In mid 2001 when the Xbox was first launched, the media’s critical eye was focused directly on the smash hit Halo. Little did they know, a generally unknown group of developers were working on a quality motorbike racer titled MotoGP. Its great mix of arcade style racing and realism still provide fans with plenty of enjoyment even to this day.

Our parents (and a strongly backed government advertising campaign) have tried to tell us that speed kills. Speeding down Suzuka’s final straight in your 1000cc beast in the soaking rain without an after-thought (except that you want to do it again next lap) takes guts. Thankfully guts and speed are two definite prerequisites to enjoying the finely polished racer that is MotoGP 2.

MotoGP 2’s (from now on referred to as MGP 2) single player element is split up into four core sections. Quick race is as simple as picking a rider, track and then burning some rubber as you scream down the straights at over 250 km/h in your two wheeled monster. There is essentially no point to this mode with the exception of honing down your bike skills as you cannot unlock any new riders or tracks. Next up is stunt mode. The name of the game is style and finesse as you aim to score the most points racing around the circuits. Precision cornering and clean sections are your friends whilst sloppy corners and crashing will deduct points off your total. The points system is similar to Project Gotham Racing’s kudos system and points are distributed based on burnouts, wheelies and the like. The higher points gained, the more riders that are unlocked. This mode's sheer addictiveness will keep you coming back for more. There is also a basic time trial, which is comparable to the game's quick race mode, with the simple addition of being able to race on previously unlocked tracks to further unlock versions of the track that are mirrored or reversed.

The bulk of the single player game presides in career mode. This is where you will spend the most time unless you are fortunate to have access to the multiplayer delights of Xbox Live! A fantastic feature of the career mode is creating a rider and then designing your own custom logo to be embellished on the bike. It really adds to the feel that you are indeed a professional racer. When first starting off, your bike is about as fast as the postie bike that delivers the local mail. Thankfully there is a special training circuit before beginning your first race in which completing specific skill based trials, results in being able to allocate points towards boosting four different categories- top speed, acceleration, braking and cornering. Before long, your postie bike will transform into a top-form racing machine.

Starting your season, there are three options of difficulty, Rookie, Pro or Championship. There is an extra mode called Legend that is locked until you complete a season on the Championship difficulty. I recommend playing Rookie mode for first-timers who have never played MotoGP or other motorbike racing games. While winning races is a breeze on the rookie setting, it allows players to get the feel of the bikes, whilst allowing experienced MotoGP players to unlock bonus features such as real life highlights video clips. It’s a nice relief to sit back, relax and watch the highlights of the real-life counterparts of the race you just completed. Now- don’t go thinking you can cruise through this game! The latter difficulties such as Pro and Championship will deeply test your skills that you have developed.

Due to the fact MGP2 is an arcade style game as well as a simulation game I’m sure that its no revelation that the game has an extremely realistic physics engine. Turning at the last minute, results in going painfully straight into the barriers. Relatively decent timing is needed unless you plan to use another rider to keep you on the inside of the track ;-)

The graphics are arguably some of the best produced in a racer on the Xbox. The bikes are perfectly modeled to their real-life counterparts and tussling for positions will see riders make hand gestures to their opponents. Weather conditions play a prominent role not only from a graphics viewpoint, but in the handling of the bikes as well. Rain forces earlier braking so as to enable optimum position in cornering, as well as losing control at high speeds, with the distinct possibility of being thrown off your bike. Visually speaking, riding in the slipstream of opponents in rain will spout water droplets all over your screen, which can have minor implications while racing as you’d expect, but thankfully when you pick up speed the water droplets slide off which is rather neat. I hate to admit it but one of my favourite parts of MotoGP 2 is the crashing which has to be seen to be believed. Riders will fly, slip and even jump off their machines. These great moments are covered by excellent dynamic camera angles that relay every moment of pain with great beauty.

With outstanding game play and graphics, it’s a shame that the sound is disappointing. The standard racing sounds might be rather bland, but thanks to the option of custom soundtracks we're saved from eternal boredom. An essential feature, as the repetitive music really gets on the nerves.

The control system is identical to its predecessor with the innovative front and back braking system controlled with the left and right triggers respectively. If this system doesn't feel comfortable, the braking along with throttle, gear changes and body-leaning can be re-mapped to your own personal controller comfort desires.