SBK 09 Superbike World Championship

Preview from Yug, Yug, Yug, Yug and Yug - Sunday, 24 May 2009 @ 10:15pm

Superbike Porn.

Oh man, that’s going to get some interesting Google traffic. Seriously though, that’s what this game is, the amount of customisation and tweaks you can do to your bike went beyond my knowledge of the sport – change the suspension, steering, gears, chain adjustment, break balancing, etc. Add to that the realism of the bikes and tracks, all licensed and based on the real thing (BMW and Aprilia included for the first time), and you’ve got a game that’s every motorbike racers wet dream.

I however, am not a motorbike racer.

How low can you go

I do however have an appreciation for the sport, and the game. A good friend of mine used to be fully into it all, running his own online racing parts store as well as racing himself, and when you have a friend that talks about it all the time, you tend to get a bit sucked into it yourself.

I’ve always thought racing games are the best way to showcase a new piece of gaming hardware as well, and I remember back in the day being extremely impressed with the Moto GP games. The sense of danger was much more real, and you actually had to carefully consider each corner you took, planning your trajectory on the curves up ahead, and having to be constantly aware of how you were breaking coming into the turns. It was a refreshing change, and for awhile there I really got into the genre.

Change, however, is the bastard result of progress, and the last Moto GP left me disappointed – not because of the game itself, as the racing mechanics were as solid as ever, but for the change in direction and focus. I simply had no interest in playing Moto GP Gotham.

Options, options, and more options

SBK09 looks like a fine return to form for the studio that created the previous incarnation as well as the last Moto GP game, and the sheer level of detail given to both the customisable options and the graphical touches really impressed me.

Everything from the interactive in game menu screens to the damage to the bike and the rider after crashes shows alot of time and effort has been put into this game.

"The sheer level of detail given to both the customisable options and the graphical touches really impressed me"


I had a race on the Kangaroo Island and Salt Lake City tracks during clear skies as well as in the rain, the weather having a huge effect on the control (as it should) and the tracks feeling suitably solid. There’s a first person view as well which is simply stunning to watch, but impossible to play.

I think this one could be really special, and motorbike game fans should definitely check it out – do yourself a favour and at least download the demo on the marketplace now.