MX Vs. ATV: Unleashed Review
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As we are now deep into the dog days of video game
releases, any game that comes out is probably over scrutinized by us folks in
the reviewing business. Not only because we have less games to review (and
therefore more time to look at the little things), but because we all got new
nifty presents like graphics cards and speakers. So what better way to test
these new accouterments out then to pop in a snazzy little title like MX vs.
ATV.
Now that my oldest son has become a full fledged
gamer, I have been breaking down all of my games into two categories: Daddy
games and E for everybody games (Yes, that's how my son says it). And so far
this year I am happy to report that my son and I have completed three games
from beginning to end. But when he saw this ATV game come in the mail, my
poor wife was forced to actually boot it up on the PC for him long before I
got home from work for fear of him passing out from excitement. I don't know
what magical hold ATVs have over my son (anything ATV for that matter) but
they do and it is a fairly regular thing for me to come into the room and find
him playing ATV off-road Fury on the PS2. But according to my son, I can also
play as other vehicles, not just ATVs, and that, in his opinion is a big
bonus. So when I finally got a chance to put this bad boy through the ringer,
I was pleasantly surprised to find out how intuitive my son really is (he's
5). True to his word, there are all sorts of vehicles that you can race
including, Monster trucks, planes, and golf carts. Now this makes for
an unusual racing experience, because you can set the parameters of the games
to actually race these vehicles against one another. Which adds an unique
dynamic to the title. I mean, think about it, racing a plane against a
motorcycle across a canyon strewn desert can be pretty crazy fun.
"Even trucks can experience thyroid problems."
Now I must say that this game probably is a tad
more enjoyable to control on a console system because the whole game pad thing
is more suited for this style of game. Yes, I know they make some kick butt
controllers for the PC, well I don't have one, so it was all on the keyboard
for this offroader. The keyboard ended up working out alright for me as the
game clips by at a steady pace. With the extreme variances in terrain and
course design it pays to try and memorize the course, but the timing in
landing certain jumps is even more critical especially when you are using keys
for your speed and brakes. Land too short and either wreck painfully or be
forced to muscle up a hill as your competition soars over your head. Land too
far past a hill and you may find yourself careening off the course or into a
wall. It's all about timing in this game, timing. Say it with me folks
"Tie-Ming" I am forcing you to do that because I couldn't seem to get my own
timing down on some of the courses.
"Timing!"
If anything, the game has an absolute ton of
courses, some of the interior superbike style courses are what I think people
are used to in terms of sporting events and shows. They are the tracks that
have twists and turns with several small jumps in a straight away with a few
really large jumps. Yeah, they are cool enough, but they keep you too much
steeped in reality, the things you do on the superbike courses are what you
see when you go to the show. But all of that gets thrown out the window and
chances are you won't race them once you have experienced the massive outdoor
courses. This is where I play now. On a side note, when playing championship
mode (puts you through all the courses) you can only ride the ATVs or
motorcycles, sure you race both indoor and outdoor, but I think it would be
more enjoyable if you could rip through the mode in a 4 x 4 golf cart.
Otherwise those outdoor courses are in my opinion are; more surprising,
steeped in fiction and simply more fun.
Now the game is really not that challenging, I
know I stated that I had some timing issues above, but even after wrecking
into a wall three times in a single race, I could still win that same race, so
to say this is a tough game would be wrong. It's easy as all get out. Where
you will find your toughest competition is when you go online and tear up the
tracks that way. It's fairly easy to log on and find some competition. Plus,
with the game's easy to use track editor, you can race others on your custom
made track or go and race on someone else's completely made up track.
Now I'm running on a pretty beefy graphics card
now, so of course everything was jacked up to the highest setting, but the
recommended requirement is that you have a 64mb graphics card, so that should
tell you that the visuals aren't all that demanding. Sure, they look pretty
good, but trust me you have seen things that far surpass the graphics featured
in this title. But to play fair, the game is so well developed that you don't
need to have those super graphics to have a real good gaming experience. Now
the audio is a bit better then I expected and you can distinctly hear a
different pitch of the various engines. The in game music is what you would
expect, a sort of hard rock sound track featuring tracks by Crossfade,
Nickelback, Papa Roach and others. The problem with the soundtrack is that I
compared this and every other rock soundtrack to the songs featured in ATV
Quad Power racing 2 on the Xbox. Quite possibly the finest group of rock
songs wrapped around an ATV game.
|
Review Scoring Details for MX Vs. ATV: Unleashed |
Gameplay: 8.4
Easily controlled even with the keyboard, plenty
of navigatable menus and an easy to use track editor.
Graphics: 7.0
It isn't anything fancy, it isn't anything that's
going to win awards, it simply is what it needs to be to play a smooth even
game.
Sound: 7.4
A bit beefier hum will come out of your speakers
as you switch to some of the larger vehicles. I thought the rock soundtrack
was decent, but predictable.
Difficulty: Easy
You will have no problem becoming the champion,
there is some unevenness to the collisions with AI riders (you always seem to
fall) but you will easily catch up and pass your competition.
Concept: 8.0
I love the addition of the wacky and odd vehicles,
the track editor is spot-on and the differing challenges (hill climbing, gap
jumps, etc.) are inspired. There was some thought and originality put into
this title.
Multiplayer: 8.1
Easy to get online, easy to find competition, easy
to get your butt handed to you by some kid in Missouri.
Overall: 8.0
A surprisingly fun title to have and play. I've
spent more time with it then I normally would have because my kid loves it.
And so I must say this; any game that can bring my son to sit with me and grin
ear to ear for 60 minutes must be doing something right.
MX Vs. ATV: Unleashed Comments (0)
GameZone Review Detail
| Gameplay | 8.4 |
| Graphics | 7 |
| Sound | 7.4 |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Concept | 8 |
| Multiplayer | 8.1 |
| Overall | 8.0 |
8.0
GZ Rating
Avg. Web Rating
7.3
ESRB Rating
Everyone
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