E3 2016 – Moto Racer 4 Preview – Kickstart Your Engines (PS4)

Moto Racer may be a game series that you’re not familiar with. No one could blame you for not knowing much about it, either, since the last full release in this series was in 2002. Developer and publisher Microïds has decided to bring back this long-dormant arcade motorcycle racing series, and presented a hands-off demo of Moto Racer 4 while at E3 2016. Here is our preview.

Steady Action

Moto Racer 4 is being developed in the Unreal Engine 4, and as such the game looks very nice. This is a games engine that helps to deliver high-caliber titles to market, and we should expect 1080p/60 fps performance, which is exactly what Microids is promising. We saw street courses as well as off-road, and both were what you’d expect from a racing game.

As is usual for this series, Moto Racer 4 will feature both street bike and motocross races. So gamers should be prepared to tackle both on and off-road events and terrain. During street races, for example, traffic will be an issue that must be contended with. Seeing this absolutely reminded me that this was an arcade racer, which means that the fun of riding will be a point of focus, as opposed to a focus on sheer realism.

In line with that mindset, races will also see the capability of racers being able to shove each other, ala Road Rash (though without the weapons!). This means that not only do you have to worry about riding the best line and avoiding traffic, now your opponents are more than just a simple obstacle to pass or outmaneuver. Shoving is a dirty tactic, sure, but it is one of those guilty pleasures that more than a few of us will indulge in during our time with Moto Racer 4.

Join a Friend

Split-screen will thankfully be included in Moto Racer 4, a feature which is sadly a rarity in many genres. If you’d rather take your game online, then there is also support for 2-10 players in multiplayer. Microïds claims that Moto Racer 4 boasts 15 single and multiplayer game modes, which should translate into plenty of challenge both on and offline.

Arcade motorcycle racing games are pretty hard to come by these days. It’s good to know that Microïds is on the case, then. Featuring good graphics, a steady and high frame rate, over a dozen game modes including online play, and even split-screen support, it looks like Moto Racer 4 will be just what the arcade racing fan has been looking for. Moto Racer 4 is scheduled to launch on October 13, 2016, for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows, and Mac platforms.