The Superbike World Championship, also known as SBK, is the international racing series that features real motorbikes available in showrooms for Joe Public to buy. It’s this relevance to the everyday biker that has catapulted SBK’s popularity in the UK and other countries around the world since it began in 1988.

Motorbike racing as a videogame offers a radically different and spine-tingling challenge for players compared to car racing games. Remove the sure footing of four wheels, introduce sub-two-second 0-60 acceleration, tarmac flying past you at 180MPH, and you’ve got a taste of what’s in store.

A ‘Legendary Roster’ function, graphic enhancements, career mode, new online features, arcade and simulation modes are amongst the improvements that make this version of SBK X a must-have for every bike enthusiast and petrol-head gamer.

The challenge for the developer has always been to digitally recreate what are essentially two purely analogue machines working in perfect unison: the rider and the bike. For example, the rider’s position affects cornering, acceleration and braking, whilst the bike’s weight has to be shifted and power carefully applied at the rear wheel to deliver the blistering speeds these bikes are capable of on the tracks.

Most importantly, Milestone have worked all this control into a simple and accessible arcade mode, making it possible for anyone to pick up and play, but with enough depth and detail to satisfy committed petrol heads and bike tuners thanks to the full simulation mode.

SBK X features 1000cc and 600cc machines from Aprilia, BMW, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, MV Agusta, Suzuki, Triumph, and Yamaha with the 14-track racing roster, which includes Germany’s notorious Nürburgring.

Arcade mode gives you quite a few options, from Quick Race to Quick Championship, Time Attack to Story Mode.  But Story Mode is the biggest feature, unique to the Arcade mode.

Firing up Story mode will first take you to the character creation screen.  If you read my previous article, you’ll recognize these steps.  Naming, height, country of origin, date of birth, faces, riding styles and helmets are all modifiable.  But, hey, this Arcade mode; details aren’t that important!  Once you’ve created your racer, it’s time to begin your journey to the top!

After your lovely assistant shows you the basics, you’ll be presented with the career track. What this really shows you is the multiple possible outcomes of your story in SBK X.  Everyone has to start somewhere, and that somewhere is the Superstock FIM Cup 1000.  Here, you’re racing on and against Superstock bikes [which, in case you didn’t read some of my earlier work, is the most basic of motorcycles allowed on the track.  These are the bikes you and I could walk into a store and purchase ourselves.]  Superstock bikes are highly forgiving when it comes to their handling on the track, so they’re a good place to learn the absolute basics of motorcycle racing.

First, there’s the branching path of races.  As you complete the objective of each race, you unlock the next one on the line.  Each race has a point value associated with it, dependent on your performance.  Perform well enough, and you’ll be able to unlock the next stage of your racing career! Speaking of the next stage, you’ll notice that there are two “exits” to the Supersport section of the story, one with a 60 point value, and the other at 120.  This is where your performance on the track will determine where you go as a racer.  The 60 point exit gives you an easier path to follow, where the goals and objectives are a bit more forgiving, whereas 120 steps everything up a notch.  The end result of this MADNESS is three alternate endings to the storyline mode.

Once you’ve selected a race, a screen will come up explaining the track, weather, number of laps, goal requirements, and any special information [such as standing or rolling start, current starting position, engine/tire/brake damage, special opponents to beat, etc.]  If you decide you can handle the race, confirm it and you’ll be off to the track!

A few things to be aware of in the Arcade mode:

• The Guideline
  • A band of color on the track.  Its purpose is to show you the best part of the track to ride on, where you’ll get the best traction, and to guide you into the turns.  Not only is it laid out on the optimal trajectory for all the turns, its color tells you how to adjust your speed.  Bright green means go faster, red tells you to slow down, and a greenish-yellow indicates your speed is perfect for the turns.
• Boost
  • Pressing the Boost button will crank the bike into overdrive and let you reach your top speed much faster than normal.  Be aware, this increase in speed augments your centripetal force, thereby diminishing your turning radius.  TL;DR: boosting makes it really hard to turn.
• Laws of Physics