Suzuki Alstare Extreme Racing - Dreamcast

One of the first European releases for the Dreamcast invites us to compete against the Suzuki Alstare Champions. Easy, it really is too easy. You can beat the computer opponents over and over, the progression in race levels rarely troubles you at all. The top of the winners' podium is exclusively your territory.

Graphically, it looks very nice, as befits the Dreamcast, and the courses are well designed. Throw your bike into a bend and the rider's bum will slide from the saddle in authentic manner, and knees will get scraped. Other than that, it's all too unrealistic. Only a major impact with a rock or barrier will result in a spill, and as for clashing with other riders, well, it's almost as if they're all on rails. Not that we want to encourage anyone to try knocking bikers from their iron horses, oh no.

Challenging a friend to race in split screen is the safest bet, because, to be brutal, the AI isn't up to much. Overall, it's very pretty to look at, but I'm not going to take it home. more