Motorcycles have been around for ages, and with good reason. There is nothing more freeing than straddling a super-powered hog and traveling anywhere that the road will take you. Of course, I would probably be able to describe this better had I ever actually ridden a motorcycle, but the fear of being flung from my chariot has forced me to live out all of my two-wheeled fantasies in the video-game arena. SBK: Superbike World Championship is the latest title to bring the fast-paced world of motorcycles to gaming, taking a far more realistic approach than other titles that have come before. Unfortunately, it may be a bit too realistic for its own good.

SBK drops you into the world of the Superbike World Championship, recreating all of the events from the 2008 season. The courses are all modeled on official tracks, allowing you to bank the same turns that the professionals would. Similarly, the teams and riders are all authentic, with a presentation that attempts to faithfully mimic these aspects of the sport. In short: SBK does its best to recreate everything about the actual event, and that attention to realism doesn’t stop there.

SBK offers a number of different racing options, including a “race weekend” that sends you through a gauntlet of modes to test your superbike skill. Among these modes are a number of practice sessions which can last upwards of 60 minutes that allow you to work on your handling and achieve the best lap time. Once you know the course well enough, you can launch into the race and test your skills against the other AI opponents. If you are looking for something more meaty, there is a championship mode that plays like an extended race weekend as well as several challenge courses that ask you to accomplish certain feats. There is also a local multiplayer mode for up to four players, which works well but lacks the online play that a niche title like this needs.

Before jumping into the action, you have the option to choose between Arcade and Simulation race settings - which tailor the experience and driving rules to better fit your taste. Once you get into the race however, you will see that the game’s definition of “Arcade” is far from accurate, as SBK plays very realistically no matter which setting you choose. This means that every curve must be taken carefully, no contact can be made with other riders, and turning too fast could result in your driver flying off of the bike. While these rules keep SBK from getting too unrealistic, they make the game significantly less fun to play. The learning curve is also fairly steep, and the process of constantly braking to handle the smallest of turns gets tedious very quickly.

Sadly, the game’s track design won’t break this monotony as each course is nearly indistinguishable from one another. Modeled after actual SBK locations, each features plenty of twists and turns that force you to stay sharp and proceed with caution. Unfortunately, none of these circuits have any personality, as barren backgrounds populate each track with little to nothing for you to look at. While you might encounter an occasional tree, the lack of distinction between locales really takes away from any potential excitement you might have felt when moving from one track to another, giving you almost nothing to look forward to as you advance through the modes.

While this blandness also seeps into the games graphics, it's not all bad. The rider models look Ok, as they are plastered with images from their various sponsorships. The game also moves at a brisk frame rate, staying smooth despite having a number of other racers on screen. Also particularly noteworthy are the crash animations, which has your bike spinning over the pavement as the rider soars through the air, taking out any other bikes that he comes into contact with. Unfortunately, the aforementioned track design soils these positive thoughts, as nothing visually interesting ever pops up. Also lacking is the sound, which is basically nonexistent. The actual races feature no music, forcing you to listen to nothing but the roar of your bike. While this minimalistic approach might appeal to some, the option to throw on some tunes while racing might have broken up the tedium. The sound effects are fairly standard for this type of game, mostly made up of tire squeals and engine sounds. These work well enough, but there isn’t much to hear.

Overall, SBK: Superbike World Championship is a noble attempt at adapting the sport to consoles, but it may be a bit too hardcore for its own good. While EA and 2k Sports titles have maintained the realistic aspects of their real-life counterparts while also making their games accessible enough for casual fans, SBK instead focuses solely on providing an authentic experience for a dedicated fan base. If that’s you, you might find something to like here, but gamers with little interest in the sport should stay far away.

Gameplay: 5.5
SBK takes a more sim-like approach to motorcycle racing that — while accurate— isn’t a whole lot of fun to play.

Graphics: 6.0 
The rider details and frame rate are solid, but the course design is made up of nothing but flat land, sparsely populated wastelands, and plain tracks with little to no dressing to make them interesting.

Sound: 4.0
As minimalistic as they get. There is no music while you race, forcing you to listen to nothing but the sounds of your engine and tires. The menu music is fairly generic.

Difficulty:  Medium-Hard
Since the game leans more towards simulation, each turn must be prepared for and carefully operated as not doing so will cause you to lose speed or wipeout. There are plenty of different difficulty settings to ease you into the gameplay, but the core bike handling itself is the cause of most of the trouble.

Concept: 5.0 
SBK tries to deliver an authentic experience for true superbike fans, but the blandness of this package won’t keep those players hooked for long. Arcade racing fans need not apply.

Multiplayer: 6.0
Up to four players can compete locally in a single race or championship. While functional, finding four like-minded individuals with PSPs might be difficult. The lack of online play hurts it.

Overall: 5.2
SBK Superbike World Championship offers a realistic take on the world of motorcycle racing. Unfortunately, this over-reliance on authenticity sucks the fun out of the game, leaving a product that will only appeal to the dedicated niche of superbike superfans.