I was always a fan of motorsports, and I tried any game that recreated the feeling of racing, either on four or on two wheels.  MotoGP 08 was one of those games that I thought it would be the ultimate racing game for bike fans, but SBK-09: Superbike World Championship made me change my mind. I didn't play the last year's installment in the series, and I'm happy not to, otherwise I would have never tried the last one.  Seems that SBK-08 brought low sales and a big disappointment for all the racing fans, with cheap graphics and a bizarre handling system, but somehow Black Bean had the courage to continue the series creating this time a brand new game that impressed most of the critics, including me.

I will not forget the good balance between arcade and simulation present in MotoGP 08, but  SBK-09 brings a wider area of options from which you can choose the way you want to play it. Present in the older version of SBK series started by EA, the simulation aspect here is at its best. From the dynamics of the bikes, to the level of set ups that can be applied to the bike, and damage system, everything shows that this game is a milestone further than its predecessor.

You can choose from the beginning if you want to start a training session, a challenge session, a quick-race, a weekend session or the whole championship. The challenge sessions offer different tasks to the players that are in general straight- forward: pass a specific section of the track in the given time, perform a wheelie, a burnout, or drift an amount of time in a given section of the circuit. In total there are twenty challenges which will help getting used with the bikes and tracks if you are new to this type of games. You will spend most of the time in this mode by getting the Platinum medal which can be acquired only by completing any of the challenges, faster than the best given time. Every Platinum medal will grant you access to special photos of the Alfa Romeo Mito (the official SBK car), or of the pit-stop girls.