Post by ady on Sept 20, 2006 10:07:43 GMT
Hi all,
I got my copy in the post yesterday (pc version). I wasnt at work so managed to put a few hours in on the game so will give my impressions of it so far.
It installed without any problems. On clicking the icon to start it up I was greeted with a small box giving the video/audio options. The video options allow settings for Resolution,Refresh rate,Anti Alias up to 6x, cubic enviroment from 64 -512 and an option for High HDR Quality. So there are plenty of options to tweak this to run on most systems.
Once the game started I made a profile, it seems there are two modes of play, "trophy and Career", you need a profile for each one and will need to set your controller and other options for each one. I played first with a Microsoft sidewinder gamepad, all the buttons mapped easily and the control in game was good. I ended up putting my logitech pedals in combination with the pad which mapped with no probs aswell. Reason being it helped make the throttle smoother in the corners and on exiting. Anyway it looks good if you want to combine controllers etc..
Graphics:
Ok as I said at the start theres plenty of options and theres no doubt about it the game is pretty good looking all round, the replays look very impressive but the replay options are limited. Basically watch the replay at one of two speeds with various camera angles but theres no slider like sbk200x to jump to lap whatever or a particular part you want to watch, overall not bad though. There is a cockpit view for all the bikes replicating that bikes dials etc which appear fully functional, although their not super crispy and feel a little cartooony to look at ( thats just my feeling).
Basically overall this is a nice looking game.
Sound:
I wont go into too much detail here. There is the standard options for surround, stereo, headphones etc.. to select in game. The sound effects, engine noise, ambience etc.. are all good with all the bikes sounding different.
Physics/Handling;
Ok to the crux of the matter, what most people are gonna want to know, how does it handle.
I think they have done a good job here, I am having fun playing which is what its all about. The first race I did in career I used the the Ducati Monster and wasnt that impressed, not with the physics but the bike was hard to ride. Upon selecting a FZR 600 things seemd a lot better, the bike was much better to ride. So all the bikes handle considerably differently which is good.
In the options you have aids like traction control, auto gears, brake assistance etc.. I am using all off except for automatic gears which if I can find a comftable setup for them I will disable at some point.
Front and rear brakes (cool), you will need to brake early for a corner using the front or front and rear combined, hold the brakes as you lean the bike over and you will be off, as you get to the limit before it breaks away you will feel and see the bike moving around so it gives you some warning, how far you want to push it is up to you. The moving around is pretty cool , the bike will slide about a fair bit with the wheels getting out of line but you can save it if you steer accordingly. The cornering is great too, you can go for a smooth precise approach balancing the throttle in the corner till you feel you have enough exit to open it back up or you can go for a capirossi style of forcing the bike sideways round everywhere. You can have a little dab of the brakes while cornering but only a dab just to try to tighten a bad line. Some of the tracks have kerbs and bumps etc.. so you may try and flat out through a fast turn only to find a bump or undulation in the road upsets the bike lifting a wheel and causing a highside.
Closing comments:
This is a game you need to spend some time with to appreciate all the little bits that are in there. The bikes all handle differently so your gonna have a different experience from bike to bike. You will have to unlock the bikes by competing in career or trophy modes. Once I unlocked the R6 I spent a lot of time just playing on it as it was that enjoyable. You also need to spend a little time getting your controller set up to just how you like it. Theres a lot of fun to be had here. I wouldnt say there are any bad points, more like bits that could have been a little better like all your opponents tend to have the same clothing as you and up to now all the races I have done you race against the same bikes, so if your on a R6 so is everyone else. Maybe that will change as the game progresses I dont know. Its a good game which is hard to compare with any other Pc title because of the content. But with regards to the riding itself, its just pure enjoyment.
I got my copy in the post yesterday (pc version). I wasnt at work so managed to put a few hours in on the game so will give my impressions of it so far.
It installed without any problems. On clicking the icon to start it up I was greeted with a small box giving the video/audio options. The video options allow settings for Resolution,Refresh rate,Anti Alias up to 6x, cubic enviroment from 64 -512 and an option for High HDR Quality. So there are plenty of options to tweak this to run on most systems.
Once the game started I made a profile, it seems there are two modes of play, "trophy and Career", you need a profile for each one and will need to set your controller and other options for each one. I played first with a Microsoft sidewinder gamepad, all the buttons mapped easily and the control in game was good. I ended up putting my logitech pedals in combination with the pad which mapped with no probs aswell. Reason being it helped make the throttle smoother in the corners and on exiting. Anyway it looks good if you want to combine controllers etc..
Graphics:
Ok as I said at the start theres plenty of options and theres no doubt about it the game is pretty good looking all round, the replays look very impressive but the replay options are limited. Basically watch the replay at one of two speeds with various camera angles but theres no slider like sbk200x to jump to lap whatever or a particular part you want to watch, overall not bad though. There is a cockpit view for all the bikes replicating that bikes dials etc which appear fully functional, although their not super crispy and feel a little cartooony to look at ( thats just my feeling).
Basically overall this is a nice looking game.
Sound:
I wont go into too much detail here. There is the standard options for surround, stereo, headphones etc.. to select in game. The sound effects, engine noise, ambience etc.. are all good with all the bikes sounding different.
Physics/Handling;
Ok to the crux of the matter, what most people are gonna want to know, how does it handle.
I think they have done a good job here, I am having fun playing which is what its all about. The first race I did in career I used the the Ducati Monster and wasnt that impressed, not with the physics but the bike was hard to ride. Upon selecting a FZR 600 things seemd a lot better, the bike was much better to ride. So all the bikes handle considerably differently which is good.
In the options you have aids like traction control, auto gears, brake assistance etc.. I am using all off except for automatic gears which if I can find a comftable setup for them I will disable at some point.
Front and rear brakes (cool), you will need to brake early for a corner using the front or front and rear combined, hold the brakes as you lean the bike over and you will be off, as you get to the limit before it breaks away you will feel and see the bike moving around so it gives you some warning, how far you want to push it is up to you. The moving around is pretty cool , the bike will slide about a fair bit with the wheels getting out of line but you can save it if you steer accordingly. The cornering is great too, you can go for a smooth precise approach balancing the throttle in the corner till you feel you have enough exit to open it back up or you can go for a capirossi style of forcing the bike sideways round everywhere. You can have a little dab of the brakes while cornering but only a dab just to try to tighten a bad line. Some of the tracks have kerbs and bumps etc.. so you may try and flat out through a fast turn only to find a bump or undulation in the road upsets the bike lifting a wheel and causing a highside.
Closing comments:
This is a game you need to spend some time with to appreciate all the little bits that are in there. The bikes all handle differently so your gonna have a different experience from bike to bike. You will have to unlock the bikes by competing in career or trophy modes. Once I unlocked the R6 I spent a lot of time just playing on it as it was that enjoyable. You also need to spend a little time getting your controller set up to just how you like it. Theres a lot of fun to be had here. I wouldnt say there are any bad points, more like bits that could have been a little better like all your opponents tend to have the same clothing as you and up to now all the races I have done you race against the same bikes, so if your on a R6 so is everyone else. Maybe that will change as the game progresses I dont know. Its a good game which is hard to compare with any other Pc title because of the content. But with regards to the riding itself, its just pure enjoyment.
