Motor City Online

Round and round you go, and if you are good enough, you’re in the dough.

Motor City Online, from Electronic Arts for the PC, is not exactly your typical racing game. The game was first reviewed back in November of 2001 (http://www.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r15669.htm) and since then, some additions made to the game have warranted a second look.

New features include team trials (you can race with your friends, instead of against them to post the best times and earn the highest points), and parts as prizes for winning races. There are also car class-restricted races, in which you don’t have to take that 1940s Coupe up against a 1970s muscle car. Instead you race against those cars that are in the same style and era as your own, which instigates a modicum of fairness into the proceedings.

There are also new cars, such as a 1969 Pontiac GTO and Olds 4-4-2, a bevy of new car parts, better rewards for club racing, two new tracks (Hazard Hollow and Goose Pointe), test centers (so you can test upcoming game features), sponsored races featuring high-performance cars (the key here is you don’t have to race your own machine, but can climb behind the wheel of a Shelby Cobra or any one of other hot cars), and Righteous Rides Car Sales (where you can purchase a new car every time you advance a level).

For those who know nothing about the game, Motor City is street, drag and circuit racing. You begin with a car that needs a lot of work. By winning races, or placing, you earn cash rewards, which can be used to upgrade your ride. You can rebuild the engine, work on the electrical system, the handling or exhaust (actually, buy a part, test it to see how it improves your car’s performance and the game will rebuild your car for you), repaint it and then take it out for a spin. Damage incurred during a race will need to be repaired. You also earn points by placing in races, which will translate into helping you level up.

Each Monday is payday in the cyber community. The money (which increases as your level) is a necessary evil in the game. In addition to winning parts, you can outright buy them, or participate in a parts auction. The latter can be dicey, and you should also be forewarned that some parts scamming does occur.

Of course, this game has a strong player community. If you check the right box, you will receive offers to join a variety of clubs. Some simply want members, some will charge you to join, but all offer support and make the game much more enjoyable. If the club, like the ImpacT PlayerS, has a club decal, you can put that on your car to show just where your loyalties lie. You can also team up with club members for turf wars, which really adds that 1950s feel to the game.

Since that review back in November, Motor City Online has gone through some changes, but the game is more solid, the racing action is just as fun, and the community has grown – and is, perhaps, one of the more enjoyable aspects of this game.

The game harkens back to a simpler time, when cars were kings of the road and life revolved around having the best-looking hopped-up machine in town. ‘Pride in the ride’ is prevalent, even when you begin with a machine that tops out at 120 mph, and your competition is blowing past you at 200 mph. (And when engaged in such a race, under your breath, while focusing on the track, you are chanting “wreck, wreck, wreck!”)

This game was and still is a whole lot of fun.

It is rated for Everyone.

Gameplay: 8.5
Synchronizing the participants in a race takes the most time, but it seems to be going faster and once in a race, the action is seamless. The only drawback is that there seems to be a blip in that synchronization. You can, according to the clock, be ahead of someone by 15 seconds, as you hit the home straightaway, only to find that – somehow – they managed to beat you without ever seeming to go past you. This score remains unchanged from the original review.

Graphics: 8.8
The new tracks are very good, and the old tracks still have solid environmental elements. The crash effects are well done and the new cars look very good.

Sound: 9
The musical score remains one of the strongest features of this game. Track announcing is also excellent and the game contains all the sounds one would expect from this program class.

Difficulty: Medium
The player interface makes the game a lot easier, but the challenges of time trials and racing are what really drive this game.

Concept: 9.3
While there are car-racing games, none have come close to offering what this game offers. The new additions to the game make it all the more enjoyable.

Multiplayer: 9
Getting into a club is what really makes this game enjoyable. There is a certain pride and rivalry that takes place and the game is built for community-oriented play.

Overall: 9.2
This score remains unchanged from the previous review. The game has added some solid features – the new cars in the sponsored races being an obvious one – but this is essentially the same game with the same thoroughly enjoyable play. Motor City Online is fun and addictive racing action.