AMA Superbike Review

Developer: Motorsims
www.motorsims.com
Price: $45

AMA Superbike is nothing if not poorly timed. Arriving just half a year after EA’s superlative Superbike World Championship, AMA is in a race only perfection could win. Yet, it was released in such a curious state of incompletion that this otherwise promising affair doesn’t have the opportunity to compete.

How does a 60-plus MB patch grab you? How about possible system lockups and program crashes, graphics and AI glitches, unrecognized podiums and perplexing menus? Compounding matters, AMA’s big incentive – a multiplayer Web site with scheduled events and prizes – was still stuck at the starting line at press time.

That said, when it’s repaired, AMA can please the sim enthusiast. In it you’ll find authentic physics, an intricate garage, and astoundingly accurate scenery across each of its nine US circuits. A bobbing first person perspective helmet-cam, nice animated details, and an unprecedented level of bike and rider control only add to the possibilities. It won’t sport the perks and raw excitement of EA’s Superbike, but virtual riders with multiplayer desires may want to jump in… once Motorsims works out the kinks.