Motorcycle games, a genre almost forgotten

Do you remember when it was the last time you played a motorcycle game? This question is not for RPG for FPS genre fans, because for them racing simulators simply do not exist. There still are people that love racing on two wheels, incredible speed and the balance made by the pilot. The simulation of the experience on PC or console is as relative as a Formula 1 racing game. So, just as car racing games, motorcycle games also appeared, dedicated to people that follow the two motorcycle races. So, in time, two series of motorcycle games stood out of the crowed, each year being released a new game that reflects the changes within championships.

Moto Grand Prix and Superbike World Championship

The two motorcycle championships are very different. Road Racing Championship Grand Prix includes three distinct classes and they are 125 cc, Moto 2 ( 600 cc ) and Moto GP. THe last class is limited at 800 cc, however only until 2012 when they will come back to the 1.000 cc capacity.You might say that MotoGP is the equivalent of Formula 1 for car races, motorcycles being especially created for races, without having an equal or a “little brother” in series production. In case of Superbike World Championship or SKB, contestants race with modified versions of some street motorcycles. For example, in the 2010 season, KTM enlisted with a special version of the 1190 RC8 model.

MotoGP 09/10

This is the last game of the motorcycle games series that handles especially created models for racing. It was developed for PS3 and Xbox 360 by Monumental Games under the umbrella of Capcom. Although it wasn’t so well received by everybody, the game doesn’t have a rival just yet. If you don’t like FIFA 10, then you go out and buy PES 2010, however in case of Moto GP 09/10 an alternative is SBK, which is a game with a different type of two wheels vehicles. The four different mods offered by MotoGP are career, championship, arcade and online. In the first mode you start with a 125 cc engine and develop the machine and team along the championship in such a way that you afford to upgrade to Moto 2 and then further to Moto GP Championship.

In the Championship mode, player will be able to choose motorcycles from the 125 cc, 250 cc and Moto GP classes with which he will participate at virtual championships between 2009 and 2010. The Arcade mode is a race around the clock. The player has to finish all the races in a season for a specific class, but in a time limit. Technique, performance and ranking higher bring extra seconds, however if you lose control of your motorcycle you will lose points. In the online mode 20 players can compete on the same circuit.The MotoGP 09/10 game has it’s problems, like an inconsistent AI behavior and the exaggerated stability of the motorcycle in case of a collision, however it’s definitely a game that must be played by all motorcycle lovers.

SBK X: SuperBike World Championship

In this motorcycle game contestants complete in with modified versions of some street motorcycles models. They can have engines of 1.000 cc with two cylinders or 750 cc with four cylinders. The championship was covered in three games until 2000, from Electronic Arts Sports, however because of the low popularity the game was abandoned. In 2007, the Italian company Black Bean Games has purchased the license and developed three SKB: SuperBike World Championship. The games released in 2008 and 2009 were available on all the popular gaming platforms. SKB X was released this year, at the end of May and offers 80 motorcycle models from manufacturers like Aprilia, BMW, Ducati.

Motorcycle games – not so many fans

The low popularity of motorcycle races also reflects in the number of motorcycle games that has appeared on the market. On the other hand, the difficulty offered by simulators can often scare potential clients. The people over at Milestone Games who worked with Black Bean Games at SKB X have introduced in this latest game the possibility to choose even from the beginning the arcade and simulator modes.