With all of the Help features turned off, each motorcycle in the game is capable of popping wheelies all the way to the end of the straightaway (even at 140 mph in fifth gear). Also, any attempt to carry your speed through a series of fast bends almost invariably results in an off-road excursion, because the bikes' turning-circle specs appear to have been adapted from a stretch limo's. Slow down to a near stop, and the bike will just be able to negotiate a tight hairpin. Increase your speed slightly, and the extra momentum will increase the bike's turning circle to the point at which you often find yourself beelining off the track. This highly frustrating riding model stands out in sharp contrast to the one used in the original game, with which each bike responded smartly to a player's steering input and carved decisively into every corner.

It's almost as if Milestone had applied a steering limiter to the forks of each bike that prohibited the bike from turning more than an inch or two once it went over 50 mph. To match the pace set by the AI machines, I had to crank the traction-control aid to its highest setting, and spent half my time running through the grass. Although this is entertaining in its own right, it ultimately undermined any sense of accuracy in SBK 2000, and quickly turned the game into a Moto Racer-style arcade romp.

One area where SBK 2000 demonstrates vast improvement over the original game, however, is multiplayer connectivity, which was completely broken on last year's offering. The new title provides excellent playability for up to 8 people over a LAN or on the Internet. Although it was somewhat choppy when a full field of 25 AI bikes were invoked, I nevertheless experienced a silky smooth connection when I hooked up with two other people over the Internet (sans AI competition). This test was conducted over a high-speed ADSL-to-T1 line, so gamers with dial-up modems may find their mileage to be quite a bit different.

A Hole in the Leathers

With all that it brings to the genre, Superbike 2000 should have effortlessly walked away with an Editors' Choice rating. Licensed machines, tracks, and riders; mind-blowing graphics and motion-capture animations; well-honed AI; fully tunable bikes; well-scripted race commentary; convincing weather effects; seamless Internet play...the list is long and impressive. It's too bad that Milestone and EA neglected to remove the steering lock from the game's new crop of bikes before they packaged them up. Although patchable, Superbike 2000's uncooperative physics transform a potential god-game into one that's merely good.