Microsoft is world renown for most of their products, but these usually do not include their games. In the past Microsoft has attempted to impress us, and sometimes succeeded in doing so, with their creative minds. This encaptivement usually does not last very long, but I am willing to bet that with this new title, gamers everywhere will look at them in a different way. The release of Motocross Madness is easily Microsoft Gaming's finest hour, and I'm positive it will provide hours of enjoyment for a long time to come. By now I'm sure you are all anxious to read about the game, so I'll give it my best shot.

The hype surrounding this game was not overdone, it made an appearance at E3 and showed off some of it's features.... but when I was speaking to people about Motocross Madness, most of them had never heard of it. If you want to know what the game is like, picture Excite Bike (yes the old NES classic) now combine it with today's hottest 3D graphics and vast rolling terrains to explore. That is definitely the picture I got in my mind when I first tried the game. What separates MCM from games like Motoracer is it's replay value. In the game there are numerous types of games available to play. So let's explore each one now.

Probably the most favoured event is the Stunt Quarry, in which you compete with other competitors to achieve the highest score possible. How are you scored? Well depending on how high, effective and interesting the stunts you pull are! These events take place in the vast rolling deserts, sand dunes, rocky areas and various other exciting terrain. There are 16 unique stunts to pull, the possibilities and combinations are nearly endless! So make sure you master this event above all others, because sometimes they come in handy. Without a doubt its the most fun you'll have in ages.

Next is the Baja Racing event, where you compete with the other bikers in the same terrain except the point is to race laps. A number of way points are set up around the level, and there is a green 3D directional arrow that points to your next way point. Basically whoever can make it around the laps fastest wins in this event. Although you can still pull many stunts in the Baja, you are not awarded points (but it still adds to fun to pull the occasional Big Kahuna Dumpster!).

In the National Racing Event, it's basically like the Baja except you have to stay on course. If you sway off course, you have 5 seconds to re-enter the track before you are re-spawned. The National sports the toughest tracks in the game, so it's nice to practice in the Baja before attempting this event. You can even play with up to 10 competitors for maximum enjoyment.

Another favourite is the Supercross, which will really bring back the good old days of Excite Bike. The Supercross sports very narrow tracks with a number of jumps which act as obstacles because they sway you off course as well. You can choose to race in an excavation pit, a pyramid, a domed stadium, or an open-air stadium. I really enjoyed this event since it reminds me much of the old school favourites.

Lastly, the fifth event is Moto-Tag. One of the players starts with as being "it" and basically it is a game of tag. If you are it you have to chase down the other opponents through the vast stunt quarries and tag them. The point of the game is to avoid the person who is "it". I didn't find moto-tag as much fun as the other events, but it's nice for a change once in a while and shows off the creator's innovate thought process when making Motocross Madness.

I was impressed to find out that MCM uses separate player and bike physics allowed gamers to go beyond their imaginations. By controlling the rider's center of gravity you enable very realistic stunts to be executed, and that is what also separates MCM from the rest, the realism. The graphics in the game are simply stunning, especially if you are lucky enough to own a fast 3D accelerator card like the Voodoo 2 chipset. I found playing MCM @ 800x600 with the detail set to full to be breath takingly beautiful, and I was unaware that Direct3D was capable of such awesome graphics. Also all of the player animations are motion captured, to add to the realism. Their motions and stunts are nearly flawless when being executed and look equally impressive. Some of the visual effects it features are lens flares, real time shadows, bilinear filtering, and high resolutions. So don't worry about if the graphics are good or not, because I assure you they are excellent.

As far as control goes, I found the keyboard to be perfectly suitable in the default settings. But if you like to hack at your control settings in games, rest assure that it's possible to change the entire key mappings and even the sensitivity of the keyboard. Although I was unfortunate in trying to find a good joystick to use with MCM, a friend told me that "it's sweet with force feedback". So everyone out there with FF should be pleased.

The sounds have almost reached perfection, but I think there could be more ambient sounds besides the rumbling and gear shifting of the motor. Never the less the sound adds a very effective atmosphere to the game, and I was quite impressed. There isn't really much speech, except in the installation of the game (who cares), but you can taunt other players when you ride by them. Occasionally when you pull a really elevated stunt, your rider will scream with excitement. Nice touch.

Lastly, I am not sure how hard I can stress this.... but the multiplayer ROCKS! Recently I had to experience the horror of switching from the blistering speeds of cable modems to the luggish conventional modems (I moved houses), I seriously thought this was the end of my multiplayer experiences. Boy was I wrong, and MCM proves it! I mean I tested the game over my LAN and of course it was flawless, but most internet users do not have access to LAN's. So I tested the game in a 5 player internet game, where a 56k modem user was hosting... and it was nearly flawless! I played 3 different events, and in each the game ran silky smooth. Occasionally there was the odd "bobbing" of my opponents, but it doesn't really affect the game much (especially in the Stunt Quarry). So modem users will be glad to hear that MCM provides superior lag-free internet player (FINALLY!).

Does MCM beat the famed Motoracer? Definately. Is it worth a look at? For sure! Be sure to pick up Motocross Madness because I guarantee it to be the most fun you will have in a long time. It's got 5 different events, multiple stunts, awesome graphics and excellent multiplayer capabilities. The mind blistering speed will blow you away! So, my hat goes off to the people at Microsoft Gaming for a job well done. Here is how the game ranks up.

Graphics: 19 / 20
Sound: 13 / 15
Gameplay: 29 / 30
Fun Factor: 19 / 20
Multiplayer Play: 5 / 5
Overall Impression: 9 / 10

Overall Rating: 94 / 100

REVIEWED ON: - P2-300, 64mb RAM, ATI 3D Xpression+ with a Diamond Monster 3D-2.
- P200MMX, 32mb RAM, S3 Card with a Diamond Monster 3D.