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Suzuki TT Superbikes Real Road Racing: Is it Worth It?

Screenshot from Suzuki TT Superbikes: Real Road Racing, featuring a rider on a red motorcycle doing a "stoppie"

Suzuki TT Superbikes Real Road Racing: Is it Worth It?

With their 2005 release, Suzuki TT Superbikes Real Road Racing, Valcon Games set out to create a racing game that focuses on a specific theme, and they have managed to do so in a brilliant fashion. It will be up to the consumer to determine if the game does well commercially, but it definitely packs enough fun to play.

Screenshot from Suzuki TT Superbikes: Real Road Racing. featuring several motorcycles clustered together during a race.
Suzuki knows how to race a bike but will the player?

A Good Variety of Bikes to Choose From

Despite the title, Suzuki TT Superbikes isn’t restricted to only Suzuki motorcycles. It features Hondas, Yamahas, Kawasakis, and Triumphs, all poised to race through the painstakingly recreated track at the Isle of Man. This infamous 40-mile track has been recreated to include virtually every turn, bump, dip, house, and tree. It may not be the most exciting track ever created, but the level of detail here is quite impressive. If you’ve ever wanted to race in the Isle of Man, this may be your best chance.

A Real-World Track

The track is actually a public rural and urban roadway that is commandeered for racing during this annual competition. The race challenges all participants in several areas, including skill and endurance. To make things even more realistic, Suzuki TT Superbikes has been sanctioned by the government of the Isle of Man, as well as being endorsed by several sponsors including Castrol, Dunlop, and Bridgestone.

The arcade-style control system takes this game out of sim territory, much like its PS2 cousin Tourist Trophy: The Real Riding Simulator. Players can even relegate the computer to decelerate the bike for the turns if they’re not skilled in such manipulations. Players can override this control system if they want to learn how to brake and accelerate themselves. Which is highly recommended for the full experience. The track is not incredibly difficult for the most part, so players will want to exercise more control over their machine to make it more interesting and add some depth. There are some 90-degree turns that will raise your adrenaline, but most of the turns are gradual even at high speeds.

Screenshot from Suzuki TT Superbikes: Real Road Racing, featuring a motorcycle doing a wheelie on a city street.
The virtual crowds will go wild over the racing and the crashes.

Smooth Graphics Without Frills

Suzuki TT Superbikes’ motorcycles range in power from 125cc to 1000cc. The framerate is incredibly smooth and holds together well at high speeds. As impressive as the re-creation of the track may be from a technical standpoint, the graphics aren’t especially flashy. Up close, items like buildings and trees tend to look flat. The textures are nothing to write home about either. Fortunately (and perhaps most importantly in terms of playability), the draw distance on the track is long enough that players can anticipate moves in advance.

Unpredictable AI

The AI fights especially hard for a position at the beginning and end of each race. During the middle, they tend to scatter along the track. Their behavior seems random, as they don’t appear to take the same paths from race to race. There’s not much in the way of model damage, but you can crash into your opponents, knocking them off the track and into walls, if players get in the right position and are feeling particularly aggressive.

The engines sound realistic and the surround sound can be very immersive. It’s the closest experience most will likely ever have to participating in such an event.

Final Thoughts

Even for players who aren’t big racing fans, Suzuki TT Superbikes: Real Road Racing should be able to appeal to your competitive nature by providing a very accessible game for novices while retaining enough depth to keep veterans challenged for many, many races. Considering that this game is available at a budget price, a purchase shouldn’t be considered out of the question.

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