Motocross Madness 2: Information from Answers.com Mobile

Motocross Madness 2

Platform: IBM PC Compatible
Release Date: May 25, 2000
Genre: Racing
Style: Motocross
Similar Games: Motocross Madness (IBM PC Compatible), Motocross Mania (IBM PC Compatible), SuperCross Kings (IBM PC Compatible)

Game Description

Get ready for world-class dirt-bike racing action with Motocross Madness 2 for the PC. Developed by Phoenix, Arizona-based Rainbow Studios and published by Microsoft, the sequel to 1998's award winning Motocross Madness has built on the original game and added many new features and depth of gameplay.

Motocross Madness 2 features an upgraded physics engine that allows independent rider and biker motion, variable surface friction (slick ice, gravel, mud) and a range of bike handling and performance options. With over 40 detailed 3D racing environments and tracks (as well as the ability to build your own), as well as ambient vehicles, characters, locations and objects, the developers have designed the game to be an immersive experience.

Six racing events are also offered:

Super Cross. With the roar of the crowd behind you, you are free to grind your way through dozens of technical stadium tracks. You can power your way through Whoopdy-Whoops and a wide variety of stunts, such as the Big Kahuna, Barney, Cliff Hanger, Double Can-Can, Tail Grab and many more on you way to victory.

Nationals. Similar to Super Cross, except the Nationals are outdoor races run on extreme tracks. Windy twisting courses, tabletop jumps and radical elevation changes are all part of these challenging events.

Baja. Travel to remote outdoor environments and race your way through a series of way-points. You have complete control of where and how you navigate to victory.

Stunt Quarry. In this event you can grab some air in scalable open pits. Kick off body twisting stunts like the Cordoba, Superman Seat Grab and many more.

Tag. You're it! In this multi-player event you and your opponents fights to possess a ball for the longest time before being brought down. Bump off your opponents and become the rabbit!

Enduro. In this all new event you race in vast outdoor motocross environments such as an Arizona trailer park, Costa Rican jungle, Open Pit Mine a Farm and others. Each of these areas are populated with over 50,000 3D objects, ambient vehicles and sounds, hidden Easter Eggs and 'living' locations such as highways, airports and more to add to the experience and fun.

In the game's single-player Pro Circuit Career mode, you will vie for prize money and sponsorship dollars to enter future races and pay for bike repairs. You start out as a Rookie rider and work your way up through the ranks to the ultimate motocross challenge, the professional Supercross circuit. Motocross Madness 2 offers you dozens of tricked out motorcross bikes to choose from, including officially licensed bikes and gear from Yamaha, KTM, Honda, Fox and Answer.

Multi-player and community features allow for online gameplay on the MSN Gaming Zone. Form leagues, ladders, team and battle in tournaments in real-life competition for fame and fortune. An online scoring system allows your career to be tracked and scored as you battle to place in the prestigious Top 100 -- gaining this rank allows access to a downloadable numberplate indicating your ranking in every online race!

An improved 3D track and terrain editor gives you the opportunity to build your own twisted tracks and courses for both single and multi-player events. As with the original game, these can be posted on the official website to be downloaded or played by others in the community. Bike and racer skins are also customizable to give the game a look and feel of your own choosing.

~ Tara Hernandez, All Game Guide

Roots & Influences

The development team at Rainbow Studios claims that their inspiration for the 1998 game, Motocross Madness came from watching the Crusty Demons of Dirt video series. These videos gave them an "adrenaline soaked dose" of motocross action that motivated them to try and recreate the experience on the PC. Motocross Madness 2 is an improvement on that original game taking advantage of new technology for smoother frame-rates, detailed graphics and larger interactive environments..

~ Tara Hernandez, All Game Guide

Review: Overall

Motocross racing is an exciting sport that has been gaining some well-deserved respect of late (c.2000). The maneuverability, balance and overall knowledge the riders must possess to be successful is very high. Games like Motocross Madness 2 give those of us who want to experience the sport a chance to see what it's all about with bones intact. With Motocross Madness 2, there's no need to worry about hurting oneself by performing the insane jumps and tricks that are possible. And, trust me, they are insane!

Tricks like Superman, Cliff Hanger, the (appropriately named) Heart Attack, Big Kahuna and many others are part of what contribute to the title Motocross Madness 2. As exciting as the tricks are, they're not the focus of the game, however. Winning the race is what counts. In Motocross Madness 2, there are tournaments, practices, single events and pro circuits. In addition, the game contains stunt and endurance levels as well as emulated Motocross events in stadiums. To start, the Baja levels are definitely recommended. These show arrows at the bottom of the screen to let you, the new racer, know where you are going.

There is a very good amount of variety throughout the different levels of Motocross Madness 2. The tracks range from the deserts of the Baja to the dirt tracks of the pro circuit, with lots in between. The different textures of the surfaces affect your bike accordingly. For example, things tend to be quite a bit more slippery on the dirt tracks of the pro circuit compared to those of the hard desert.

One addition that would have been welcome is weather. With the lack of this key feature that affects many sports (think of a football game without the option of snow), Motocross Madness 2 doesn't feel as complete as it should. With varying weather options, the environments could have been greatly altered and gameplay expanded. Instead of having clear paths to the finish line, you'd be forced to come up with a strategy to evade puddles, icy patches and so forth.

The controls in Motocross Madness 2 are very responsive using a gamepad. While turns can be pulled on a dime, an extremely important aspect, landing jumps is another story. While not a product of poor control, landing jumps takes a lot of proficiency and practice. You must land with tires correctly aligned and have the balance of your bike in complete control at all times -- certainly not something to be taken lightly.

Races are very difficult to compete in for beginners as crashes occur regularly. Anytime your bike goes airborne, you must watch out for anything may get in your way. Trees, rocks and other debris cause regular high-speed crashes. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your point of view), even on the easy level the opposition is very good. The computer-controlled racers are very proficient at their trade and will do everything in their power to win. That makes Motocross Madness 2 seem very real.

The graphics in Motocross Madness 2 are very, very good. If you have a high-quality video card, you can turn up the level of detail for your game for an even better experience. The backgrounds are beautiful. The sun creates unbelievable effects, the trees and bushes look lifelike and the bikes move with such speed, you'll feel like you're riding them. The camera view is nearly perfect as it moves back for wide shots and zooms in for stunts and jumps. There are no problems with swinging cameras or anything in the background getting in your way.

I had a bit of an aversion to the sounds of Motocross Madness 2. The sound effects are just average but the music is nearly non-existent. Aside from an Incubus song during the introduction (very nice touch), real music is not a part of the game. Instead, generic background music is played or nothing at all. Microsoft made a mistake here because heart pounding, adrenaline-pumping music could have enhanced the title a great deal.

As it stands, Motocross Madness 2 is a high quality racing game for the Motocross fan. People who like regular car racing games should also give this title a try -- they may just be surprised by the gameplay and sport of motocross racing!