Jet Moto 3
The final released entry in the Jet Moto series.
The third and final Jet Moto game, Jet Moto 3, hit the PlayStation in 1999. Unlike its predecessors, it was handled by 989 Studios rather than Sony directly, with development by Pacific Coast Power & Light. Only sold in North America, it later appeared on the PlayStation Network in 2008, only to vanish soon after for reasons never explained. Critics liked its upgraded visuals, but two planned sequels were scrapped.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Pacific Coast Power & Light
- Publisher
- 989 Studios
- Producer
- Don Traeger
- Programmer
- Ming Lee
- Matthew Gaston
- Dennis Harper
- Composer
- Steve Stevens
- Ben Watkins
- Chuck Doud
- Juno Reactor
- Series
- Jet Moto
- Released
- August 30, 1999 (NA)
- Genre
- Racing
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Jet Moto 3 differs from traditional racing games by having players control hoverbikes that ride over land and water. Most courses are designed to take advantage of this ability. Characters are split into teams, and bikes display product logos such as Mountain Dew and Doritos. Ten characters are available from the start, with two more unlockable. The game introduces stunt tracks where the objective is to perform stunts for points and collect coins. A new hop button lets players boost above the ground to avoid obstacles. The bikes reach higher speeds than in previous games, and weather effects such as rain appear for the first time. Track themes include volcanic islands, catacombs, Machu Picchu, and a Sequoia forest.
Development
Jet Moto 3 was the first and only released Jet Moto title by developer Pacific Coast Power & Light and publisher 989 Studios. SingleTrac had been purchased by GT Interactive, and the original developers had no interest in a third title. According to former 989 Sports president Kelly Flock, Pacific Coast Power & Light was chosen because it was nearby and cheap, and was headed by Don Traeger, who had worked on the Road Rash series. Unlike its predecessor, the game supported the DualShock Controller. The graphics engine and developer toolkit were built from scratch by lead programmer Ming Lee, who decomposed the PlayStation's graphics processor opcodes and rewrote some library calls to access hardware directly. This improved framerate and graphic quality but broke compatibility with first-generation PlayStation consoles, a problem not caught until after release. Fellow programmer Matt Gaston worked on AI, physics, and user interface. The optimizations allowed weather effects such as rain particles that streak in 3D according to camera speed, colored fog (previously seen only in Spyro the Dragon), and real-time lighting. CGI cutscenes were used for the introduction, a first for the series.
Reception
Jet Moto 3 received favorable reviews according to GameRankings. Reviewers were mixed on the visuals: Sean Johnson of GameRevolution called them a vast improvement over the grainy, choppy visuals of earlier games, and Jay Boor of IGN praised the improved framerate and draw distance. Ben Stahl of GameSpot, however, felt graphical details were poor, saying environments were nice unless viewed up close, and panned the CGI cutscenes as frightful. Game Informer praised the new stunt tracks. Victor Lucas of The Electric Playground spoke highly of the soundtrack and considered Jet Moto 3 superior to the first two games, which he called notoriously bug-ridden. Doug Trueman of NextGen called it fast, furious racing fun. Boba Fatt of GamePro said it fell short of speederbike nirvana but had cool features and devious level design. The game ranked tenth in top ten racing titles for June 2000 according to the NPD Group, but sales did not hold strong.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Jet Moto 3 released?
Jet Moto 3 was released on August 30, 1999 in North America.
Who composed the music for Jet Moto 3?
The music for Jet Moto 3 was composed by Steve Stevens, Ben Watkins, Chuck Doud and Juno Reactor.
More in Racing Games of the 1990s
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