Pros: Very realistic physics and racing dynamics. Very fast action, just like racing.
Cons: Clumsy to steer with "S" controller, but can be done with practice.
The bottom line: I recommend this very highly. The action is aggressive and accurate, the graphics are superb, and the challenge is as close as you can be without joining a factory team.
I am an experienced motorcyclist and MSF certified instructor, so I looked at this game with a critical eye. I wanted something detailed and challenging to play on my XBox Christmas present. I found this game very realistic and very challenging, and engaging to play. The learning curve is higher than many games I have, but it should be when you are dealing with 2 wheels compared to 4.
The training feature is very good and mimics those activities you will be performing on the race courses, and is very aggressive and demanding. My training time so far is around 6 hours, and I am not totally complete with the gold level.
The racing is very fast and accurate, and you need to be on your game completely to do well. Skill in many races is based on rider profiles preset by the developers, or based on your rider profile. This does not make your profile non-competitive, but adds a lot of challenge to the race. The track conditions can be altered; rain, cloudy, sunny, and that makes for many variables to extend the racing excitement. I would like to have the ability to tune the bikes with performance upgrades like suspension, tires, pipes. That would really be more like the real thing.
The graphics and sound are very good as well. The action of the rider on the bike is matched well to real life, and the sounds are fine for the feel of the game. An improvement might be the sound of carbon fiber and steel scraping against the pavement, or leather being torn off your body at 150 mph step-offs. ~|;-)
Actually, the steering action is reverse to what happens in the real world of motorcycle racing. You lean the motorcycle to turn it, but you must counter-steer to turn the bike. That is a hard concept to teach, but even harder to code in a game. Any speed over 8 to 10 mph REQUIRES counter-steering to turn a motorcycle.
My recommendation is very high for this game. I think they have a great game here, so now if we could get a few more tracks added and the ability to tune your ride, this would be the best game for speed junkies around.
Now if we just get Xbox to smell like burning rubber and racing fuel... Enjoy.