Out of everything so far this week, I can comfortably say flashbacks of the Moto Racer demo on dodgy PCs from the 90’s. But with Moto Racer 4 announced for PC, PS4 and Xbox One, that’s precisely what I’m thinking about.
I remember the original Moto Racer so vividly because it was the favourite game of a family friend. He wasn’t really a gamer; he was the outdoors type. Loved his footy, loved his BMX bike. Kind of bloke who was ripped from the age of 12 or something stupid because he was always lifting things to build dirt tracks in the paddock.
He’d gotten a copy of the Moto Racer demo from me or my brother — it was a long time ago — from a demo disc. Back in the days when demo discs were worth their weight in gold. Good games. Useful patches. Things you didn’t have to download over dialup, if you had dialup at all.
Here’s a small reminder of what it was like on PC, just for old times’ sake.
My memories of Moto Racer 2 or 3 are pretty shaky. But I played the snot out of the original — and especially the demo. So did my family friend. And if it wasn’t for that, I probably wouldn’t care about Moto Racer 4.
The new sequel is being developed by Microids, a French studio better known for the Syberia adventure series. They’re using Unreal Engine 4 and have announced that 15 single and multiplayer modes will be playable when the game launches for PC/Mac/PS4/Xbox One on October 13 this year.
There’ll be split-screen multiplayer and support for up to 10 players in online multiplayer. Riders can expect a mix of motocross and high-speed races, with traffic for tracks that weave through roads (like Moto Racer 3) and a range of behavioural and personality traits for the AI.
Microids hasn’t published an official trailer yet, so these screenshots will have to do. It’s probably best that there’s no footage to watch, lest it destroy my nostalgia for the original. But what about yourselves — any memories or fondness for the Moto Racer series? Or was Motorcross Madness closer to your heart?
Comments
4 responses to “Surprise, There’s A New Moto Racer This Year”
As much as I liked Moto Racer, everything from 3 onwards was pretty eh.
I played the hell out or the first two.
Man, the psx had so many great games that I can’t remember half of the ones I played!
Still got my original MotoRacer PC CD in my disc wallet under my desk.
This is the song that comes to mind when I think of MotoRacer. Dat Jazz Organ (starts at 1min mark).
Now on reflection the guitar in that track gives me Kenny Loggins vibes
It’s amazing how all the memories come flooding back when you hear the voiceover for Moto Racer. Ran amazingly fast on my 3DFX card (think I had a monster 3DFX). Seems like a lifetime ago now.