Too Real For Some

“SBK X: Superbike World Championship” is the complete opposite of the last racing game publisher Deep Silver released two weeks ago, “nail’d,” which featured an engine that was like an old-school racing game on steroids.

A simulation-heavy racer, this title will be most appreciated by fans of the sport, as the 14 tracks, 90, riders, a bevy of customization features and a cool first-person-view option will surely quench their thirst for authentic superbike action.

The casual gamer however won’t have the same reaction. Long loading times and finicky controls make it almost impossible to truly enjoy the game, as the steep learning curve requires a few hours of gameplay to truly get the most out of the total package.

As a result, it’s a game that’s worth a rental for anyone not addicted to the sport.

Nevertheless, good graphics and sound and excellent licensed soundtrack give this game some appeal to the casual gamer. You won’t mind the constant spills you’ll undoubtedly take through your first hundred or so laps, partly due to the rush the game provides. Overall, it has a good sense of speed, especially with so many other racers on the track with you. It can turn into pandemonium pretty quickly. With four online modes as well, and up to 16-player online multiplayer, the learning curve essentially goes out the window and you have a fun racer.

Well, that’s if the other players involved think they can turn on a dime and not pay the consequences.

The gamers that do grasp the fundamentals of the sport will be rewarded however, as the sound effects and background noises, of engines firing and burning rubber and other ambiance, do the license justice. A story mode also adds to the realism, as you can create your own racer and take them through the course of a SBK X career. This mode is essentially full of challenges to beat in order to gain reputation points in a quest to become a legend in the sport.

Again, for those who think Max Biaggi is a chef on the Food Network and are in the dark when it comes to the near 25-year history of the sport, this mode may not be for you. With all the options there as well, it’s way too easy for a novice gamer to get lost here.

However, if you’re looking to just pull some wheelies and race, the arcade mode isn’t a bad option. It’s not the deepest mode granted, and the lack of incentive in this mode robs the game of some replay value, but overall, if you just want to play the game without all the bells and whistles, it’s the most accessible part of the game.

As a complete package, “SBK X: Superbike World Championship” has a little something for everyone, but not enough to keep them captivated for very long. If you’re looking for a great racing game this holiday season, or just in general, you could do worse than this, but you can also do much better.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13821 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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