MotoGP 4

MotoGP 4
Developer: Namco Publishers: Namco (JP), Bandai Namco (US), SCEE (EU) Platform: PlayStation 2 Released in JP: September 15, 2005 Released in US: June 20, 2006 Released in EU: May 27, 2005 This game has unused playable characters. This game has regional differences.

MotoGP 4 is Namco's last console MotoGP game (barring the 2005/2006 season PSP game and the China-only System 256 arcade game based on the 2006 season), now featuring all tracks and every class from the 2004 MotoGP season, as well as a more serious motorsports game feel compared to their previous titles.

It also pays a tribute to Daijiro Kato, in a similar way to how Dale Earnhardt was playable in NASCAR games released years after each respective fatal accidents.

Unused Riders/Teams

To do: What are bike_extra_p02_sl-bike_extra_p05_sl? (bike_extra_p01_sl seems to be the safety car?)

The executable/SLUS file contains filenames referencing teams and riders that are not present in the game.

Team names refer to official 2004 FIM entry list and may not reflect intended in-game name.

Team Bikes for Player

Label	Number	Team	Notes
250cc
bike_gp250_mat_55_sl	55	Matteoni Racing
bike_gp250_ari_69_sl	69	Molenaar Racing	Also cut from 125cc class. "ari" refers to team owner Arie Molenaar.
bike_gp250_ncw_04_sl	4	NC World Trade
bike_gp250_kie_05_sl	5	Castrol-Honda Kiefer Racing
125cc
bike_gp125_rac_93_sl	93	Globet.com Racing	Sponsor-related issue with team name?
bike_gp125_fon_05_sl	5	Abruzzo Racing Team	Andrea Ballerini livery? Unknown what "fon" stands for.
bike_gp125_abr_45_sl	45	Abruzzo Racing Team	Youichi Ui/Gioele Pellino livery?
bike_gp125_ari_61_sl	61	Molenaar Racing	Also cut from 250cc class. "ari" refers to team owner Arie Molenaar.

2004 Riders

Label	Number	Rider	Team	Notes
250cc
bike_gp250_mat_25_sl	25	Alex Baldolini	Matteoni Racing
bike_gp250_ari_96_sl	96	Jakub Smrz	Moleenar Racing
bike_gp250_ncw_44_sl	44	Taro Sekiguchi	NC World Trade
bike_gp250_ncw_40_sl	40	Max Sabbatani	NC World Trade
bike_gp250_kie_15_sl	15	Christian Gemmel	Castrol-Honda Kiefer Racing
125cc
bike_gp125_rac_23_sl	23	Mike Di Megilo	Globet.com Racing
bike_gp125_rac_63_sl	63	Gino Borsoi	Globet.com Racing
bike_gp125_fon_50_sl	50	Andrea Ballerini	Abruzzo Racing Team
bike_gp125_abr_41_sl	41	Youichi Ui	Abruzzo Racing Team	Ui is playable in the MotoGP class for the Harris WCM team.
bike_gp125_abr_42_sl	42	Gioele Pellino	Abruzzo Racing Team
bike_gp125_ari_16_sl	16	Raymond Schouten	Moleenar Racing

Legends

While there are only seven legend bikes in the game (three of them representing the same rider, to boot), there is a mention of bike_legends_c8_sl and bike_legends_c9_sl in the SLUS file, in case there are two other legend riders to fill out the roster (possibly Kenny Roberts Sr. and/or Freddie Spencer, who did not return after MotoGP 2, or the 2001 version of Daijiro Kato as a 250cc legend).

Unused Track

Within the portions of the game's executable file, in areas dealing with tracks, there is a mention of a track file with name of TrainingNight (complemented with TrainingNightR for its wet version), which would have been the night version of the fantasy Training track.

Additionally, all mentions of tracks in the game's executable are sorted in each track's first appearance in the series (from 500 GP to MotoGP 4), with new-to-MotoGP 4 tracks sorted in their appearance in the 2004 MotoGP calendar.

Regional Differences

To do: The European version seem to have time trial passwords for an internet ranking event?

Default Player Country

The default nationality setting for the player rider reflects each version of the game: JPN (Japan) in the Japanese version, GBR (Great Britain) in the European version, and USA (United States) in the US version.

Network Adapter Support

To do: Does the Japanese version use it for anything? There's no indication anywhere in the cover. Is the USB headset support US only as a result of online multiplayer?

The European version uses the Network Adapter for LAN multiplayer, while the US version uses it for online multiplayer powered by GameSpy Arcade.

Oddities

Incorrect Castrol Font

Wayne Gardner's bike uses a period-incorrect font for the Castrol logo on the bottom of his fairing, using the 2001 font despite the bike being representative of his 1992 season machine. This mistake was a carryover from his previous appearance in MotoGP 3, as all legend riders in this game (except the 2003 version of Daijiro Kato) come directly from there.

Playing as a Legend Rider in Season Mode

If you play as a legend rider in the Season Mode using the Use a real rider from the MotoGP! option, the post-race feedback screen will use the Yamaha Team's (the Gauloises-sponsored factory team) staff regardless of what team the legend rider belongs to.

Daijiro Kato (2002, NSR500) in Time Trial Mode

If the 2002 NSR500 version of Daijiro Kato was played in the Time Trial mode, the team's name will read "Telefonica Movistar Honda '01" instead of "Honda Gresini '02" when it appears in the Previous Trial section in the post-race records screen. No team with that name exists - Telefonica Movistar sponsored Suzuki's factory team that year, while Gresini as an organization took sabbatical from top-flight Grand Prix motorcycle racing that same year. However, Kato did win the 2001 250cc championship that year with a team listed as such in the FIM entry list.

This does not occur with his 2002 RC211V or 2003 version.