Moto Racer Advance - History

History

Moto Racer Advance was first displayed at the 2002 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). IGN gave the game two awards for portable games after its E3 2002 coverage: "Best Graphics" and "Best Racing Game". IGN praised the early version of the game for its high draw distance and smooth frame rate. The game was built from the ground up to be a racing game for the Game Boy Advance and to take advantage of the hardware offered by the system. IGN previewed the game six months before it was made available for retail and called the graphics the game's highlight, while noting that tune-ups in the physics engine were needed before release. The game manipulated 2D sprites and backgrounds to give the impression of 3D to the player. By keeping the core graphics engine simple, the game was able to contain elongated draw distances and a smooth frame rate. It was released on October 4, 2002 in PAL regions, and on December 4, 2002 in North America. Moto Racer Advance was the last game to be developed by Adeline Software.

Moto Racer Advance garnered positive reaction from critics for its graphics and gameplay; it received 86% and 83% ratings on review aggregate websites Metacritic and Game Rankings, respectively. IGN's Craig Harris praised the smooth graphics engine of the game, noting that the designers had succeeded in creating a satisfying racing game for the Game Boy Advance. He called it one of the top racing games from 2002. The Sydney Morning Herald's Dan Toose praised the game's "smooth, minimalist graphics", while GameSpy's Steve Steinberg noted that the physics of the game felt "dead-on" and enjoyed the overall presentation of the game. GamePro's Vicious Sid was surprised by the game's long draw distance, calling it a technical feat on the Game Boy Advance. The sound design from the game received a mixed response from critics. GameZone's Code Cowboy stated that the Motocross bikes sounded "like gravel in a blender-- being chopped up". IGN noted otherwise, saying that the sound stayed to the background and was mostly pleasant, while The Sydney Morning Herald praised the realistic sound the bikes created. The game received Editors' Choice Awards from GameSpy, GamePro, and IGN.