The Turbo Grafx/PC Engine was home to many great games, including many in the racing genre. One series of games was the Moto Roader series, including the PC Engine CD game Moto Roader MC, which has now arrived on modern systems thanks to Ratalaika Games. The Moto Roader series has a lot of fans, but how well does Moto Roader MC hold up today?
Moto Roader MC is a top-down racing game, and while it looks nice, the controls take some time to get used to. They can be very finicky, leading players to crash constantly, which is kind of the point as this is a combat-heavy game. The cars have weapons and players will need to take out their opponents in order to succeed in the races.
Moto Roader MC is okay in single-player mode but really comes into its own with several others playing. The game quickly becomes a party racing game, with players ending friendships trying to outlast others and be the one to win. This is why it feels like a missed opportunity, that online play was not added into this release.
Moto Roader MC has a nice variety of tracks to race on, and those who want more have Omake mode, which includes several minigames to play, including one that is a top-down version of what is essentially Rocket League. This is another instance where online play would have greatly benefitted the game, and while it is fun playing in local multiplayer, playing against others around the world would have made this more fun. Still, it is worth checking out if friends are available, as a fun time-waster.
Some of the usual Ratalaika additions are here, such as a rewind feature, but it feels a bit clunky here unless the speed of the rewind is just right. Another issue is that the menus are not as intuitive and quitting out of a mode can be a bit difficult. To be perfectly frank, it seems Moto Roader MC is a bit lacking compared to other Ratalaika re-releases of classic games.
There is good music here and the visuals are colorful, but only get this if you have friends to constantly play this with. It simply loses too much value otherwise, and in the end, feels like a lot more could have been done with this port. For the price, it is not bad but just could have been much better.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
Reviewed on Nintendo Switch. Also Available on PlayStation and Xbox.