But I don't like bikes! (Superbikes 2000 (PC))

Member Name: MR.COATES

Product:	Superbikes 2000 (PC)
Date:	29/05/01 (48 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great graphics, Great Crashes

Disadvantages: Won't keep you hooked forever

For those of you who have been reading my games reviews (if not why?!) you’ll have discovered that I’m a rather crazed fan of driving games. Doesn’t really matter what it is, GP3, TOCA 2, Colin McRae, Need for Speed...the list goes on and on. I’ve recently tried to branch out my horizons with the racing genre to include other Motorsports and my first choice is Superbikes 2000 from Electronic Arts.
As the name cleverly gives away, this is a motorbike racing game based on the World Superbike Championship. I’ve never had much of an interest in motorbikes but the Superbike championship isn’t exactly a bunch of lads racing around on a two-wheeled hair dryer. Oh no, these are beastly machines that quite frankly make most motor sports look like an amateur occasion. Speed is the word of the day and these riders must be quite literally bonkers.

Luckily you don’t have to take yourself to the edge of doom to experience the same high-speed two-wheeled shenanigans. EA have given us a brilliantly recreated version of arguably one of the most thrilling Motorsports on earth (apart from Touring Cars which I live for!).

Visuals:
Let’s not beat about the bush, if you haven’t seen screenshots of this game then you can’t possibly comprehend just how good this thing looks. It’s gorgeous, I can’t think of a simpler way to put it. The courses are replicated with enough detail to be impressive but without worrying about the more unimportant parts. The bikes look stunning and if you’re a Superbike fan you’ll be wetting those leather pants in not time. Brake discs, exhausts and even the chain is all there in quite meticulous detail along with all the usual sponsorship business. As for the riders, well, they’re looking rather tasty too (not in ‘that’ way so don’t start). The body moves realistically whilst riding around the track, the leather suits look like the
real thing and even the smallest details including fingers look convincing.

Sound:
Apparently the sounds from the game have been recorded from the real bikes and all that jazz. Let’s face it, everyone seems to say that these days and yet still some manage to sound more convincing than others. I have to say that even with my limited knowledge of bikes that I think I would recognise a good sound from a bad one and in this game the sound isn’t always completely convincing although I can’t put my finger on the exact problem.
Commentary is there from the ‘official’ voice of Keith Huewen from Sky Sports although I can’t say I have heard it before to my knowledge. The commentary is pretty good though I have to say but inevitably it doesn’t take long before some of the phrases become annoying. ‘Someone’s come off, it’s a Yamaha....’.
Crowd cheering is also in the game and it’s pretty poor I have to say. It’s not too bad during the race but if you watch the replay you’ll soon spot that looped cheering. Oh well, only a small gripe.

Gameplay:
The most important factor in any racing game is the handling. I’ve never had the pleasure of riding a superbike and I’ve only ever been on the back of a bike once (it was brill!). Therefore I wouldn’t know if this handles realistically but it’s quite good fun to play whilst not being too easy or outrageously difficult to handle. You will fall off, you will see that back end slide about as you accelerate too quickly and you will collide with other riders (don’t forget to give them a quick hand gesture – because you can!!).


Features:
Everything is accurate (allegedly) to represent the 1999 season with riders including Carl Fogarty (who even I recognised). You get 13 tracks which are based around the world and some of them are fantastic whilst others are a little dull b
ut that’s how things usually are in real life. You can race alone in a quick race, race against a friend using the split screen feature or you can go full on with the championship mode. All the bikes are there from Suzuki to Aprilla and they do seem to handle differently and they certainly all sound different. Incredible replays are here too. Why this is a big deal I don’t know, but since Gran Turismo, replays have become quite a big part of the game. They’re great here and you have quite detailed control options which enable you to watch frame by frame and even in reverse if you choose to. It’s especially funny if there’s a crash (more below!).

Sicko:
This is my favourite part of the game. No, it’s not called ‘sicko’ it’s called crashing. You will at some point crash and EA have made sure that it looks realistic when you do crash. If you fall off at low speed you’ll end up sliding off your bike and along the grass or track, no surprises there. If you crash at high speed then stand by for some big laughs!! Your rider will fly through the air, bits of bike go flying and you may well even take some other riders out. It’s absolutely hilarious. Hey, EA thought it was worth putting in and I take my hat off too them – if there’s one reason why you’ll need the freeze frame option in the replays it’ll be to watch those crashes in slow motion! I’m sure it can’t be just me that finds this funny (I hope not anyway).


To sum up, this is definitely a worthy purchase whether you like motorbikes or not. The racing action is frantic and it looks and plays like a dream. You will need a reasonable PC for this but anything above a P300 with 64 RAM and a 16mb graphics card should work just fine. Now available on budget for £9.99 it’s an absolute bargain and I was surprised to find that it’s a very playable and addictive experience.

Summary: