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Dom Robinson reviews
for Sony Playstation 2
Sony
- Price: £39.99
- Players: 1-4
Driving and racing games are ten-a-penny, so what makes ATV Offroadstand out?
It’s not with the game options which are many, but also the standard fare.The race modes range from a basic training mode, through the MAXXISNationals, Stadium Supercross, Cross Country Enduro, each with differenttypes of track on which to drive, chart your progress with the Pro Careeroption, or also enter the Freestyle Competition to see how many pointsyou can get.
What did impress me at first was the quality and fluidity of the graphics.So many games like this could get bogged down in slow and turgid images whichdon’t shift the polygons like they should, but this gives you the greatfeeling of movement as you throw your ATV around the track – although it’smore fun trying it out with a practice round the canyon course, for example.There’s no pop-up either.
It’s also a very playable game with control of your vehicle taken by eitherthe left analogue joystick or the D-pad. My only quibble comes with the veryhilly tracks – mis-time one jump and you’re goosed. You’ll stay behind youropponents for the rest of the race.
The sound leaves a lot to be desired, though. It just sounds like you’refarting around the track, with the occasional groan from your rider as hegets thrown off the bike… again!
ATV Offroad is excellent at first, with fantastic physics most noticeablewhen you come off the bike with the biker flailing about all over the place,with further agony coming as the ATV slides back down the hill and twats youin the face, but does become rather samey quite quickly. After you’ve playedthe different race modes for a while and the novelty of running about has beenexhausted, for some that will be enough.
And that was nearly me. I was going to say that I’d wholeheartedly recommend arental of this game, but only buy if it’ll provide the longevity you’re after…but now it’s becoming quite addictive as I progress through the career option.
However, I was a bit annoyed at one thing during training when I saw ahanglider and I couldn’t get off my bike and change the mode of transport.
Also, one thing I’d like to see the end of: I failed to qualify in the fourthof eleven races in the Pro Career and while I could have another crackat it, it needed to reload the track back in – why get rid of it in the firstplace?!
SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC
PLAYABILITY
ORIGINALITY
ENJOYMENT
OVERALL
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.