Castrol HONDA SuperBike World Champions is a licensed motorcycle racing game, developed by Intense Simulations Entertainment and Interactive Entertainment, Ltd. and published by Midas Interactive. The game features the Honda RVF750 RC45 and the riders of the 1997 Superbike World Championship season. The game title was chosen because John Kocinski won the 1997 World Superbike Championship on a Castrol Honda.
| Castrol Honda SuperBike World Champions | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Intense Simulations Entertainment Interactive Entertainment, Ltd. |
| Publisher(s) | Midas Interactive |
| Director(s) | James Bailey[3] |
| Producer(s) | Tony Love[3] |
| Designer(s) | Tuan Pingster Nguyen[3] |
| Programmer(s) | Dan Azzopardi, John Rees, Alex Jakes, Vladislav Kaipetsky[3] |
| Artist(s) | FAD[3] |
| Series | Castrol HONDA Superbike |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player Multiplayer |
Gameplay edit
The player controls a motorcyclist in races on various international race tracks. Game modes are "Practice" and "Championship". Each race has three parts: "Practice Session", "Qualifying" and "Race". There are closed-circuit Grand Prix tracks and street race tracks. The degree of "realism" can be modified (4 to 24 riders; 3 to 10 laps or "full race" which is 100 km). The bike setup offers tweaking of the gear sprockets. It is possible to play with five other players via network or splitscreen.
Reception edit
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| GameRankings | 67%[4] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Computer Games Strategy Plus |   [5] |
| Computer Gaming World | [6] |
| Edge | 5/10[7] |
| GamePro | [8] |
| IGN | 7.5/10[9] |
| Next Generation | [10] |
| PC Gamer (UK) | 85%[11] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 63%[12] |
| PC Zone | 79%[13] |
The game received average reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[4] Next Generation said that the game "had the potential to be a top-notch racing simulation. Instead, it's just another racing has-been. Check the bargain bins for a PC copy of Matrix TT [sic] – it's cheaper and a lot more fun."[10]
The game was reviewed by the German magazine PC Games and received a rating of 74%. The reviewer concluded that while the game represented a bright spot among racing games, he was hoping for more simulation aspects.[14]
Sequels and spin-offs edit
There are three other games in the Castrol HONDA Superbike series, and each one was produced by Midas Interactive Entertainment:
- Castrol HONDA -World Superbike Team- Superbike Racing (1999 for PlayStation)
- Castrol HONDA -World Superbike Team- Superbike 2000 (1999 for PC)
- Castrol HONDA -World Superbike Team- VTR (2001 for PlayStation)
References edit
- ^ "Honda puts its name behind the most awesome superbike racing simulation ever created". intense-games.com. March 2, 1998. Archived from the original on June 15, 1998. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
- ^ "Castrol Honda Superbike World Champions". GameStar (in German). Webedia. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e The names of developers can be found in the ingame credits.
- ^ a b "Castrol Honda Superbike World Champions for PC". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 11, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
- ^ Stratton, Geoff (July 2, 1998). "Castrol Honda Superbikes [sic]". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Strategy Plus, Inc. Archived from the original on August 16, 2003. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- ^ Goble, Gordon (October 1998). "Lean Into It (Castrol Honda Superbike World Champions Review)" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. No. 171. Ziff Davis. p. 250. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- ^ Edge staff (July 1998). "Castrol Honda Superbike World Champions". Edge. No. 60. Future Publishing. p. 98. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- ^ Lam, Danny (1998). "Castrol Hond Superbike [World Champions]". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 5, 2004. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- ^ Blevins, Tal (September 1, 1998). "Castrol Honda Superbike World Champions". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
- ^ a b "Castrol Honda Superbike World Championships [sic]". Next Generation. No. 46. Imagine Media. October 1998. p. 130. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
- ^ "Castrol Honda Superbike World Champions". PC Gamer UK. Future Publishing. 1998.
- ^ Williamson, Colin (August 1998). "Castrol Honda Superbike World Champions". PC Gamer. Vol. 5, no. 8. Imagine Media. Archived from the original on March 3, 2000. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- ^ Hill, Steve (July 1998). "Castrol Honda Superbike World Champions". PC Zone. No. 65. Dennis Publishing. p. 110. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- ^ "Castrol Honda Superbike World Championships [sic]". PC Games. Computec. August 1998. p. 144.
