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| MX vs ATV Reflex |
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| THQ |
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THQ recently invited MSXBOX-WORLD to Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas Nevada for some hands on time with the up coming iteration of MX vs. ATV. We have to admit we weren’t sure what to expect. Last year’s MX vs. ATV wasn’t the greatest, and to be perfectly frank, we were expecting more of the same. What a surprise then to finally sit down with the game and see a game that not only exceeded our expectations … it blew them away.
The game has gotten a complete graphical overhaul. The background scenery is breathtakingly beautiful but not relying on a “shine filter” like so many other supposedly next gen games. We spoke with lead technical designer Elliot Ollson of Rainbow Studios who stated that the ground detail in the game for example has ten times the resolution of the previous title. The track features full deformation and different types of “dirt” and terrain will actually now have an affect on your bike while racing. Vehicles also feature full deformation and in longer races players will really notice as their vehicles takes on serious damage.
The controls in the game were refreshingly simple with most of the journalists at the event picking it up within 5 - 10 minutes of play. Literally the only thing players will have to worry about is accelerating, breaking, steering and occasionally hitting a trick while in the air. In essence, instead of concentrating on a complicated control scheme the developers created a title where the emphasis will be on actual racing and learning on screen mechanics like when to drift or when to hit the breaks. It’s fantastic in the sense that it allows players to concentrate on the thing they bought the game for in the first place … racing.
The last real ATV title we really sunk our teeth into was Pure. While Pure is a spectacular game in it’s own right, that game was all about chaining tricks and definitely had an arcade feel to it . In MX vs. ATV Reflex on the other hand tricks aren’t impossible to pull off, however players will have to actually think about what they are doing. MX vs. ATV Reflex is more grounded in reality than Pure which is something we think racing purists will really appreciate. With that said we believe the developers at Playgrounds have managed to come up with a game that we believe will appeal to both casual and hardcore alike … a game that makes racing and immersion the ultimate priority.
There are multiple vehicles to choose from ranging from 2 different classes of MX bikes to buggies and different classes of trucks. UTV’s.Champion sport track for trucks was also pretty cool taking place on an enclosed course. All of the game environments were impressive looking to be honest, whether indoors or outside.
MX vs. ATV: Reflex features multiple single player and multiplayer game modes including Supercross, multinationals , tag and snake, Omnicross. In single player modes players can “tune” and tinker with their vehicles before and after each race which is a feature that we really liked.. Freeride is also back again and we feel is even better than last year. We expect to see Freeride rooms staying open long after their creation with people coming in and out, and people just basically relaxing and enjoying the game in a sandbox setting. Tag and Snake is also going to be a hoot featuring the age old game of “Tag” built right into the gameplay. This mode seemed to be a favorite among the journalists playing and we expect that the multiplayer community will love it, In total multiplayer is going to allow for up to 12 players.
For those of you wondering whether or not to buy the PS3 or Xbox 360 version, according to Elliot neither platform took lead, with the game instead being developed on both platforms at the same time. Looking at both versions running side by side there was basically not difference at all in the graphical detail, and not a hint of slowdown. Naturally we favour the Xbox 360 version because if it’s superior controller however it’s nice to know that nobody is going to really be getting the shaft due to their console preference.
It’s great to see developer Rainbow Studios really kicking things up a notch with this year’s iteration of the franchise. This will be the first ATV game out in a long time that takes a more serious look at ATV’ing while still managing to keep the game fun. For any of you who have actually been ATV’ing or dirt biking before, the game really does manage to capture the essence of how it feels to be on one of these vehicles.
Look for MX vs. ATV: Reflex hitting Xbox 360 at the start of December.
Preview By: Scott Strickland
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