A challenging and realistic racer that pushes the limits of console gaming in terms of graphics and presentation.
Graphics: On-par with the best of today... of course, it's a racing game, so everything's flying by at lightspeed, but the character models and suits are perfect, right down to the last wrinkle. Bike models are clean and crisp and the skinning tool, while not perfect, allows you to make everything your own.
Gameplay: I've found controls to be pretty intuitive after only a half hour or so of playing. Problem is, it's very different from other racing game setups, so there's a transition period when i pick up PGR3 or Forza again... gotta keep telling myself that you can't lean a Porsche forward in a long straight.
AI: Depends on difficulty setting, but they can present quite the challenge. I started out on Champion and for the first 4 or 5 races, i had difficulty breaking into the top-10. The AI is unrelenting around the corners and it took me a long time to correct my weakness. *TIP* If you're getting bullied in the corners, make sure your weight is back, giving added stability to your rear wheel. The AI will get you loose in the back end and force you to spin out or lay the bike down.
Overall, i think this is a fantastic game with strong multiplayer content and a single player career that forces you to improve your skills. The techniques learned herein will easily transfer to other racing sims and it's nice because it's much harder to hold lines on a bike, so when you perfect in this game and get back to car racing, you'll breeze through what may have been frustrating challenges (i.e. staying out of the sand at Laguna Seca)