Jet Moto is one of those Rodney Dangerfield titles -- it just can't seem to get any respect. Which is sad, because if you actually play it, you'll see that it is one of the best racing games on the system.
In the game, you race "jet motos", fictional vehciles that are part hovercraft, part motorcycle. The game takes place over 10 tracks, ranging from ice and snow to tropical beaches, oceans, and swamps. The racing features true physics -- you can't turn in mid-air, and you'll find that your jet moto has inertia appropriate for its mass (which makes turning at high speeds very difficult). Luckily, each moto is equiped with a magnetic grappling hook, which becomes essential in certain tight turns. You can choose from 20 different motos and each controls differently, with the usual trade-offs -- speed vs mobility, mass (important when you come in contact with other racers) vs "lift" (important when you want to jump the many obstacles in the game). The motos are divided into 4 teams, but each race is every man, or woman, for themselves.
The graphics in the game pale in comparison to Nintendo's Wave Rave or WipeOut XL, but if you can get past that, you'll find the game has many things those titles lack. First, the tracks. The track design in the game is amazing! Not only are the tracks all visually appealing and well detailed, with plenty of surprises (like hundred foot drops), but they are designed so that even after racing a track 50 times, you can discover new shortcuts and strategies.
Second is the racing itself. In WipeOut XL and Wave Race, the other competitors are barely a challenge -- you're really racing against yourself. Not so here. There are 19 other competitors in 1 player mode, and you cannot ignore them. Jet Moto-ing is a high contact sport, and as you weave (and slam) your way through the pack, you get a feel of real racing. You can't just memorize the tracks -- you always need to be thinking, ready to react to an opponent.
Ultimately this is a much deeper game than either WipeOut XL or Wave Race. From the strategy of when to use your Turbos (4 per lap) to which racer you choose to how to plot a course through a particular course, there is more to learn here then in almost any other racing game we've seen.
The 2-player mode is also nice (although 2-player games are strictly head to head, with no other opponents), with a choice between a verticle and horizontal split-screen. A link mode would have been nice, but Sony seems largely done with the link-cable.
Overall, this is a game that should be getting a lot more credit than it is. If you appreciate careful level design, and want a game that you'll still be playing two weeks (or two moths) after you buy it, check out Jet Moto. You won't be disappointed.
