After years of crummy motocross sims, what are the odds of two decent ones coming out within weeks of one another? As unbelievable as it would seem, that's what happened. This is a genre with a rather large hardcore contingent, which doesn't get much notice from the rest of the gaming populace. Both MX Unleashed, by Rainbow Studios and THQ, and this game, done by Excitebike 64 developer Left Field, aim to change all that. Consider me a believer.

MTX: Mototrax is more focused on racing than anything else. It offers separate circuits in both outdoor motocross and indoor supercross. The action on the tracks is definitely decent. You have two different ways to preload your jumps -- holding back then forward on the analog, or holding and releasing the A button. For corners, you can either use the clutch or ride out the embankments to keep ahead of the pack.

The racer A.I. is decent, and you'll generally have one or two rivals really challenging you for first place every race. I like the way the courses are designed, too -- especially some of the later indoor ones. It really pays to practice them before you get in a competitive setting, because each one has subtle nuances that can win or lose the race for you. Unfortunately, there aren't as many courses as I would've liked.

I'm a little spoiled by the precision of Unleashed, I think. I found both the physics and collision to be lacking realism. Control-wise, even things like braking aren't very intuitive. That doesn't make Mototrax a bad game by any stretch, but it does take away from the overall enjoyment.

It's a close race.
As an Activision game, of course Mototrax has its share of freestyle elements. With that pedigree comes a lot to live up to, though. I have to say that Mototrax probably has the best trick mechanics of any motocross game I've played. Since you obviously won't be doing manuals or grinds to link tricks, the game instead rewards variety and avoiding crashes. Bust one trick, you get a point value. If the second one is both successful and different, it adds to your points and gives you a multiplier. This continues indefinitely, as long as you can keep from eating it or duplicating a maneuver.

The best strategy with tricks is to do your lower-point ones first, to more easily build up the multiplier. Then, when time is running out in a freestyle event (which we'll get into later), pull out the crowd-pleasers. Holding one trick as long as possible helps increase your score, too.