THQ has pretty much ruled the roost when it comes to motorcycle racing games with its Moto GP series of games spanning multiple platforms. So it comes as a bit of a revelation that another developer and publisher has taken up the challenge to release a similar game. SBK Super Bike Championship is an all new racing franchise for Xbox 360 and offers all the thrills and spills you'd expect from a fast paced racer, yet with Moto GP having lots of fans and experience in the field, Is SBK a worthy contender or a game that's going to be overlooked due to not performing as well as the current champ?

Gameplay:

SBK pushes all the right buttons, and after a scene setting introduction which uses real race footage, you are presented with a menu full of options. There are several modes of play including Race Weekend, Challenges, Time Trials, Championship, Multiplayer and an Instant Action option for those of you wanting to get stuck into the racing with no fuss. The real meat of these types of game lies in the championship mode and I must say that the offering here is actually pretty substantial as you get to choose your team and rider before heading off to the numerous racing circuits across the globe. There's a ton of options you can tweak as well, and I would say that it's a pretty comprehensive list of realism settings that you can mess around with. Things like rider and bike damage is included as well the standard driving aids and such like, giving the player the chance to really mix things up if they so choose. There are 12 circuits in the game and you are faced with a heady mix of competitors as is the norm for bike racing games. However there's an extra layer of realism included because the championship set up at each location is divided into a number of optional sessions (bar the two race sessions). You can run practice laps and of course vy for supremacy on the starting grid by setting the fastest lap time in qualifying, then there's things like a warm up lap as well, just to get the track down mentally prior to the all encompassing race. Without being a true bike fan, I can easily appreciate that the developers have gone for a realistic slant, offering gamers the chance to play out events as they do in reality. The good thing is that if you feel confident in your skills (depending on the level of difficulty you've selected for your opponents), you can actually skip the sessions and jump right into the actual race days. Onto the race track itself and to be brutally honest here, it starts off with a bang because you're presented with busty, long legged females smiling happily next to each rider as the race showcases the teams and riders. These team ladies do appear at these events, but I felt it was a little off putting especially as you see the riders prepping for the race without being too distracted by a huge pair of boobs inches away from their faces. I don't know if it we're me I'd probably grab one (the babe that is) and ride off to some nearby shrubbery and forget all about the race). In all seriousness, you can skip the introduction and get on with the racing, which is what you'll probably end up doing after you've witnessed the lengthy intro one or two times. Babes aside, the racing is as you would expect and with high speed bikes you've really got to adjust your style of play compared to motor cars. The rider has to really lean into corners and not push the bike over the limit in terms of acceleration, as this will result in coming off the track and being slowed down considerably, or worse coming off the bike entirely. This highlights a rather unforgiving aspect of the game, although in some respects it's good to have a more sim like experience. In SBK you have to be really careful and aware of your opponents, because even a slight bit of contact at speed is going to send you, and possibly the guy you hit, off the bike and onto the tarmac (at one point I had a great laugh deliberately launching into to the pack at speed coming into a tight bend, just to see how many racers I could take out - a little like ten pin bowling I guess). Moto GP was a little more forgiving in this respect, and so if you're used to the more arcade like antics there, then you've really got to adjust considerably otherwise you'll end up a very frustrated driver indeed. The problem being that once you've fallen behind, so far you end up pushing the bike a little too hard and making more errors. Luckily you can hit the start button and try again with out penalty, although this is semi cheating. As you would expect, the circuits are well designed for bike racing and are based on real life circuits such as Donnington in the UK. The circuits are well varied with long straights leading into tight bends or hairpins, chicanes and such like, so it's not often that you'll be able to go flat out for long periods. I did find that there was an issue with the sense of speed being somewhat deceptive. Although in the upper regions it felt speedy enough, at the lower speeds what felt like a snails pace was actually fairly fast. This made navigating some of the tighter turns a little more tricky than they should have been, especially on approach. As mentioned earlier, SBK features some other modes to mess around with such as the time trial, which is pretty self explanatory and the Challenge mode. The challenges are more interesting and feature various scenarios and time based events with various handicaps added. You are graded on your performance, but there are some rather strict rules to abide by in some cases, especially the time trials which negates your lap attempt if you come off the track in the slightest. I guess this reminds you that you're playing a simulation rather than arcade game.

Graphics:

The graphics are a mixed bag here, because in some instances, the game does look pretty slick, especially when the weather is sunny, but once the clouds or rain comes in, things do look a little murky. Yes, this could be argued is deliberate, but there are some horrible effects used to simulate this. The texture detail on the track being one of them. I also noticed that the backgrounds and track-side detail is not as good as it could be, as there are cardboard cut out audiences and jagged lines in the distance, and don't even get me started on the horrid looking clouds. Ok, you're not supposed to be focusing on these, but at the end of the day they are noticeable. That said, the riders and bikes look pretty detailed enough.

Sound:

The sound is well below par in this game, although I will say the engine sounds are quite authentic. The real downer here is the lack of ambiance from the audience and it really is quite noticeable as you pass the stands to a crowd of onlookers providing little appreciation of your victorious efforts. The menu music is typical of a racing game and really other than the bikes in action, there's little else to comment on in this area.

Longevity:

As I've already mentioned, there's a number of modes to dip in and out of, and the level of options adds some diversity into the mix. Couple this with the online play and you've got a game that can be enjoyed for some time, that's if you find anyone to play with. The game will no doubt be released in the US and is out in Europe on the 1st of August 2008. For the lone player, then you do have the option to complete all the modes available and unlock various bonus content such as videos and some rather sexy pictures of the aforementioned race day team babes (real ones this time). There are also some rather interesting, yet flawed achievements to be try and obtain, such as racing three laps around the track the wrong way and then completing the race (whose idea was that then?)

Overall:

I started out pretty much hating this game, as I wasn't getting into the simulation aspect of it at all. But, after some perseverance and understanding of how the game works, I found that it became a far more enjoyable outing. If you are looking for a game that offers a lot more realistic options than Moto GP then this is probably well worth a look in, although if you lack patience and merely want to tear around the track like a nutter, then SBK may leave you unfulfilled. I just wish there was an option to race off into the sunset with one of the babes as a reward, not likely.