The Isle of Man TT is arguably the most notorious racing event in the world. Racers and fans from all corners of the globe make the annual pilgrimage to take part in the action.
Just off the east coast of Ireland, this small island closes its main roadways once a year to form a road course that has thrilled audiences for over 110 years. Select racers, ranging in age, look to push their machines to the limits on the nearly 38 mile course.
With some of their bikes reaching top speeds of over 200mph, these fearless athletes race along stone walls, houses, and trees in search for glory. Some sections of the race course see riders and machines take flight over small hills…at over 100mph.
Aside from YouTube, or the possible well-planned excursion to attend the race in person, it’s difficult for many fans to see or get involved with the event, especially here in America.
Thankfully, Maximum Games has teamed up with Monster Energy to produce a simulator-like video game for us to enjoy. Our team here at SoBros Network picked up a fresh copy and gave it a whirl, and we were not disappointed.
I’ve been waiting for a current version of the TT game ever since the days of the PS2, when Suzuki helped develop TT Superbikes. So, it’s nice to have a new setup utilizing modern gaming technology.
Choosing between SuperSport or Superbike, you can decide between a quick race and jump straight into the full mountain course, or take the slower route and develop your profile in Career Mode. I suggest the Career route in order to learn the gameplay before heading into the 20 minute/lap races on the full course.
The team at Maximum Games have done an extraordinary job with regards to detail. Nearly every strand of grass appears to have been personally touched in the scenery, and the range of audio complexities bring real-life high speeds to your speakers.
The most particular item in the gameplay that stood out to me was rider and bike detail. Not only are they designed to a perfect scale and replica of real life racer/machines, but the movements while riding are spot on. Even the weight shifting of the rider when cornering will affect your trajectory, so you need be one step ahead in terms of maneuvering.
Take a look at our highlighted points below:
Wins
-Scenery is jaw-dropping
-Wind noise is near identical to real-life situations
-Fast, on the fly, load times (no waiting several minutes for a full course to load)
-Wide range of Professional riders and machines
-Availability of smaller circuits to choose from
-Decent range of difficulty and physics settings
Drawbacks
-Handling could use some improvement (bike tends to be one straight-lined object, with no rear end maneuvering)
-No “flashback/replay” option
-Lack of support machinery (no small bikes, and sadly no side-cars)
With so many wins, it’s impossible to be disappointed with this game. They have truly developed a new-era of motorcycle racing gameplay here, so perhaps we will see further options or even downloadable machinery in the future. Here’s to hoping!
Cadbury Pringlebatch is the Lead Motorcycle Expert, Investment Analyst, and Travel Blogger for The SoBros Network, but knows a little bit about everything. Known for frequenting Nashville YMCA steam rooms, he’s a firm believer that winning football is produced by moving the chains, and became a SoBro after mistaking one of our podcasts for an AA meeting. Follow on Twitter: @SoBroCadbury
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