SBK-07: Superbike World Championship

Bump tyres with the stars in PS2’s latest racer, writes Eliot Fish.

SBK-07: SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
PC Xbox
PS2 X360
Wii PS3
NDS PSP
$49.95
G
Rating 3/5

The seemingly endless laps of a motorbike racing circuit can make for hypnotic gaming if you surrender to it. As with the gruelling challenge of F1, the hook to SBK-07 is in the intense concentration required to carve through corners at high speed without losing control and putting all that effort to waste. If you’re more interested in chucking wheelies than caressing the throttle, this may not be the game for you.

Play modes include the instant gratification of a Quick Race, the precision of Time Attack, a simulation of a Superbike Race Weekend, a full-blown Championship, bike-handling Challenges and Multiplayer.

As an officially licensed product, SBK-07’s championship has you bumping tyres with stars such as Troy Bayliss on your way to the chequered flag, as well as straddling Ducatis and Suzukis for real-world sponsors. Most importantly, the superbikes perform as you’d expect, even if the handling has a decidedly arcade flavour.

Obvious mistakes are punished – clipping other bikes or running off the track can spell disaster – but SBK-07 allows you to race with a bit more abandon than the usual simulation. Fighting to gain a position higher up the pack of 22 riders has just enough drama to get the adrenaline going without the need to battle with unforgiving physics. If you want to increase the difficulty, you can adjust settings that include tyre wear, traction control, realistic inertia and the race rules.

The incentive to stick with the long-winded qualifying races and warm-ups to gain a place on the podium hinges on whether you’re keen to unlock real superbike race videos, a gallery of umbrella girls and various cheats. The presentation is fairly dry otherwise, so don’t expect the pizazz of other PS2 racing games such as Gran Turismo or Moto GP.

ENDGAME True satisfaction with this game is probably reserved for superbike nerds as there’s little here to appeal to anyone else, but it’s nice to see the PS2 still competing.