Jet Moto (series)

"Jet Moto" ("Jet Rider" in Europe) is a series of futuristic racing games for the PlayStation video game console. The gameplay differs from that of a traditional racing game with cars, as players instead control hoverbikes which hover close above the ground and can be driven over both land and water. Most of the courses in the games are designed to take advantage of this ability. Bikes are adorned with logos of products such as Mountain Dew and Butterfinger, similar to real-life sponsored racing.

The "Jet Moto" series utilizes a system called the Magnetic Grapple. Pressing an assigned button creates a magnetic attraction between the player's bike and red energy poles that are placed strategically throughout the courses. This enables the bike to swing around tight turns without slowing down, and also to swing over large gaps and chasms otherwise too large to drive over. If executed properly, bikes can also be propelled out of tight turns at a faster speed than when entered.

"Jet Moto" (1996) and "Jet Moto 2" (1997) were developed by SingleTrac, known mostly for "Twisted Metal" and "Twisted Metal 2". SingleTrac then left Sony, the publisher of the series, and "Jet Moto 3" (1999) was developed by Pacific Coast Power & Light in their absence. Former employees of SingleTrac later left to form Incognito Entertainment and signed again with Sony, sparking rumors of a fourth "Jet Moto" game being developed by Incognito because of this. However, such a game has yet to surface.

Jet Moto

Infobox VG
title = Jet Moto


caption =
developer = SingleTrac
publisher = Sony Computer Entertainment
distributor =
designer =
license =
series = "Jet Moto"
engine =
version =
released = PlayStation
vgrelease|NA=October 31, 1996|EU=February vgy|1997|JP=August 7, 1997

Windows
vgrelease|NA=November 30, 1997
genre = Racing
modes = Single-player, multiplayer
ratings = vgratings|ESRB=Kids to Adults
platforms = PlayStation, Playstation Network
media = 1 CD
requirements =
input = Controller, Dual Analog Controller, Dual Shock Controller

The original "Jet Moto" was released for PlayStation video game console and the PC (1997), and a download for the PSP and PS3 from the Playstation Store (2007) following much later. Twenty Characters and three tracks are available at the beginning of the game, with seven more tracks unlockable by winning tournaments. The first "Jet Moto" is notable for introducing suicide courses. Instead of being a continuous loop, these tracks have a point A and point B; racers start at point A, race to point B, turn around, then race back to point A while facing oncoming racers. Traditional tracks are also included, and typical courses range from beaches with debris-littered water, ice covered mountains, and even a floating track set above a city. At the time of its relese "Jet Moto" was seen as Sony's response to Nintendo's "Wave Race 64".

Jet Moto Trivia

*The name of the mountain level, "Willpower," was actually a joke and reference to the lead artist / modeler, Will Dougherty, who designed the level.
*Some of the Jet Moto characters were named after SingleTrac employees. These characters are as follows:
**Harris was named after Polly Harris, a programmer and former testing manager of SingleTrac. Just like her portrait, the real Polly was a skydiver; she was the camerawoman that wore the camcorder on her helmet during a jump.
**Another racer was named after Michael Makarczyk, an artist at SingleTrac. His character's portrait shows the racer swimming, and Michael himself was an avid swimmer. He has also said that he raced motorcycles, not motocross, however.
*John Olsen, who also worked on Void War, worked on the PC port of Jet Moto as his first task at SingleTrac. Although he had some help from various teammates at the company while working on their pieces, he handled the port to a large degree as a solo programmer.
*Not everyone has the same number of stat points. The ones with the most are Wild Ride and Gunner.
*Suicide Swamp was an unlockable arena in Twisted Metal 2.

List of Characters

Jet Moto has twenty selectable characters split up evenly through four teams sponsored by name brands (Mountain Dew,K2,Axiom,Butterfinger).

Team Mountain Dew

#Dakota
#Wild Ride
#Miko
#Irons
#Shannara

Team K2

#Chien
#Gunner
#Harris
#Quick Jessie
#The Max

Team Axiom

#Blackjack
#Shirow
#Stone
#Technician
#Tetsujin

Team Butterfinger

#Arroyo
#Bomber
#Mace
#Masala
#Rhino

List of Stages

There are 10 stages total in this game, stated below by difficulty:

#Joyride
#Black Water Falls
#Suicide Swamp
#Ice Crusher
#Cliffdiver
#Hammerhead
#Cypress Run
#Willpower
#Snow Blind
#Nightmare

Jet Moto 2

Infobox VG
title = Jet Moto 2


caption =
developer = SingleTrac
publisher = Sony Computer Entertainment
distributor =
designer =
license =
series = "Jet Moto"
engine =
version =
released = vgrelease|NA=October 31, 1997|PAL=April vgy|1998|JP=August 6, 1998
genre = Racing
modes = Single player, multiplayer
ratings = vgratings|ESRB=Kids to Adults
platforms = PlayStation, Playstation Network
media = 1 CD
requirements =
input = Controller, Dual Analog Controller, Dual Shock Controller

"Jet Moto 2" (known as "Jet Moto '98" cite web | url = http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/psx/data/197685.html | title = Game data | publisher = GameFAQs | date = | accessdate = 2008-03-27] in Japan) was released exclusively for the PlayStation video game console in 1997.The game became downloadable from the Playstation Network in January, 2008. The selectable amount of characters for this game was halved in comparison to the first game, with ten characters available at the beginning of the game and one unlockable character. Track amounts were greatly increased, however, with ten new tracks, and unlockable tracks from the original game. Tracks are more varied this time with each level containing a unique theme rather than the shared themes of the original game. The courses range from earthquake-damaged cities, desert Canyons, ice-covered mountains, roller Coasters, and several others. The difficulty was higher in this game; the developers used gameplay recordings in place of fully developed racer AI, so most racers had a perfect run and any mistakes made by the player would result in a quick loss of top racing positions. [ [http://www.rampantgames.com/blog/2007/01/jet-moto-memories.html Tales of the Rampant Coyote: Jet Moto Memories ] ] Dual Analog Controller's were supported for the first game, but DualShock Controllers were not supported for Jet Moto 2. The greatest hits version was labeled within the game as "Championship Edition" with all the original tracks unlocked.

List of Characters

Jet Moto has 10 selectable characters, one of which is unlockable. A few favorite racers from the original return along with some new ones.

#Lil' Dave
#Wild Ride
#Blade
#Technician
#The Max
#Vampeera
#Gadget
#Steele
#The Hun
#Bomber
#Enigma

List of Stages

There are 20 stages total, ten of which are new, listed below by game and difficulty:

Jet Moto 2 Tracks
#Slickrock Gorge
#Meltdown
#Aftershock
#Arctic Blast
#Hot Shot
#The Shaft
#Rollercide
#Ka-Ma-Te
#Mach Schnell
#Nebulous

Original Jet Moto Tracks
#Joyride
#Black Water Falls
#Suicide Swamp
#Ice Crusher
#Cliffdiver
#Hammerhead
#Cypress Run
#Willpower
#Snow Blind
#Nightmare

Jet Moto 3

Infobox VG
title = Jet Moto 3


caption =
developer = Pacific Coast Power & Light
publisher = 989 Sports
distributor =
designer =
license =
series = "Jet Moto"
engine =
version =
released = vgrelease|NA=August 31, 1999
genre = Racing
modes = Single-player, multiplayer
ratings = vgratings|ESRB=Everyone
platforms = PlayStation, Playstation Network
media = 1 CD
requirements =
input = Controller, Dual Analog Controller, Dual Shock Controller

"Jet Moto 3" was released exclusively for the PlayStation video game console in 1999. Ten characters are available from the beginning of the game and two characters are unlockable. This "Jet Moto" is notable for the inclusion of new stunt tracks. The objective of these tracks is to perform stunts to gain higher points and to collect coins scattered throughout the track. Another notable inclusion is the "hop" button, which is used to boost your player above the ground to avoid obstacles. The physics also were given an overhaul. Many times your bike travels so fast that you will be stuck riding on walls. Graphics were also considerably smoother as the game was released two years after the original games. Track themes vary greatly, with tracks taking places in volcanic islands, underground catacombs, the heights of Machu Pichu, and a thick Sequoia forest. DualShock Controller support was added to this installment.

List of Characters

Jet Moto 3 had a total of twelve characters. They are listed below in order of appearance.

#The Max
#Wild Ride
#Technician
#Bomber
#Vampeera
#Raven
#Spirit
#Convict
#Angel
#Tetsujin
#Captain Ballad
#Granny

List of Stages

There are 17 stages total, stated below by difficulty:

Standard Tracks
#Devil's Canyon
#Khumbu Ice Falls
#Volcano Island
#Lost City
#Urban Subway
#Shipwreck Cove
#Catacombs
#Sequoia Forest
#Machu Picchu
#Skypark
#Ytic Tsol (Lost City course raced in reverse)
#Uhccip Uhcam (Machu Picchu course raced in reverse)
#Krapyks (Skypark course raced in reverse)
#Planet X

Stadium/Trick
#Olympic Park
#Circus Park
#Ramp Park

Sources

#Note|TheSun_Dec9note label|Jetmoto_Trivia|1|a Jet Moto 1 trivia obtained from [http://www.rampantgames.com/blog/2007/01/jet-moto-memories.html The Rampant Coyote's Blog]

References