The past few weeks have been filled a true bounty of gaming goodness with triple A titles raining like mana from the sky. With some of the big titles now out and in gamers hands is there really anything left to look forward to in December? THQ and Rainbow Studios certainly believe so releasing MX vs. ATV: Reflex on December 1st.
When we first heard that MX vs. ATV: Reflex would drop the first week of December we have to admit we winced a bit. What hope could the game possibly have following on the coattails of Left 4 Dead 2, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, Dragon Age , and Uncharted 2? Upon reflection however we realize THQ is craftier than we thought, as MX vs. ATV: Reflex is the only racer of significance since Forza 3, and represents an entirely different subset of the racing genre, one sure to appeal to motocross enthusiasts. The question then remains, will it also appeal to the casual mainstream gaming audience whom can make or break a game’s sales?
This reviewer is about as casual as it comes when dealing with the driving genre so it was a true test as to whether or not the game would be able to deliver to somebody not familiar with the motocross sport.
Does the game deliver? Read on!
Gameplay:
MSXBOX-WORLD’s last true experience with an ATV game was Pure, and while the game is certainly a great title, it leaned far more on the arcade side of the racing genre in terms of its gameplay mechanics. We had heard that MX vs. ATV: Reflex was trying to stay more “true” to the sport while still allowing casual players the ability to compete. It was somewhat of a worry as to whether or not Rainbow would be able to balance the game well enough to appeal to the enthusiast crowd while still keeping the game accessible to casuals. Thankfully we can say that not only has Rainbow achieved this goal, but they have also managed to craft an incredibly fun title that somehow juggles realism with the all important “fun” factor.
For those of you who have actually been to a Motocross type event you will see bikes and ATV’s going off massive jumps and getting some major air in the process. We can assure all of you that MX vs. ATV: Reflex captures what we always thought this must feel like in a spectacular way. Just like in the real races players will go over jumps at high speeds capturing major air. The left stick controls the players vehicle while the right stick allows players to shift their body weight around. When landing after a big jump players will often be “off balance” and can correct themselves before they wipe out by shifting their body weight in the direction of a helpful arrow. This gives the player a real sense of control over their vehicle and reflects what actually happens in reality.
It will be obvious to anyone playing the game that Rainbow went to great lengths to accurately reflect the sport in video game form. For example, in real MX events how sharply one takes a turn can be the difference between cutting in front of a competitor or wiping out. In the game using the right stick allows players to “lean” into a turn and possibly cut another player or AI off. Just like in real races though one risks leaning too hard and wiping out, or worse yet hitting another player causing both players to spin out of control.
One annoyance for us was the fact that the AI seems to be impervious to crashes caused by bike/atv collisions. While hitting another racer will generally result in loss of control for most players, the AI was able to recover without breaking a sweat. This wasn’t an issue when we tried multiplayer at a preview event where massive (and awesomely hilarious) pile ups occurred with regularity.
We really liked the tuning system. The game features an extensive list of vehicles and parts for sale, all of which can be unlocked by earning credits from race winnings. We were curious if tuning one’s bike was for show but after playing around with the system we found that tuning a vehicle properly can literally be the difference between victory or defeat. The tuning system falls into the “easy to learn, hard to master” category meaning that enthusiasts will be experimenting for months to come, while casuals will “get” the system enough to be able to have fun in the garage while making a real difference in how they perform during a race. Rainbow deserves some credit as this is an area where developers either go to far or do too little. The tuning system is well balanced, easy to understand and get into even for casuals, and allows for tons of experimentation. Very well done.
It would be a disservice to speak of tuning without mentioning the reason why tuning is so important. Rainbow has packed literally dozens of races into the game many of which consist of wildly different terrain. Terrain runs the game of wide open stretches to a jumps made of logs the player must traverse. One moment players can be knee deep in water, the next moment they are sloshing through mud. This is exuberated by a game engine that features deformable terrain. The ruts in the track your vehicle leaves will be there for the rest of the race and can have a serous impact on a race in terms of how players traverse over this now altered terrain. Tuning a vehicle properly will allow players a much better sense of control over the elements, a sense of control that players tailor to their own tastes. The terrain in the game can be unforgiving to an improperly tuned vehicle causing wipe-outs happening with great frequency.
Graphics:
The graphics in the game are very well done, with the attention to detail in terrain very obvious. We always rate a games graphics by its ability to immerse one in the game world. In this aspect MX vs. ATV: Reflex succeeds with flying colours. We found ourselves eager to unlock new races just so we could see what new gorgeous terrain would we have to conquer next. While the terrain is very well done we noticed that there didn’t seem to be any environmental affects such as rain or snow. Not a deal breaker by any means but it would have been a nice touch. Regardless we think that most players will be suitably impressed by the visuals that the developers have managed to squeeze out of the 360. We should also add that not once while playing did we notice even a hint of slowdown even with multiple AI opponents on the screen.
Sound:
Everything pretty much sounded exactly right in terms of vehicle and environmental effects. When starting a race at the gate and hearing loud roaring of multiple bikes revving we even got shivers at how realistically Rainbow managed to capture the feeling of what it would be like to do this in real life.
While the environmental noises are really well done we DO wish there were a larger variety of music types offered in terms of the game's soundtrack. The soundtrack pretty much consists of hard rock music which one may or may not enjoy. With that said we can see how the developers probably felt this type of music fit best with the genre. A soundtrack consisting of trance probably wouldn’t have worked out too well.
Longevity:
There is a TON of content packed into the game. Over 40 races subdivided into 7 different categories. Open ended gameplay in free ride, stadium super cross style racing, outdoor racing over rugged terrain in Omni cross -- whatever your fancy you’ll probably find some tracks that quickly become favourites. The game features full online with up to 11 other players meaning that even when having completed the single player moto-career mode there will still be life left in the title. We actually won’t be surprised at all to see players jump directly to online play as it’s a heck of a lot of fun. Online modes feature the ability to race from all of the tracks (complete with player made play lists) as well as some other zany game modes. There is a tron inspired game called snake (think light cycles and you are on the right track), tag and many other mini games. THQ has let us know that while there is no set release date for it there is DLC in development for the title that will include new tracks, new vehicle skins and new gear.
Overall:
Rainbow has created a really fun racer, one which allows for a lot of player customizability while still being very accessible to gamers new to the genre. Hardcore enthusiasts will also no doubt be overjoyed at how well Rainbow has managed to capture the feel of actually being on a bike or quad.
Graphically the game looks really good, far better than any past MX vs. ATV title we can remember, and the there is some good long term value packed in thanks to the bevy of tracks and game modes.
For fans of the genre MX vs. ATV Reflex will be a no brainer day one purchase, and we suspect the excellent production values combined with positive word of mouth will get many casuals on board too. We won’t be surprised at all to see MX vs. ATV Reflex stuffed into little Johnny’s stocking come Christmas day. Maybe big Johnny’s stocking too.
MX vs. ATV Reflex was a real surprise for us. What a great way to end a year of great games.
