You've got to get all the popular genres covered early when you're launching a new machine. The Dreamcast is no exception and so here's the first of what's bound to be many motorcycle racing games. Enter Suzuki Alstare Extreme Racing...
Andy Smith

Suzuki Alstare? What's the bloomin' heck's that? Japlish?
No. We all thought they meant 'All Star' too, but apparently not. The game's named after a real American racing team, Suzuki Alstare, so it doesn't mean 'All Stare' either...

That's cleared that up then. Onto the game.
This is no simulation for a start. If you're looking for a new motorbike racing game that pays attention to real-world physics then you won't find it here. SAER nods more towards Super Hang On (a classic Sega arcade game from the late '80s) than something like Superbike World Championships.

Super Hang On was pretty damn funky!
It sure was, and the early version of SAER we've been playing reminds us of it. This is pure out and out arcade racing stuff - you can bash into the other riders until your heart's content and you can cut corners and even smash into the scenery regularly, without fear of ending up in Holby City General.

Hmm. It's not realistic then.
As we said, no. This is arcade fare, complete with time limits to beat, checkpoints to reach and the occasional shortcut and route-choice to be made on the later courses.

Alright, talk to me about what's in the game.
The usual quick race and split-screen two-player modes are there (and the game looks rather super-smooth and lovely in two-player mode, though the pop-up does become noticeable), but the main point of SAER is the championship mode.