After a long drought, there is suddenly a multitude of motorcycle racing games from which to choose in the coming year. Castrol Honda Superbike World Champions might be short on features and choices when compared with the others, but what it does have strikes right at the core: It's a solid superbike simulation.
You don't get to ride street bikes and dirt bikes like in EA's Moto Racer, and you don't get to go freewheeling across an expanse of terrain like in Microsoft's Motocross Madness. No, Superbike World Champions simulates one bike and one bike only, the Honda RVC-RC45. Its bulky 749.2cc power train produces 160 horses to push its hefty 324 pounds to a top speed of 187mph. If it's acceleration that you like, try hanging on as it goes from 0 to 100 in 4.9 seconds and back to zero in 3.3 seconds. Riding these bikes is not for the faint of heart.
The bike in the game performs to spec, and with a good PC and a 3D card you really get a great sense of the speed. Responsiveness from a joystick or a racing wheel is smooth and free of the jerkiness that is common in many motorcycle games. You can even adjust the steering linearity while you drive if an analog joystick seems too sensitive.
The game includes ten tracks in five countries (England, Greece, USA, Indonesia, and Montegi), with each country having one street circuit and one dedicated speedway. The graphics for each location are a joy to ride through, even casually at slow speeds. For example, the Porto Korinthos circuit in Greece takes you down along the seaside, past an old fort, and through the cliffs of a mountain pass, all rendered in detail. Another favorite is Sukuh Island in Indonesia, where you ride past large stone sculptures and palm forests with birds flying overhead.
Superbike World Champions is designed with both the skilled and novice player in mind. You can activate or deactivate driving aids, like steering and braking help, at any time. There's even a training mode that puts a ghost bike on the track for you to follow, the idea being that you can learn the track and the feel of the bike by trying to maintain a set distance between you and the trainer.
At the rookie level, much of the realism is turned off - like losing the rear wheel in a fast turn - for easier control. Also, damage and tire wear can be eliminated. But at an advanced setting, you'll have to worry about the bike overheating from an over-revved engine and a damaged radiator, or steering damage from contact made with another rider, causing the bike to pull to one side. Damage the bike and you'll decrease your top speed as the aerodynamics will be affected. Oddly, if you damage your bike during a race, there are pylons set up in a pit lane, but stopping between them doesn't seem to do anything, and the manual says nothing about pit stops.
In the workshop, you can make the usual array of adjustments, although it's much more simplistic than in many car sims: You only set up the compound of each tire (if you have tire wear turned on) and the gearbox. As for the gearbox, first you choose a low, medium, or high gear ratio sprocket set (low if the circuit is tight and twisty, high if it's fast and spread out). When you're satisfied that the overall range is suitable for the circuit, then you can go in and fine-tune each gear for the most important corners. Next to each of the six gears appears its maximum speed. You don't have to worry about the gear ratios being too wide or too tight; no matter how you set it, the bike will still run through the gears smoothly.
Although the driving model seems to be true to spec, some of the other physics seem to be a little out of whack. Go off the road even in grass, and your bike will slow down considerably, a lot like in many arcade-type motorcycle games. It's understandable if you veer off into a gravel trap, but on grass? And don't expect your rider to go flying off if you wipe out; in this game, bike and rider are one.
Make no mistake, Superbike World Champions is a no-frills simulation, but one that's designed for all skill levels. And although what you get is stripped down and simplistic, it's certainly thrilling.
