MUD FIM World Championship Motocross in stores 2-26-13!

[hrudey32]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZpuvPDDVzQ

Game hits stores Tuesday, February 26th. Gamestop is taking pre-orders. Hopefully everyone supports so we could possibly see a MUD 2 and maybe even a game with AMA tracks in the near future. Game is only 39.99. I've owned the import for nearly a year (and paid a lot more for it but it was worth it to me).

Though the physics and control are more arcade than Alive/Reflex, the excellent AI (intelligent, competitive and rider rating based), massive content with all the riders, their exact gear, their exact bikes detailed meticulously and most importantly the full championship points series make this game one of the best MX games ever (along with Supercross 2000, Supercross Circuit, MX2002, MX Superfly, MTX Mototrax and Reflex/Alive), in my opinion.

[dbdynsty25]

I'm definitely picking it up.

[dbdynsty25]

Eeesh...I don't know about this game. The control is waaaaay too twitchy. I want control like the old school Rainbow games. I guess we'll see if I get used to it, but it screams budget title all the way (and the 40 dollar price at release solidifies that of course).

[hrudey32]

I picked up a couple of copies today to go along with my import copies I bought about a year ago to support the only company willing to make a MX game for console. Let's give them some support guys so we can get a MX franchise established.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TggPjd-Y7Kw

I don't think it is a budget title though. They are the first team to have a full FIM license on a MX game since probably Supercross 2000/2001 or Supercross Circuit. I think it is def their first attempt at moto though so may that is why. But the AI is intelligent and challenging and you get a full point series plus all the real riders/teams/bikes/gear from the MX1/MX2 class. I've enjoyed it since bought the import almost a year ago.

[DChaps]

Eeesh...I don't know about this game. The control is waaaaay too twitchy. I want control like the old school Rainbow games. I guess we'll see if I get used to it, but it screams budget title all the way (and the 40 dollar price at release solidifies that of course).

Yeah, I am having the same experience. I can't get a hang of the controls at all. I like a challenge, but I haven't yet got the feel for what works and doesn't work and why. No manual came with the game and the in game tutorial did not really help me figure it out any better. I know its arcade, but Energy drink power boosts are a little too much.

I will continue to give the game a chance because I do want to give support for any developer making bike games, but I don't know if the three of us will make a difference. Has there even been any decent bike games for 360 or PS3, MX or Road? MotoGP for the original Xbox was what got me hooked into online console gaming. I hate that the genre has not really moved forward at all.

hrudey, any tips on how best to start out with this game? Career mode, bikes and riders, etc. Also, how do the leaderboards work? Is it only for online times? I have done a bunch of offline races, and it says it is updating the leaderboards, but when I go to look it up it says I have no times posted.

[hrudey32]

The controls are a bit touchy but not nearly as much as the MVA series, especially Reflex. It's just a matter of getting used to it. It's too simplified but the controls feel pretty good to me.

I can give you a few tips. For a "burning start" (which is an exagerrated shot out of the gate for the LoveMyTime holeshot award), hold both the brake (L trigger) and gas (R trigger) down and then release the brake when the gate drops. It doesn't work all the time, though.

Start on Normal with a good rider like Cairoli, Roczen, Herlings, etc. Turn the scrub boost icon off. It's lame.

The AI is tough so you have to choose good lines to win.

Though braking isn't as much as a requirement as I would like you will have to do it some and to get good lap times you will need to use it quite a bit to improve your lines.

Use the qualifications to work on your lines and learn what jumps to scrub and what jumps to not scrub.

Use the gamma correction in the game to lighten up the game visually. The import copy I've been playing is pretty dark and I usually go 10 clicks to the left from default.

Make sure to lean back when going across whoops or rough terrain.

I use the right stick to see the angle I am coming down during jumps to assure both wheels touch the ground at the same time.

Don't just gas it everywhere. Use your brake and throttle control. Make block passes. Unlike Reflex, the AI riders will actually pull up to avoid crashes.

There are just a few tips. Fire away with any question. Btw, I'm still playing the import copy on 360. Not sure if any differences between it and US release yet other than cover art.

[hrudey32]

I just play the full official season mode, not the world tour. The season mode is what I've been wanting in a MX game since Supercross 2000 so that's obviously my gaming mode of choice.

The riders are rated so go with a rider with a high ranking. Unlike ALL previous MX games the riders do finish about where they should in races and in a season in the points standings. Cairoli, Herlings, Roczen, Searle, Frossard all are usually near the top as in real life in the European MX1/MX2 classes.

[DChaps]

Well, some of it must be me and getting old. My 9 year old son called me at work last night to tell me how awesome the game was and he had figured out the controls and scrubbing all on his own. Last night I played some more and it is starting to grow on me. I will have to agree with db that it does feel very budget with regards to options and unpolished in its UI and/or lack thereof. Not necessarily a bad thing overall, as I tend to like simple (for example I just got Madden 13 and am overwhelmed by the options and interface). Also, this may be a US version issue, but I can find no options in the game to change the gamma correction. It is a very dark game and to be honest I initially thought the graphics were pretty bad (like very early 360 days), but I think a lot of it is that the darkness hides some of the details in the bike models and the track surfaces. So when I got home last night I went searching for this option but cannot find it. There are only 3 option settings that can be changed so I don't think I am missing anything. I have not played around with my TV settings, but I hate to do that just for one game.

Oh, last thing, I need a refresher on FIM MX rules because I cannot for the life of me figure out how many laps I am racing, where the start finish is, and when my race is done. I started a Championship MX1 race last night on normal AI setting. The loading tips mentioned qualifying and being able to select my starting gate first if I qualified first, but it seemed to skip qualifying completely. I saw no options for turning qualifying on or off. It went straight to allowing me to pick my starting gate. The race duration was set to 2 Minutes + 1 lap. After the 2 mintes had counted down, it switched to saying I had 4 laps left. There is no track overlay in the HUD so I really had no idea where the start finish line was and when I was completing a lap. I assume I am wrong about this, but it appeared to go from saying 4 laps to then saying final lap, which I seemed to be on forever, then it went to saying 2 laps, then it said race over when I crossed one of the banners. I had finished 8th. I tried another race and it was similarly confusing. I am guessing that I just need to learn the track layouts and understand the rules and I will be fine. The AI does put up a good fight and this is not a game where you can just easliy dominate the AI. I was getting a good challenge on normal, so I can imagine that it will take a while before I will bump up to the higher AI difficulty.

Thanks again for all the tips and info and for giving us the heads up on this game as I would have had no knowledge of it otherwise. We need to try to get an online session going sometime if enough DSP folks pick it up.

[dbdynsty25]

Tried a few more races last night to see if I eventually got the hang of it and while I did a bit better, it still is a sloppy mess for the most part. There really isn't a true grip model it seems. It's completely variable and you have no idea how your bike is going to react to terrain most of the time. It's completely unpredictable and that's what is ultimately killing this game for me. Pair that with the already twitchy controls and it's a bear to get your bike around the track without randomly losing control or flying off the track.

[DChaps]

You correctly described what I am experiencing as well - Unpredictability is the issue. I don't have a problem with it being arcade physics or control being twitchy, but I want to be able to understand what I did wrong when something goes wrong and what I did right when something works. I do not feel that yet. db, have you come across the gamma correction settings that hrudey describes? I would really like to lighten up this game as it is way too dark on my tv. Also, have you come across qualifying in any of your races?

[dbdynsty25]

I didn't look into the darkness issue, as I am usually gaming late night with my lights off anyway, so that didn't bother me. And no, I also haven't seen any qualifying, but I'm only doing quick races at the moment.

[hrudey32]

You must be in championship mode to race with qualifiers. But again, this is from the import. I haven't played the North American version yet as have been real busy. I can't imagine they would exclude the gamma correction and qualifiers though as everything I have seen makes me think the game is identical.

Though I am a bit curious as I didn't really have the problem of constantly going off track and the stuff you guys are speaking of. I'll try to get time to play the US version this weekend and see how it compares and if there are any differences.

[hrudey32]

I'll be back home this weekend and get some playing in but in the meanwhile I have a question for those who have the US version. Is there any more vibration to the game? In the import you barley feel the vibration and it does take away the rough feel a moto game should have. MX Superfly/MX2002 did a great job of this as did Alive.

[DChaps]

I am not feeling much vibration if any. I did find where the gamma control settings are and that is where you can turn the vibration on/off as well. You have to pause when you are in a race and then go to options. There is no other place to get those settings to come up. Also I am 6 races into an MX1 championship on normal difficulty and there are no qualifications. Does it only have qualifications if you are on the hard/extreme setting, or maybe only for the MX2 championship? The game is growing on me and upping the gamma correction did help quite a bit from a visual standpoint. I also found it much more enjoyable with the music completely off.

[hrudey32]

Yeah, I never have music blaring while racing. That always seemed stupid to me. I want to hear the engine and feel like I am racing.

On the import, after you pick official mode it comes to a screen asking how many laps per race and on that screen you should be able to toggle the qualifications on or off. That is if it is indeed the US version.

Yeah, whether on or off there is very little vibration.

But I'm glad you are liking the game. It does grow on you and playing a full points series makes it one of the best MX games to me.