Compared to Moto GP 06, other motorcycle racers feel like tricycle rides, and just because you've been practicing on your Big Wheels since you were 5 doesn't mean you know how to ride a motorcycle. But if you can adjust to the steep learning curve, this game has some of the best fun you can find on two wheels, aside from watching two monkeys on unicycles battle to the death.
With hyper-realistic physics, you'll have to take care to work the dual-brake system on sharp corners or risk winding up with a massive road rash, not that that's such a bad thing. The graphics are so impressive, you may not mind occasionally taking an up-close look at the pavement just to savor all of its astonishing detail. The realism of the tracks helps to embellish the sense of speed, so it feels like there's a real world zipping by. Add to all that a superb online experience, and you've got yourself a racing sim that's actually worth the price of gas this summer.
STREET FIGHTER ALPHA ANTHOLOGY by CAPCOM (3 stars)
Platform: PlayStation 2.
Rated: T.
Since the birth of Ryu and Chun-Li, Capcom has had a tendency to release a Street Fighter game and then slowly tweak it over time, adding words to the title like "Hyper," "Super," "Gold," and "Max." So they're calling this a five-game anthology, but really what you've got is Street Fighter Alpha 3, and all of its previous, inferior iterations. It's an excellent brawler, but it can't be a true anthology any more than Sagat could win a beauty contest.
AND 1 STREETBALL by UBISOFT (1.5 stars)
Platforms: PlayStation 2, Xbox.
Rated: E10+.
This game's claim to fame is the inclusion of 130 jukes and trick moves, but every time you try to pull off a stylized fake, it's like doing the hokey pokey with your shoelaces tied together. The problem is that the method of inputting the trick commands with the analog sticks is flawed, frustrating, and leads to other "F" words, as well. It's a cool idea, but it works about as effectively as Shaq at the free-throw line.
ASTONISHA STORY by UBISOFT (2 stars)
Platform: PlayStation Portable.
Rated: E10+.
RPG fans tend to enjoy deep stories in which exotically named heroes fight through immense, open-ended worlds with complex battle tactics. So here's Astonishia Story, with its shallow "retrieve the stolen magical item" plot, in which Lloyd (that's right—Lloyd) treads a linear path, battling foes with a simple, two-button combat system. You do the math.