Moto Chaser for the iPhone or iPod Touch

Formally known as Moto Racer, this game puts you in the role of checkpoint racing on motorbikes.  Effectively you’re not racing anything except the time so that’s probably why they decided to change the name.  At the time of writing, this game was on sale at 59p instead of the usual £2.99 so I thought I might as well take advantage of it in this credit-crunch economic state we’re in.

And it wasn’t such a bad punt after all, there are 3 characters to choose from (2 male and 1 female what’s up with that?) and enough levels to keep you occupied. I want to congratulate the developers for making such a diverse range of levels, from the desert to the jungle and the inner city it truly makes for a varied experience.  As I said earlier all the game consists of is single player time trials with checkpoints, so that means so multiplayer for you.  While they’ve tried to increase the activity by enemy motorcycles annoying you, a simple tap of the punch button and you’ll never see them again.  Its a shame that the feature just feels pointless and I wish they had developed it further -- maybe other vehicles like cars or the ability to knock them off the road would be nice.

The graphics aren’t bad, they’re definitely not the best we’ve seen on the iPhone and the jagged pixels can easily be seen when you go up the side of a mountain.  Saying that the frame rate hasn’t dropped for me at all so the action is smooth and free flowing with the accelerometer action.  As with most of the vehicle games on the App store, you control the direction by tilting the device left and right. However unlike Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart you actually have to press a Gas button to power the motorbike which can leave marks on the screen after a long session.  While playing the game I’ve never had to take my finger off the gas button so why don’t the developers just make it always on like on Nitro Kart. It makes sense to me.

So does it live up to the expectations? I think it’s a good enough game but it definitely doesn’t break down any barriers with its standard graphics and a lack of any meaty Cup or Race modes but it does differ from any other racing game on the App store. So it seems to be in it’s own little niche market, if you’re a fan of motorbike games and want that little extra to play around with, why not try Moto Chaser by Freeverse Inc.