With the success of Jeremy McGrath, the motorcycle genre, and in particular supercross racing, has jumped in popularity. While the new Jeremy McGrath isn't out yet, there are three new titles released for the Fall 1999 season. We will compare these titles and make note of the highs and lows of each.

The games under consideration are

- Championship Motocross by Fun Com/THQ
- SuperCross Circuit by Idol Minds/989 Sports
- Supercross 2000 by MBL Research/EA Sports

Tracks
Championship Motocross features a mixture of stadium style supercross courses and off-road motocross courses. However, the supercross courses are not worthy of the name, as they only have a handful of jumps. For the most part they play like a dirt track for sprint car racing. The outdoor courses fare better, but even those lack imagination at times. Some courses have such wide lanes that the sense of speed disappears. There are over a dozen tracks available.

SuperCross Circuit follows the example set by Championship Motocross and has both supercross and motocross courses. Unlike Championship Motocross, however, this game carries a full license. Thus, the 21 imaginative courses are patterned after their real-life counterparts. In the end, you get a wonderful mix of tracks. The stadium tracks require strategy when taking jumps, and the outdoor motocross tracks have an incredible amount of variety. Throw in 4 unique local tracks, and you've got 25 well-designed tracks at your disposal.

Supercross 2000 sticks with the SuperCross Circuit only, and as such, the number of tracks available is fewer than SuperCross Circuit. With an AMA license, the tracks mirror the real deal, but they simply don't have the challenge or fun of the ones in SuperCross Circuit. In fact, the courses start having the same feel to them and become repetitive.

Order of Finish - SuperCross Circuit, Championship Motocross, Supercross 2000

Riders
Championship Motocross lacks a license, and as such, the rider names are fictitious or in some cases, are members of the game's production staff. SuperCross Circuit and Supercross 2000 both carry licenses and have a large number of current riders. Of the two, Supercross 2000 carries 24 riders while SuperCross Circuit has about half as many.

Order of Finish - Supercross 2000, SuperCross Circuit, Championship Motocross

Graphics
SuperCross Circuit has the best overall graphics. This comes across on some of the stadium courses where you can see portions of the football field just off the track. The dirt in the game looks more realistic than in the other titles, while the dirt in Supercross 2000 looks more like sand. Animations in all of the games are smooth, with Supercross 2000 winning the overall animation award.

Order of Finish - SuperCross Circuit, Championship Motocross, Supercross 2000

Audio
Supercross 2000 is the only game with commentary, and while it sometimes misses the action, it is nonetheless a welcome change from the strict buzzsaws of the other two titles. None of the titles has yet quite matched the whole supercross audio environment, but Supercross 2000 clearly has the best sound of the mix.

Order of Finish - Supercross 2000, Tie: SuperCross Circuit and Championship Motocross

Controls
All the games have the same basic control system - gas and brake. The gas on each game is activated with the X button, and the brakes are applied with the square button. In Championship Motocross, turns can be executed better with a powerslide. To do this, the R1 button is pressed. The location of the R1 button relative to the gas and brake can make powersliding difficult at times. SuperCross Circuit has a throttle burst to give a quick increase in acceleration for larger jumps. It can be applied with either the circle or R1 button, which are both difficult to hit when the action is tight. The extra feature in Supercross 2000 is the clutch, which is controlled with the L2 button. The placement of the clutch is great and keeps the pace of the game up. For analog fans, all games support analog movement, although Supercross 2000 is the only game that provides analog support for the gas and brake.

Order of Finish - Tie

Game Modes
Championship Motocross is strictly a racing game featuring bonus items. The goal is take part in championships to unlock additional tracks for later play. When you first start the game, only a couple of tracks are available. To open up more tracks, you must finish first in the championship seasons. The seasons are short, so bring your best racing. Bikes can be modified, though the modifications are limited. The game also has practice and time attack modes. And if you bring a buddy along, two-player gaming is available.

Supercross 2000 also has season-based racing. Consisting of 16 races, the season mode is much better than Championship Motocross. Like the previous title, modifications can be made to your cycle, but they are minor. Traction, gearing, and shocks can be changed, but the impacts the settings have is nowhere near that of Championship Motocross. If you finish first in a season, you are rewarded with a video. The game also has single races and practice races. Single races are single or two player. In addition to racing, Supercross 2000 has a freestyle mode where the emphasis is on performing stunts. A nice addition, but not something to buy the game for.

SuperCross Circuit has the usual single race modes, complete with a time trial mode. But the heart of the game lies with the career mode. This mode beats the competition by far. In the career mode, you start off with $500 in your pocket, just enough to buy a 125cc bike. From there, it's off to the local series of racing over four tracks. By placing well in the races, you are rewarded with prize money which can be used to modify your ride. Furthermore, as you race, your tires and engine wear, and you'll have to buy new tires and repair some of the mechanical parts on your bike. In addition to buying new parts, you can tune your bike depending on your inventory of parts. Finish the series first and you move up in class. Next up is a four-race 125cc supercross series on the West Coast. Complete that in first and you move over to the right side of the country and then to the outdoor motocross series. Completing all the 125cc series in first place opens up the 250cc series. At each stage, you accumulate money to modify and repair your bike. In addition to the racing modes, the game also features a free ride mode which is similar to the freestyle mode of Supercross 2000.

Order of Finish - SuperCross Circuit, Supercross 2000, Championship Motocross

Gameplay - Control
Of all the games, SuperCross Circuit has the most arcade feel to it. The bikes stick to the ground, and cornering is quick. The throttle burst yields high jumps, but the big air is reminiscent of some of the bigger jumps in real racing. After playing the other games, you'll notice the racing in Supercross Circuit has a faster pace. The speed of the game is nearly twice that of the other titles. Because of the arcade of the controls, the bike responds quickly, perhaps too quickly.

Championship Motocross has great handling. The bikes don't respond with the press of the button but instead seem to wait for the inertia to shift from one side to the other. Turns must be approached with strategy; turning at the last minute sends you into the barricades. The inertia of the bikes continues to push you radially out of the turn, so you must turn into the turn and drift through the turn. Unfortunately the jumping physics are too floaty. 60 foot jumps are easy to make in this game. Had the programmers been less over the top on jump distance, the game would have the best physics of the bunch. As it is, the physics on the ground, and particularly the powerslide cornering, are the most intuitive.

Supercross 2000 promises real physics but doesn't seem to deliver. It is easy to get stuck in turns. Once stuck, your intuition tells you to turn the bike and hit the gas. You'll depend on your back tire to grab some dirt and get you going. Unfortunately, the wheels continue to spin, and you sit in the corner. It's not until you move your bike upright that you'll make it out of the turn. The acceleration is more a function of the roll angle of the bike relative to the ground than anything else. Jumping and landing on the front side of another jump usually means the bike will have a tough time going uphill. This is the case with the other titles, but here the bike makes it with no problem.

Order of Finish - Championship Motocross, SuperCross Circuit, Supercross 2000

Gameplay - AI
Each game has a unique AI. All the games feature riders that follow their lines and adjust their lines when obstructions are present. In addition, the riders in each game make mistakes, giving you an opportunity to win. However, the AI in Championship Motocross is skewed to the difficult side. Unless your bike is set up perfectly, there may be no chance of winning. If you do happen to make it to the top of the field, the second place rider is right on your tail the entire time. The AI riders' strengths are not well balanced, to the point you question if the AI is cheating. Supercross 2000 fares better. You are never aware of any cheating, but the game goes the other way. Some riders in every race finish well off the pace. It's not unusual for an AI rider to finish a minute back over a five-minute race. SuperCross Circuit has a balanced AI. The pack thins out, but not to the degree of Supercross 2000.

Order of Finish - SuperCross Circuit, Supercross 2000, Championship Motocross

Final Order of Finish
After playing all the games through their respective season modes, Supercross Circuit is the most enjoyable of the bunch. The variety of the tracks and the money-and-upgrades based career mode net more replay potential. Championship Motocross, while featuring the best control, has boring track design and a questionable AI. The tracks in Supercross 2000 seem to repeat themselves, and some of the control issues detract from the enjoyment of the game. Even though SuperCross Circuit falls flat into the arcade racer category, it is the most fun.

Final Order of Finish - 1. SuperCross Circuit, 2. Championship Motocross, 3. Supercross 2000

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