The specific focus of each challenge makes it a bit more interesting than your average race, and if nothing else, they add plenty of replay value to the game, since it will take you a lot of time and skill to collect each of the three medals for all of the challenges. You might have to take first on a certain track, beat one of the top-ranked riders, or win a championship in each of the three classes.
When you complete a challenge you're awarded a bronze, silver, or gold medal depending on your performance. There are 125 challenges in all, and while some are self-contained events that require you to meet certain objectives as quickly as possible, others are related to your performance in other game modes. Even though you can earn new parts, the actual tuning of the bikes in career mode is limited to adjusting a handful of sliders for general attributes like braking and acceleration. But don't worry, because you'll get a chance at several tests throughout each season, and while the upgraded parts are helpful, they aren't absolutely necessary. If you fail the test, you don't get the parts. The tests are all straightforward, requiring you to reach a certain speed in a short distance, come to a stop within a specified zone, complete a slalom course as quickly as possible, and so on. At this point you can attempt a parts test, and if you pass you get to keep the upgraded parts. You'll get a message from your mechanic every couple of races telling you that he wants you to try out some new parts that the team has been working on.
You earn points based on how you place in the actual race, and those points are tallied over the course of the season, and the rider with the most points at the end of the season is the champion. Before each race you can run practice laps and qualifying laps, which are helpful for memorizing each and every turn of a track.
After you choose your difficulty, lap count, and other settings, you can choose a rider or create your own and participate in a 16-race season. Season mode returns with more courses and riders than in the previous MotoGP games. The 125cc bikes are nimble and fairly easy to ride, while the MotoGP bikes require much more precise braking and control to keep on the tarmac. The bikes in each class handle very differently. As a result, the 125cc and 250cc classes not only add a bit of variety, but they also make good training grounds for the MotoGP circuit. As the displacement of the engines increases, the bikes get heavier and more powerful, making them more difficult to control. There are three different classes to choose from in the arcade, time trial, and season race modes: 125cc, 250cc, and MotoGP. There's the requisite arcade mode and time-trial mode found in every other racing game, as well as a challenge mode, legends mode, and season play. The single-player MotoGP 4 experience is divided into several different modes. MotoGP 4 is based on the 2004 MotoGP season, but at least it has online play. More importantly though, the racing is as enjoyable as ever, and with a respectable offering of features and options, MotoGP 4 is a good choice for race fans who are ready for a few more laps around a very familiar track. However, the game does show its age in other areas, like the out-of-date roster and somewhat bland presentation. The reward for that patience is added support for eight-player online racing, which is certainly an important and appreciated feature. The game was released more than a year ago in Japan and Europe, but race fans in North America have been kept waiting. Namco Bandai Games certainly isn't setting any speed records in releasing MotoGP 4 in the United States.