G1 Jockey (PlayStation 2)

G1 Jockey a horse racing game with two game modes, a single player story mode and a one or two player trial mode in which the player(s) just compete in random races without the career progression.

In story/career mode the player starts as a novice jockey alongside two other AI jockeys and joins a stable. Each week they bid to take part in races aiming to end the year with the Rookie Of The Year contest after which they progress through successive to become Leading Jockey. The game is, in a way, endless because achieving leading Jockey status is not the end of the game – the player can continue playing season after season after season …

Very early on the player acquires an agent who gives advice on tactics and career development. The player is not guaranteed races on good horses until they have experience. Initially they must bid for races on unproven horses and impress the trainers by finishing higher in the standings than predicted.
All races are viewed from the traditional rear, ‘jockey’s backside’ point of view though the L1/R1 buttons do provide a sideways view and, when held down continually a rear view. During the race the player has to balance four things – the overall speed of the horse, the stamina, horse motivation, and the potential, which affects for how long the horse can keep the speed high after all stamina was lost. By using the whip on both left and right the horse can be raised to it’s ‘Go’ state – motivated for the final surge.

The game boasts over two thousand unique horses, and sixty five AI opponents each season