SBK X

SBK X Review by Sweenaldo 1985

Shooters aside, one thing the 360 isn't short of is racing games. If you want four wheel action, you have Forza, Gotham, Blur and Dirt. But if you want some two wheeled thrills, it all suddenly becomes a lot more difficult. MotoGP 06 was incredibly difficult, almost TOO sim like. MotoGP 09/10 on the other hand went the other way and became an arcade thrill. Road Rash with Rossi if you will.



Milestone have tried to remedy this in SBK X. Arcade and Simulation have been separated out into two distinct categories. Arcade is the home to Story Mode. This contains sets of challenges (finish 17th after starting the last lap in 24th and suchlike) and is the first thing you will want to go to when you load the game up.

Incidentally, when you load up the game, the first thing it does, even before you “Press Start” the game will award you 5g. The achievement bubble says “Money Well Spent”. A bold claim, and one that is backed up by the rest of the game.

Arcade mode allows you to thrash the bike around, brake late and generally ride in a manner that would see you off at the first corner in a regular race. Sliding the bike through the corners at near top speed is a thrill not often experienced In these types of games. The challenges are generally well pitched, and each awards you a certain amount of points for completing them at various levels of success. Difficulty doesn't seem to make a difference in this mode, as the challenges seem to scale their difficulty as you progress. The name of the game in Arcade is accessibility and fun, and it delivers both in spades.

But the sheer speed and adrenaline of Arcade mode comes at a slight price. The move up to Simulation mode, with its realistic physics and rules (even down to having two separate brakes for front and rear) means that the bikes can feel very slow and almost cumbersome in this mode.

Braking at the last minute, even on the lowest difficulty, will result in you taking a first class vacation to the gravel trap. Failure to apply both brakes evenly, and in a straight line, will mean you often overshoot the corner. Coming off the back of Arcade mode, you will have to completely relearn the game. Braking will need to be done an extra 100metres in advance and the throttle will need to be gently feathered through the corner, and smoothly applied as you straighten up.

Credit to Milestone, it means that what you get is a very accurate and faithful simulation of what I means to be a Superbike (or Superstock or Supersport, as these categories are now in the game for the first time) rider. But it is such a stark change to Arcade mode that it will require a dedication of its own to get right. When you do get it right though, it is truly one of the most satisfying moments in console racing. Putting a good lap together feels like an achievement in itself, and every success encourages you to play on.



Simulation mode houses the main crux of the game, Career Mode, in which you create a rider and take him through eight seasons of his career. From Superstock to Supersport and then into World Superbikes, the game constantly challenges you and makes you race hard for everything you get. Completing it will take a good length of time, but thanks to the excellent playability and the (once you get used to it) excellent handling engine, it will never get boring.

Graphically and audibly, the game is spot on. Every track and bike has been painstakingly reproduced using pictures from every possible angle, and the sharp images are accompanied by excellent engine and gear sounds. The look of the game, and the garage that serves as your in session menu, brings the whole experience to life, and enhances an already great career mode.
A final note on the achievements. Points will be doled out at regular intervals throughout the Career and also through the arcade Story Mode. Random acts will also get you a handful of good points. Once you put the game in, as mentioned, you get an achievement straight away, so you get started right away.

Overall, SBK X is a solid racer, and it was a stroke of genius to separate the Arcade and Sim modes from each other. It allowed each mode to be given the time and respect that it deserved. It also allows for two refreshingly different games to be packaged on the same disc, and if that isn't value for money, I don't know what is.

Score:

Playability: 9/10
Graphics: 9/10
Achievement List: 7/10
Audio: 8/10
Execution: 9/10

Overall: 8/10

nice review m8 i do like my racers especially my moto gp games i have them all so far. the one i liked the most was moto gp 08

i may look at this for a future purchase

Thanks mate, and you should, it can be picked up for about £15 quid now, well worth it.

Good review mate.

I have this game and enjoyed playing it. Must get back and finish it up.

I wish more people did unofficial reviews as this is where I find stars of the future.

Thanks again!

Anything else you want reviewing I'm more than happy to, enjoy writing them.

And I'm always up for being a star of the future haha