|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Developed by: EA Sports (1999)
Genre: Superbike motorcycle racing sim
System Requirements: Win 95/98, P166+, 32 MB RAM, CD-ROM, 144 MB HDD
Space, DirectX 6, 3D accelerator card, Modem for Internet/Modem play.
OVERVIEW: As a racing fan I'm intrigued by Superbike. It's something like Formula One racing- but with souped up stock motorcycles. Many of the F1 circuits host Superbike and although it started here in the U.S., it has something of a "international" feel. Superbike has already be the subject of an excellent PC sim, Castrol Honda Superbike by Intense Games, that game lacked several elements like weather, actually real Superbike teams and tracks. Now EA has decided to produce it's own Superbike sim, and is it ever impressive!
EA's Superbike World Championship is an officially licensed SBK (the organization that runs Superbike racing) product. This translates into the game containing all of the personalities, teams, bikes and tracks from Superbike. Now YOU get the chance to slingshot a Ducati 916, a Honda RC 45, Kawasaki ZX7R or Suzuki GSXR750 around such circuits as Brand Hatch, Laguna Seca, Monza and Sugo (to name a few). What this translates to, for those not familiar to Superbike, is jumping on a V-twin, 150 horsepower "bullet bike" (max speed around 300 kph) and rocketing around twisty road courses, skimming mere inches from the ground as you lean into every turn. To make matter more challenging you get to to all this with 18+ other bikes on the track, each piloted by one of the finest cycle jocks on the planet. Sound fun?
It is, believe me. Superbike offers the same thrill and excitement that you'd find in auto racing- less the car and all the speed. Grinding and bumping is also common which leads to those spectacular crashes you see on ESPN at night. And all of this is in EA's Superbike World Champion!
Players have pretty much three gaming options: quick race (kind of like arcade racing), single race and championship (season mode where you vie for the championship title). Single race and championship offer various difficulty/game style options (like Action or Simulation). Overall it's pretty straightforward unless one leaps into simulation- then it's more than just shooting a bike around a circuit. Simulation mode allows players not only to act as the rider but also as the crew chief. The set up options are many: from spring settings, gear ratios to tire compounds and air pressure. I recommend sticking with the default setups unless you have some experience in this (or you're just brave).
The in-game camera angles amount to two chase views, a cockpit view and helmet view. Helmet view gives you a visor-eye view, meaning wherever the rider's head goes so does the camera. It can be disorienting- when you see how far these guys lean down into the pavement when navigating a turn or chicane, you'll understand. I personally like either the cockpit view or a chase view best.
The graphics are awesome- just a step or two below photo quality if you have a P266+ with 64+ MB RAM and a screaming 3D accelerator. Even at "medium" detail, it's breathtaking (I didn't notice much of a change except in framerate between high and medium graphics). The screenshots on the box don't do this game justice. Everything from lighting to varying weather conditions/effects is rendered almost without flaw.
My only gripe, as with Intense's
Castrol Honda Superbike, the learning curve is a bit steep. It takes several trips around
the circuit in order to get a good feel or command of this style of racing. However, I
highly recommend Superbike World Championship to any real racing nut. It's the best
motorcycle sim on the market, period.
THE SCOUTING REPORT:
THE PROS:
THE CONS:
Review by Steve Ellis