SBK X first impressions

The brand new SBK X arrived in the office yesterday and I spent the majority of evening locked in my room unable to pull my hands away from my Xbox controller. Here's a quick run down of the new game from Milestone.

First on the agenda is the simulation mode. I mainly played on the career mode within this section of the game, as I am obsessed with the idea of being a talented racer. The first thing to do is create a rider; this is simple enter your name, pick a helmet design and then a number. Entering the series your rider must first sign a contract with a superstock team, as you can’t jump straight to the top class.

Videogames will never be able to fully recreate the feeling of riding the bike, but the simulation is a close virtual representation. There are three different settings, low, medium and high. Low is still challenging but keeps it fun, as there is still the need to feather the throttle and hit the perfect braking markers, especially on the tracks like Monza when approaching the chicanes.

The danger of the crashing is still there at a low level but when you jump to the highest setting this is more of a challenge with the need to cradle the triggers on the controller. Handling is good enough; you’re able to back the end into corners and get sideways on exit.

The arcade mode feels like an entirely separate game playing out more like a combination between Mario Kart and Burnout, but with the licensed bikes from the series. The controls are the same but the actually riding has been amped up with the bikes now being able to reach insane speeds with a greater acceleration and the ability to powerslide or kind of a two-wheel drift around even the most difficult of corners.

Ultimately, this mode is a complete escape from the virtual realism that is evident within the simulation portion of the game. Racing lines and perfect braking points are not vital to the perfect lap as arcade removes the need for complete concentration to the action on the screen so it’s perfect for the pick-up and play blast on the console and no-holds-barred racing action with a group of mates.

Graphically the game isn’t going to challenge the system it’s available on or a HD television set. This doesn’t mean it looks bad, the modelling on the bikes and riders is spot on, but the stand out is the virtual interpretation of the circuits. The undulations of Brno are there, with the rise and crests of the tree-lined Czech track, and then there is Donington Park. In my opinion this is the best pixellated version of the Midlands circuit in it’s former glory, as Craner Curves look impressive and all the trackside distractions are there.

The third gaming mode is the multiplayer, I haven’t really had much chance to play this (a lack of Gold membership on my Xbox360) but from the box it says there is the chance to race up to 16 players online,

Downsides, disappointingly the feedback from the controller is not great as there is sometimes no warning through the rumble facility in the controller. The career mode is held back with a lack of sponsorship and there isn’t much creativity or customisation available for the career rider.

Overall SBK X stands out as the best motorcycle racing game on next generation consoles and what Milestone have done is create a game which comes in two packages; the simulation mode which requires dedication and concentration and the crazy and fun arcade mode.

Any questions?

By Robin Goodwin