the game. Motocross requires the player to drive on off-road terrain and to master the act of "powersliding
" on corners. The courses found in Motocross races are less hospitable and often take place in arid and unkept locales and with obstacles. Traffic mixes both GP and Motocross, having mixed pavement courses and traffic on roads that serve as obstacles.
There are three different methods of gameplay: Championship, Progression, and Single Race. The single race mode must be earned through playing the progression mode. Progression is the game's "main mode" and places the player in a number of different tournaments and races in all three racing styles. It allows the player to earn hidden content, including new bikes which handle differently. The game contains link cable support for up to four players, provided that all four people own a copy of the game.
and smooth frame rate
. The game was built from the ground up to be a racing game for the Game Boy Advance and to take advantage of the hardware offered by the system. IGN previewed the game six months before it was made available for retail and called the graphics the game's highlight, while noting that tune-ups in the physics engine were needed before release. The game manipulated 2D sprites
and backgrounds to give the impression of 3D
to the player. By keeping the core graphics engine simple, the game was able to contain elongated draw distances and a smooth frame rate. It was released on October 4, 2002 in PAL regions, and on December 4, 2002 in North America
. Moto Racer Advance was the last game to be developed by Adeline Software.
Moto Racer Advance garnered positive reaction from critics for its graphics and gameplay; it received 86% and 83% ratings on review aggregate websites Metacritic
and Game Rankings
, respectively. IGN's Craig Harris praised the smooth graphics engine of the game, noting that the designers had succeeded in creating a satisfying racing game for the Game Boy Advance. He called it one of the top racing games from 2002. The Sydney Morning Herald
s Dan Toose praised the game's "smooth, minimalist graphics", while GameSpy
's Steve Steinberg noted that the physics of the game felt "dead-on" and enjoyed the overall presentation of the game. GamePro
s Vicious Sid was surprised by the game's long draw distance, calling it a technical feat on the Game Boy Advance. The sound design from the game received a mixed response from critics. GameZone
's Code Cowboy stated that the Motocross bikes sounded "like gravel in a blender-- being chopped up". IGN noted otherwise, saying that the sound stayed to the background and was mostly pleasant, while The Sydney Morning Herald praised the realistic sound the bikes created. The game received Editors' Choice Awards from GameSpy, GamePro, and IGN.
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
racing game
Racing game
A racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
developed by Adeline Software International
Adeline Software International
Adeline Software International was a video game developer founded in February 1993 as a subsidiary company of Delphine Software International, and based in Lyon, France...
, produced by Delphine Software International
Delphine Software International
Delphine Software was a French video game developer company. They were famous for their games Another World and Flashback, which bore a similarity to Prince of Persia, both in gameplay and in utilizing rotoscoped animation...
and published by Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
for the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
. It was released in PAL regions on October 4, 2002 and in North America on December 4, 2002. It is part of the Moto Racer
Moto Racer
Moto Racer is an arcade style motorcycle racing game released in 1997 by Delphine Software International for the PC and PlayStation. It features both dirt and street bikes, and a variety of tracks.- Gameplay :...
series and was the last game to be developed by Adeline Software and also the last with any involvement from Delphine Software.
Moto Racer Advance features several different modes, but much of it centers on a "Progression" mode, which requires the player to compete in races in a variety of environments. Multiplayer is supported through the link cable. Moto Racer Advance garnered positive reception from critics, noting its graphical quality and overall presentation as two of the main reasons for its success. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Craig Harris called it one of the top racing games from 2002. As of 2009, Moto Racer Advance has received compilation scores of 86% and 83% on MetaCritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
and GameRankings respectively.
Gameplay
There are a number of different modes: Grand Prix (GP)
Grand Prix motor racing
Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a simple road race from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver...
, Motocross, and Traffic. GP takes place at a number of different locations across the world on paved tracks in places such as San Francisco and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. The paved tracks require the player to learn how to effectively use their brakes around corners. The GP courses contain small differences between them, giving more variety to the courses in the game. Motocross requires the player to drive on off-road terrain and to master the act of "powersliding
Handbrake turn
The handbrake turn is a driving technique used to deliberately slide a car sideways, either for the purpose of negotiating a very tight bend quickly, or for turning around well within the vehicle's own turning circle....
" on corners. The courses found in Motocross races are less hospitable and often take place in arid and unkept locales and with obstacles. Traffic mixes both GP and Motocross, having mixed pavement courses and traffic on roads that serve as obstacles.
There are three different methods of gameplay: Championship, Progression, and Single Race. The single race mode must be earned through playing the progression mode. Progression is the game's "main mode" and places the player in a number of different tournaments and races in all three racing styles. It allows the player to earn hidden content, including new bikes which handle differently. The game contains link cable support for up to four players, provided that all four people own a copy of the game.
History
Moto Racer Advance was first displayed at the 2002 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). IGN gave the game two awards for portable games after its E3 2002 coverage: "Best Graphics" and "Best Racing Game". IGN praised the early version of the game for its high draw distanceDraw distance
Draw distance is a computer graphics term, defined as the maximum distance of objects in a three dimensional scene that are drawn by the rendering engine. Polygons that lie behind the draw distance won't be drawn to the screen....
and smooth frame rate
Frame rate
Frame rate is the frequency at which an imaging device produces unique consecutive images called frames. The term applies equally well to computer graphics, video cameras, film cameras, and motion capture systems...
. The game was built from the ground up to be a racing game for the Game Boy Advance and to take advantage of the hardware offered by the system. IGN previewed the game six months before it was made available for retail and called the graphics the game's highlight, while noting that tune-ups in the physics engine were needed before release. The game manipulated 2D sprites
2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
and backgrounds to give the impression of 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
to the player. By keeping the core graphics engine simple, the game was able to contain elongated draw distances and a smooth frame rate. It was released on October 4, 2002 in PAL regions, and on December 4, 2002 in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. Moto Racer Advance was the last game to be developed by Adeline Software.
Moto Racer Advance garnered positive reaction from critics for its graphics and gameplay; it received 86% and 83% ratings on review aggregate websites Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
and Game Rankings
Game Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
, respectively. IGN's Craig Harris praised the smooth graphics engine of the game, noting that the designers had succeeded in creating a satisfying racing game for the Game Boy Advance. He called it one of the top racing games from 2002. The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
s Dan Toose praised the game's "smooth, minimalist graphics", while GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
's Steve Steinberg noted that the physics of the game felt "dead-on" and enjoyed the overall presentation of the game. GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
s Vicious Sid was surprised by the game's long draw distance, calling it a technical feat on the Game Boy Advance. The sound design from the game received a mixed response from critics. GameZone
GameZone
GameZone is an American multiplatform video game website. GameZone's daily coverage includes reviews, previews, news, hints & cheats, and editorials. Additionally, GameZone offers downloads, a child-targeted website and in association with GameStop, hosts GZGameShop, an online retailer...
's Code Cowboy stated that the Motocross bikes sounded "like gravel in a blender-- being chopped up". IGN noted otherwise, saying that the sound stayed to the background and was mostly pleasant, while The Sydney Morning Herald praised the realistic sound the bikes created. The game received Editors' Choice Awards from GameSpy, GamePro, and IGN.