" There are a bunch of stunts that you can perform, but just driving around is so lame that you'll find yourself asking, 'what's the point?' "

      Title: Motocross Mania by Take 2 Interactive

      Format: Racing game for PS One

      Reviewing Monkey: Simi N.

      The Hype: Perform tons of awesome tricks, fast-paced game play, three styles of game play; earn money to upgrade your bike!

      What This Monkey Thought...

      Graphics: Okay, so its one of those "ten dollars brand new" games that we have been seeing more and more of lately, so I shouldn't be expecting good graphics right? Screw that. The whole point of advancing technology is that making games with up-to-date graphics gets easier every day. In this day of "next generation consoles" there is no legitimate excuse for making a game that looks like it was an original launch release for the PS One. In essence what I'm trying to convey through my rant is that the graphics in this game are bad. There is a huge amount of Popup, The textures are fairly bland, and there are not nearly enough polygons used for the motorcyclists. 2 out of 5

      Sound: The one thing about this game that doesn't seem to bother me. The sound is decent. There is nothing spectacular about it, but at least it is pretty accurate. They could have added more sound effects for the differing terrains. And the soundtrack doesn't do it for me personally, but the music does fit the type of game. 3 out of 5

      Game Play: The one thing that is worse than the graphics in this game. A game with graphics this bad could be fun if the programmers had put any effort into making the physics realistic in any way. As it is though, you will find your self constantly scratching your head in fine monkey style as you wreck your motorcycle for no reason. Another thing that sucks about the game play is that there is no way to lean into a turn. All you get is a normal turn, and a braking power slide. There are a bunch of stunts that you can perform, but just driving around is so lame that you'll find yourself asking, "what's the point?" 1 out of 5

      Level and Environment Designs: The track layouts are actually pretty cool, with lots of jumps and turns and good variety. But the surroundings are plain. There just aren't enough objects around to fill in all the space. A cool aspect of the levels is that there is an option to be able to free-roam. Meaning that during a race you can go off the track - no more invisible wall! But this is mostly a wasted feature as there is not much stuff to explore and you can only go off for five seconds before they throw you back on. 3 out of 5

      Multiplayer: True there is a two-player mode, but I really doubt that any of your friends who enjoy motocross games will lower their standards and try to enjoy this game with you. If you do find someone its pretty well implemented. There isn't a whole lot of slowdown, or clipping. It’s just that the physics are so bad to begin with, it as unlikely that you'll have any fun even with friends. 3 out of 5

      Replayability: With a game that has physics like this there is a slight chance that you will actually go through the game the first time. The chance of a repeat is slim to nil. But there are options there to make it more interesting if you really want to play it more. There are different motor classes and many different modes of play for you to screw around with. 1 out of 5

      Story/Dramatics: There ain't no story.

      Instructions and Learning Curve: Everything but the tricks are quick, dirty, and easy due to the simplicity of the controls. The tricks will take you a while to get used to, but don't worry you probably won't even want to play the game long enough to mess with them. The learning curve is lengthened by the poor physics, it will take you quite a while to figure out why your bike reacts the way it does to the tracks. 3 out of 5

      Installation and Real System Requirements: This game doesn't even come close to utilizing the PS One's full potential, far from it, it seems more like a original release title than anything else. It does however use the analog controller (but no dual shock). 1.5 out of 5

      The Verdict:

Even though mathematically this game should get a 2 out out of 5 rating, the games strongpoint are so few and in areas that won't matter for your average gamer I decided to base the overall rating on how fun it would be to play.... And so, to put it bluntly, it isn't fun to play at all.

      The Good: Two players, analog control, many tricks and combos to perform.

      The Bad: graphics, physics, controls, basically all of the things that make most games fun.

      The Overall Ugly: If you really need to have a motocross game and you only have ten bucks to spend, save your money until you have enough to buy a good motocross game.

      What it's Worth: Realistically, you shouldn't even buy this game since there are so many others that are better.