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Xbox 360 Roundup Review
Xbox 360 Review by Dan Whitehead
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SBK-08 Superbike World Championship
- Publisher: Black Bean
- Developer: Milestone
Back in June, when I previewed Black Bean's wannabe MotoGP rival, I opined that "there's clearly a lot of work to be done before SBK '08 is ready to mount a serious challenge for the console biking trophy". The finished result probably still isn't going to be enough to convince the serious biker to jump the fence, but there's enough here to suggest that ditching the simulation angle and going hell for leather on an arcade bike game could well be the answer in 2009.
You get the expected raft of gameplay options, from simple Instant Action to a meatier Career mode. Similarly, all the usual suspects are available in the track selection. The environmental graphics don't do a particularly good job of recreating the buzz of Monza on race day, but the tracks themselves are decent enough to pass muster.
All the stats and riders are as up to date as they can be, and for those who like to monkey about with a spanner there's an impressive amount of technical options to drill into, to the extent that you can even make your rider's weight a factor in balancing the perfect racing bike. It's just a shame that the engine itself doesn't quite live up to these lofty expectations. The physics are good but never exceptional and, as I mentioned in the Baja review, simulations have a much lower tolerance for imperfection.
The race to get the best spot on the beach got more competitive every year...
Where the game really finds its niche is when you switch off all the technical data, and play it as a straight arcade racer. It's still just realistic enough that corners and chicanes require a deft touch to get past, but the sense of speed and danger is suddenly much more thrilling. Crashes, in particular, are vastly improved from the rather timid preview build I played in the summer, and it's possible to shimmy through some ferocious pile-ups to take pole position.
Given the option of a good bike simulation and a great arcade bike game, I'd actually prefer to see SBK head further down the latter path for future instalments. Heresy, perhaps, but on the evidence here I'd even be open to the idea of Black Bean being tasked with reviving Road Rash for the HD generation.
7/10
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Comments: 1-24 of 24 in total
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Mentalist(air)
30/10/08 @ 08:07
0
"Wearing its traditional role-playing roots like a badge of pride"
Traditional tabletop wargaming roots, I think you'll find... ... actually it sounds quite interesting. Is there a PC version planned that likely won't be so hamstrung by joypad control issues?
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 30/10/08 @ 08:13
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-1
Hurray, you reviewed SBK 08 at long last, having said you would two months ago! I agree with the review and 7/10 is a fair score for what is a good game but one that is lacking a little in content (just 12 tracks) and atmosphere.
The criticism about Madden NFL 09's gameplay is a little unfair IMO because the A.I. is only unbalanced if you use the seriously flawed adaptive difficulty setting which makes, for example, running plays harder if you're good at running with the ball or passing plays harder if you're good at passing. Spoils the game completely if you ask me. If you use the standard difficulty setting then the game is much, much better. This year's game is the best Madden in years IMO and I easily think it's worth an 8 or even a 9 at a push. I really must get back to that game at some point... :) |
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-1
Warhammer Battle is a table-top game - NOT a roleplaying game!
Warhammer RPG is role-playing game! You can tell as there are clues in the name. Why is it game reviewers - people who are supposed to know about games, regardless of computer or not - can't distingish between two massively different types. It's like getting card games mixed with dice. This game can't display it's RPG roots, since *this* game doesn't have any. ... it's okay - I'm over it now... ;) |
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metalangel
30/10/08 @ 10:42
0
Good to see an SBK08 review at last. It is a very, ridiculously hard game to get to grips with... but yes, it is jolly good fun, particularly if you turn the realism down a bit (it is incredibly easy to lowside on bends, even on a dry track) and go for a bash online. Thing is, everyone I know has waited for MotoGP 08 instead which is a crying shame... not least of all because there was hardly any coverage of this.
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rhubarbandcustard
30/10/08 @ 10:55
0
I traded in a game and got BAJA for £20.
It is pretty mediocre in every way. I was expecting a BAJA endurance race to be pretty exhilarating especially as I have steering wheel and racing seat set-up, but it isn't. You just career off the track to the left, to the right, again and again and again. And the AI drivers really are bastards. I want to like it, but I don't. It's almost as bad as Sega Rally. A game Eurogamer gave a 9. WTF! |
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0
Actually I find I'm more inclined to read the roundup reviews than the 'standard' reviews... not sure why, partly because of the bite-size format, partly because it feels like I'm getting some kind of five-in-one bargain, which is ludicrous but, well, I dunno. I just know I'd never have clicked on a standalone wrestling or Madden review, but tucked away in a roundup I read the damn things regardless.
Also, more disgruntled sucker-punching bears in reviews plz. |
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illusiondance
30/10/08 @ 12:42
0
i have to agree that the round-ups feel like a bargain too,(lots of info - lower risk of being caught with an essay on screen.)
On review consistancy - i havent had great issue with EG but i suppose i havent played a new game since Lost Oddity. Sega rally review was good, borderline 8/9 but the journalism was sound, cool game even standing up to Dirt. |
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3william56
31/10/08 @ 06:33
0
"dead-bolted steel door, three inches thick. And it's covered in spikes. With poison on them. And when you open the door an angry bear pops out and punches you in the kidneys."
Is this a carryover from the Day of Crisis review? Is it the same angry bear?? |
Comments: 1-24 of 24 in total
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