On the graphics side Climax has really let me down. If this is what you get when you go from simulation to arcade, keep the sim games coming gang. Moto GP 1&2 were two of the most gorgeous games on the Xbox, with every bit of spit and polish that a loving developer would give to their game. Speed Kings on the other hand, isn’t blistering fast, has very poor texture quality, weak crash animations, bland colors, and no real details visually that stand out from behind totally mediocre. The only sense of speed you do see is when you cheaply use the turbo boost, but don’t expect Burnout proportions here. The biker models have a very low polygon count, and the customizing of your gear is laughable. Here’s a clue, if you give me and orange jacket and pants, give me a helmet to go with it. Replay’s are done in the fine manner of the Moto GP series, but wasted here, as the overall visuals are just too bland to relive again.

Audio is much like the graphics, ho-hum. The music is generic giving a poor attempt at getting the old blood pumping. Sound effects for the bikes are standard, and the environment effect sound very old technology. Nothing at all here to boast about, so I’ll quit the bashing now to stop the bleeding.

Game play is the only saving grace here that keeps this game from wallowing into the depths of crap central. While I totally disagree with the use of trick style maneuvers while trying to make lap and checkpoint times, the game can be quite fun if you have the patience of when and where to utilize such tricks. The patience lies in learning the entire track layout as they are usually filled with so many twists and turns and very little straight a ways to perform a wheelie let alone a handstand. The A.I. for once is sharp and intuitive, and makes this game even more challenging. Thankfully they will make the same boo-boo errors you do, so the game doesn’t come off feeling cheap. Don’t forget that traffic coming head on too! Nothing in this game is cooler than sliding underneath a semi truck at 100mph. The handling of your bike is a little loose, but after a few laps will become second nature. The tricks and boost options give you use for the rest of your buttons, and the layout is adequate. Throw in the option to use your right analog as gas and brake is a nice addition, but my question is how do you perform stunts in this scheme. All in all the game play seems basic on the surface, but trying to meet the objectives of the stunts can be tedious, especially when you try and hit that 45 second check point. It just takes one crash to ruin it all.

Speed Kings has all the basic options you’ve come to expect from a racing game. Single Race, Time Attack, Trick Attack, Head to Head, and Grand Prix Mode, which have to be unlocked. For good measure and tutorial reasons the license mode is here and can be a bear to complete, so keep those extra controllers handy folks, you may need them. No online mode for any console version, so multiplayer is strictly an in home affair. If you can dig the game play, there is plenty to do and see in this title.

All in all, I was really hoping Speed Kings would be the arcade Moto GP I was looking for, or even a bike version of Burnout 2, instead I get a good racing game, with shoddy visuals, poor sounds, and a trick system that throws a wrench into the whole design. If you have the patience to play through this one, more power to ya. I’m going back to Climax’s GOOD Game Moto GP2. See you online!