Champion Jockey: G1 Jockey and Gallop Racer

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Finally, a horse race game with which I can be successful, especially in the easy mode. It's a really good game and I'm glad I bought it. I am 73 years old and play this game on a PS3 with no glitches of any kind. The game has flat courses and jumping courses as well as falls or accidents, fouls and inquiries and you can study the traits of dams and sites when deciding to breed your own horse.

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Just got this game from Gamestop used during buy 2 get 1 free deal. I was looking forward to this game since "G1 Jockey 3" for Playstation 2. Compare to Gallop Racer series, this is more jockey based with story mode rather than breeding. I personally enjoy jockey based and story driven as well as RPG style type of horse racing. I finished 1 year in "G1 Jockey 3" and going for 2nd. Got top first place after 1 year but there's more to the game such as better horses, try to be friendly with more stables, etc. Anyway, with that said, here's my review on "Champion Jockey: G1 Jockey and Gallop Racer."

First the name itself is interesting. Since Tecmo merges with KOEI, guess it makes sense to have two series together.

Graphics---Graphic definitely has improved, however, racing part looks similar to Playstation 2.

Sound---Need voice over. I think it's about time the game needs voice over. Expect a lot of reading from this game. Also, there's no commentary during race. Rather, you just get some techno music and others.

Gameplay---Join a stable, try to get fame to ride better horse, train horse before racing, all part of jockey's life. I must say, this one is more faster pace than PS2 version. Hit right timing to start from gate, accelerate with triangle depends on your horse racing style then keep normal pace, and finally, during optimal meters left, accelerate to max then whip to make horse "Go" condition and time triangle following horse's pace and you will get first. Yep, this is definitely a treat if you've played before. I love how Koei/Tecmo kept same gameplay; it was easy and little bit complex at the same time. Also, you can MOVE controllers so that's definitely a plus! Needs 3D too and that'd be nice.

In any case, this game is more for people who've played G1 Jockey and Gallop Racer series before. If you haven't, expect learning curve. But once you master it, you will get a lot of fun that you can't quit. Besides, you can more than 1 year in the game and things you've earned carry over except places in leader board which resets itself.

G1 Jockey 3 PS2

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I actually prefer GR, but I tried out G1J and got hooked. When I heard this game was coming I waited with baited breath for it to go on pre-sale then ordered as soon as it did. LOVE IT!

This is the successor to both series and is developed by the now-merged Tecmo-Koei group. This game brings in aspects of both titles and blends them quite well. It also expands on some areas familiar to players of both titles.

It's based largely and heavily on G1J:

-Follow the career of a Jockey from Apprentice to Pro

-Gain the ability to breed one horse each season, selecting parents from you trainer's string and selecting flat or jump style preference

-most of the rest of the gameplay will be familiar to anyone who's played G1J

-Unicorns, Red, White, and the other unlockables have been included

It also imports some features from GR:

-horses have a surface preference: Dirt and/or Turf

-Horses have Abilities that can be activated in race and inherited when breeding

-Abilities can be upgraded, though the method is different from what GR used

-Night Racing

New features exclusive to this title:

-Jump Races have been added along with Abilities exclusive to the jump horses (Likes Jumping, for example)

-Jockey's can transfer to a new Region if they have done well-enough during the year (US in year 1 gives you the option to transfer to Japan, EU transfers to US [North America, in game]) note that you can not take your bred horse(s) with you if you transfer

-Trophy Support on PSN

-A bred horse may spontaneously mutate and develop new abilities based on how you train it (my horse was born with no abilities then suddenly developed 4 "???" abilities for her first race [a hold-up/Follow runner, 2 abilities wound up being Free and Closer, I suspect another is Last To First])

-The bots may now be disqualified by the stewards if they interfere with you.

-Live network functionality: local and WiFi multiplayer

-Mo-cap: PS-eye and Move controller required for this functionality, though the game is 100% playable on a standard Sixaxis/DualShock3 controller.

Gameplay tips:

Do the tutorials; every one of them. Run the practice races in Jockey School at the beginning. The paper manual is like all the others in the G1J franchise: lackluster; GR's manual was much more comprehensive. The tutorials teach you the basic controls as well as how to jump properly.

Falls and Stewards Enquiry can both be enabled or disabled; it's a riot to see your jockey fall in the gate or from tripping over someone else coming down the stretch, though it's likely to result in you losing out during your career due to protracted recovery times. Note that the horses may also suffer injuries and be sidelined. Would suggest setting these to "disabled" if you're just starting out; they can be adjusted later.

This title is NOT available on the XBox in USA. If you have a USA XBox console you'll have to import from UK or Australia. PS3 title runs with standard AV cables, but you'll see amazing video quality if you use HDMI (mine is in 1080i and it's fabulous I can see the horses' breath steaming and even the dirt clods kicked up from their hooves).

Highly Recommend this title.

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First off, I must admit that I have always been a devout fan of the Gallop Racer franchise. My first game was Gallop Racer 2001, followed by 2003, 2004, and then 2006. I have always been impressed not so much with Gallop Racer's graphics or race elements, but the depth of customization the games offered through breeding your own horse. In the Gallop Racer games, the focus was always put more on your horses and horse ownership than it was on being a jockey. Not so anymore with Champion Jockey.

Players of Gallop Racer 2004 will be more familiar with this approach to a horse racing game. Like in 2004, you begin the game as a newblood looking to make their name in the racing world. After some short tutorials (which can thankfully be repeated as much as necessary), you are turned loose in the racing world. Within twenty minutes of playing (or more, depending on how fast you read the ofttimes silly but nevertheless engaging story text) you are playing the main part of the game.

I feel this game is more realistic than Gallop Racer in the sense that it focuses on the life of a jockey. This includes the improvement of skills, the ability to train, and the relationship between yourself, other jockeys, the stable trainers you work for, and the press. This is a formula that will be familiar to those who played Gallop Racer 2004, just without the silly rival jockey and trainer caricatures. Your ultimate goal in this game is to establish good relationships with the trainers so that the trainers offer you more rides. The better relationship you have with your trainers, the better horses they will ask you to ride or become stable jockey (regular rider) for. Having good relationships with other jockeys and members of the press and training staff at your stable will also give you perks.

The racing experience can be as simple or as difficult as you want it to be. Players who are familiar with the G1 Jockey controls may choose to manually control everything from the horse's bit position to flying lead changes in the middle of the race. Newer players may opt to use more basic controls with more of the more difficult controls taken care of manually. One of the things I love about this game is that it allows complete customization of the controls. You could have a very easy race experience, or a more realistic race experience complete with horse and jockey falls and injuries and race enquiries which may change your finish position if you block another horse and interfere with the flow of the race.

The game includes several different tracks which were inspired by their real-life counterparts. As your skills and wins increase, you will be able to transfer to different countries to ride and participate in different races. While you might not be able to participate in the famed Kentucky Derby or Breeder's Cup, the American races have suitable equivalents ("The Louisville Derby" and "Jockey Cup" series). The races in Japan are authentic. This game includes races on both dirt and turf, and brings with it the formerly G1 Jockey exclusive jump races (steeplechases). Steeplechases are only run at certain times during the year, and are a lot of fun to ride in.

The graphics are alright. The horses look very good, and I like the variety that Gallop Racer seemed to be lacking. Each color has two to three variants. Your horse can be grey, dark grey, black, brown, bay, dark bay, chestnut, dark chestnut, or flaxen chestnut. You can also unlock other colors such as red and cremello ("albino") through breeding and mutations. The horses vary in size as well, which is different from Gallop Racer.

If I had to have one gripe with Champion Jockey it would be with their stable jockey and breeding system. The depth is gone from the breeding system, and works as it did in Gallop Racer 2006 where you are allowed to select two horses from your trainer's stable to breed and then train. The foal stage is gone, and you can begin training the resultant horse from your chosen pairing immediately after the breeding. In order to train your horse, you must complete mini-games. Your success in the mini-games determines the growth of your horse's skills. I personally found the mini-games very difficult, and cannot be successful in many of them. Thankfully, the game has an "auto ride" option. When choosing auto-ride, the game takes into accounts your skills and the condition of the track, and you get a randomized result from training.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoy Champion Jockey and would recommend it to any horse fan or racing fan.

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Best jockey game since Gallop Racer 2001. For those who don't have the Move yet they let you use your Sixaxis controller and it works great. I was able to jump right into the riding portion of the game. But I'm still learning the RPG portion. It's very exciting riding a closing horse blasting through the pack.

My only fault with this title is that they use European tracks and the metric system for a North American release.

I rate Winning Post as my favorite horse racing game, even after 16 years. You Sega Saturn owners know what I am talking about. But this would be tied for second with the 2001 version of Gallop Racer.

I am still hoping for a N. American update to the great Winning Post. Go KOEI!