As Superbike Racing Games go, it'd be unsurprising that Milestone - the developers of SBK 09 - had covered the whole Superbike genre by themselves. We have seen everything from the original depiction of the Superbike World Champion, to Superbike 2000 and 2001, and the later MotoGP game re-enactments in 07, and 08 forms. It's clear Milestone like their Superbike games, but if you have the licenses to use all these manufacturers' bikes, then you may as well make the most of them.
Focusing on authentic racing bike games though will of course have a more specified audience, and that's probably where actual purpose lies within the constant streams we're seeing of these embodied re-incarnations.
Gameplay:
Essentially SBK 09 is a game that is based on a real Superbike racing championship - of the same name - that takes place every year in Europe, however it has expanded to include races elsewhere, but its main round focus is in Europe, so most of the tracks you bump into within the game will be in those places. Because SBK takes the same name as the actual championship, the conversion has to be pretty accurate in comparison, however Milestone have done a particularly good job of not excluding other potential audiences.
Like SBK 09's counterpart - MotoGP 08 - you'll be seeing familiar bikes, tracks, and faces as you play through the several different, and heavily customisable modes it has to offer. However, unlike MotoGP 08, these aren't 'super' bikes, but just publicly sold customisations, so if you want speeds that make the bike's tyres set alight looking like some kind of pseudo Ghost Rider, then you most likely won't find them in SBK. What is unique about SBK 09 though is the step further it takes towards becoming a virtual reality based racing game. Some of the options that are available in the option menus are quite unbelievable, arguably 'un-game' like, and the extras you can have on your bike during the more advanced and dedicated modes can also be convoluted. However, it's important to emphasise the word 'can', as this is what tips the definition over to becoming an actual game, rather than a semi-simulator.
The modes that you'll find in this game are wide ranging, and allow for players to either jump in for a few races, or go all out and start an overly extensive championship game. There is "Quick Race", "Race Weekend", "Championship", and "Challenges", and then there are sub options within those choices as well. Quick Race gives you the quick customisation for you to choose your difficulty, team, bike, and track and then let you loose on the roads, where as Race Weekend can be seen as a mini tournament/championship, this is a slight step up from your Quick Race in that you're given a menu screen where you can tune your bike, view track settings (which can be important for a game of this depth), and actually choose the races you'd like to start on. What's interesting about this menu though is the amount of little tweaks you can add to your bike. Clicking on this option gives you a number of different sub options where you can do things like increase/decrease suspension on your bike, and this isn't one simple slider, but 8 different sliders giving you increased/decreased front or rear stiffness, compression damper and rebound damper settings, all the vehicle jargon a true superbike sportsman would know. But Milestone haven't forced this upon you, as you can click the engineer button and he will just recommend the best setup for whatever race you're doing, so the game does try to keep everyone happy.
Championship though is the 'daddy' of the modes; you're offered a very similar pit-shop themed menu, as you were offered with Race Weekend, with a few more enabled options. But the biggest change is the length of the game; as this is a championship, you'll be taking part in around 13 different tracks, and participating in around 26 races, and that's if you choose to skip the test runs and the qualifiers, so it's a long, long game recommending a great deal of patience. This though quite nicely leads onto one of the slowly rising problems of the series though, a problem which for a game of this type is almost unavoidable if it continues along this road. From the few racing games we've encountered from Milestone - two of which I have played, this and MotoGP 08 - the racing mechanics, effects, and engine have remained pretty much untouched, this familiarity shone through our recent thorough playthrough of SBK 09 and remembrance MotoGP, if you hadn't seen the menus, start screen, and didn't know much about bikes, and then looked at both games you probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference. It could have been nice to experience a new engine, a redesign on the gameplay mechanics, such as the physics of travelling at 180mph and shifting a heavy bike, changes such as this maybe easier said than done, and could be at quite an expense, but would appeal to the experienced players yet also make it more of a new game.
It is apparent that SBK 09 isn't shy of customisable modes within its different modes of play, yet it doesn't stop there, Milestone has gone the extra mile with realism.
There are 5 different difficulty modes ranging from "Basic" to "Extreme", yet within that you can be custom and check/uncheck an assortment of hysterical and worrying features, for example; a health bar for the player, and the ability to wear your own tyres out. Extras such as these do borderline this game on not being a game at all, we're just glad you can add it as a choice.
On top of the hustle and bustle of the complicated singleplayer mode, you have the more streamlined and hassle less multiplayer, at least in theory. You of course don't get all the extra tweaking features within a pit-shop moments, but that gets replaced by the satisfaction of flying past - or into - another player.
The modes are practically the same; well, they have the same name and concept of play. Quick Race, Championship are there, with the same structure as before, but now with the addition of "Team Championship" you can play with players on the same side as you.
Multiplayer is all fun and good, when you're able to get into a suitable game. We had a few interesting games, however none of which were games that we exactly wanted to play due to the features chosen by the host, and when we created our own, no-one wanted to join. More players playing the game having being officially released might help, but realism seems to be of preference when it comes to game type tastes. That being said, this side of the game will probably attract the gamers instead of the 'sim' lovers.
Graphics:
One of the unconcealed concerns with this game was the lack of innovation with its graphics engine. Understandably a developer would reuse the same engine over and over again, as creating a complete new engine is an expensive and long winded process. Still, there are compromises, and there could have been improvements to the engine to make it refreshing and appealing for its time period and title. If you're going to make a game based on realism, then surely graphics are also very important. That's not to say SBK 09 is a bad looking game, it could just do with looking less like its MotoGP sister equivalent, they nearly look identical.
There really is two halves of quality to this game; on one side the game looks pleasing aesthetically when you play. The bike models look fantastic, and you are able to depict clearly between the different makes, they look pretty much like the real thing. The weather also adds to the game, the rain in particular is as expected; water gushes from the back tyre and hits the camera, and the old 'trickle down the screen' effect never seems to stop impressing some people. And almost in contradictory to my 'nit picking' about the lack of innovation, if you fall off your bike the rider and the bike gets dirty and damaged, and that can affect the gameplay
On the other side of the fence, everything but the bike model on the introductory screen looks fairly dated. The character models are blocky, and except the skimpily dressed girls, everyone is hard to tell apart. Seeing the game in that light from the start page really doesn't give the game a good 'current generation' impression.
Audio:
Pop rock and Indie tunes find themselves being the favourites of SBK 09. Of course the music is of taste, but it is felt that some of the tunes aren't suited to in-game races; it's smart addition for them to allow you to turn them off.
The sound effects are satisfactory; although it was never really that exhilarating when playing the game. Even when you fly off of your bike at 150mph the bike crashes don't give the smash and crunch noises we like to hear when something goes wrong, but in their defence, this isn't a Motorstorm game so you really can't expect that.
Longevity:
As mentioned briefly, there are two sides to this game. You'll either get bored extremely quickly due to the lack of changes to the core game mechanics and/or content additions for new players, or find it very satisfying and long-lasting because of the extra customisation and realism settings. Here there really isn't any real completion to this game, although you falling into either sides of those two fences will substantially change the game time.
For someone who enjoys this game for its realistic coating then you'll probably aim to work your way through the medals and achievements, the medals are earned by challenges; which aren't particularly hard, bar a few. However some of the achievements could be a challenge within themselves, which partially relies on whether you're good at racing games.
Multiplayer gives SBK 09 an edge of replayability, as long as you can find a game of your liking with committed players - which is definitely tough - but when it is done it can be an enjoyable experience
Overall:
SBK 09, and the whole superbike series for that matter, is a game that relies on the player's interest, patience, and effort. Like everyday life, the more work you put in, the more you get out of it, and the exact same idea applies to SBK 09. Not much may have changed from the previous superbike titles worked on by Milestone, but there are a lot of small features which can be easily overlooked, and if you're not into competitive sports and superbike racing, then what SBK has to offer will almost surely be wasted upon you.
