MX vs. ATV: Untamed Review

Written by: Darren Cartledge Posted: 12th May 2008

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We rip up some dirt in this latest off road racer from THQ.

MX vs. ATV: Untamed Details:

	Racing
	PlayStation 3/Xbox 360
	Rainbow Studios
	THQ

Out Now

N/A

THQ’s MX vs. ATV series first joined forces in 2005 after both enjoyed successful stints as individual franchises. Now the series makes its debut on the current generation of console, but is it time this series stood down from the podium?

If you’re unfamiliar with THQ’s MX vs. ATV games they allow you to take part in a number of different off road races, on motor cross bikes, off-road trucks and ATV’s. The first thing you’ll notice about this latest instalment of the game is the sheer amount of content included in the game, as you are able to compete in several different race types and modes on a wide range of different off-road vehicles.

The game features quick and custom races, x-cross tournament and event series. The quick races allow you to take part in randomly generated races that can be made up of any of the games race types on any track racing on any of the vehicles included in the game. Custom matches allow you to compete in your preferred race type using your vehicle of choice, whilst the X-Cross tournament puts you in a different number of events with you having to master each vehicle classes included in the game. In event series you race through a number of races competing for the championship in your chosen vehicle class.

As already mentioned the game features a number of different race types some are pretty much what you would expect from a motocross racing title, such as outdoor, stadium and freestyle races. Also there are open cross races in which you race against a number of different vehicles. MX vs. ATV: Untamed also features Supermoto races, in which you race on both dirt and tarmac using MX, ATV or trophy trucks. Endurocross races are also featured, in these events you must race your motocross bike through a course filled with obstacles such as water and logs. Also included are two more rather unconventional race types, these are waypoint and mini moto. In waypoint races there are no set routes but a number of gates you must pass through in any order, the winner is the first to visit each of the gates. Mini moto races are pretty conventional there’s a set indoor route to follow, you compete on pit bikes which are shrunken versions of the MX bikes.

Races themselves vary in the degree of challenge they offer, each track has its own difficulty level and you have to learn the “rhythm” of the course. The rhythm of a track is made up of a series of jumps and corners, if you get it wrong it will slow your progress around the track down considerably, it’s all about timing get your jumps and landings right. AI controlled riders also provide a pretty good race and you also have to be aware of the possibility of other riders landing on you. Before each race you get to do a practice race, this gives you the opportunity to learn the track you can also choose the starting gate you start from, I found it didn’t really matter which gate I made my start from as everyone tended to clump together once the gate dropped.

As well as having to get to grips with the different course you also have to deal with the different handling abilities of the various vehicles featured in the game. All of which are pretty responsive and easy to pick-up however, I did find the controls of the MX bikes a little too twitchy. Other vehicles included in the game are various buggies’s and trucks including monster trucks and as you would expect they all have different handling abilities.

The game provides a pretty solid racing experience giving a good feeling of speed, however the game does have a major annoyance which has been present in previous MX vs. ATV games. This is experienced in races in which you have to follow a set track, if you fall or stray off the set route even slightly you are punished by being sent back to the point where you left the track, even if you return to the track as quickly as possible. While this may not sound too bad, and stops players cutting corners, just imagine if it happens on a straight section of the track and you understand where the annoying factor comes into play.

Adding to the games replay value MX vs. ATV: Untamed also features several multiplayer modes via split screen or Xbox Live. The games multiplayer modes allow you to take part in any of the races included in the single player mode, but also add several multiplayer mini games.

The mini games include a section race, in which the player who travels through a set section of the track the fastest is awarded it and the player with the most sections at the end of a race wins. There’s also a tag game in which you have to gather a ball and keep it for 1 minute, the first to do so wins. There are two other mini games to play on Xbox Live, these are Snake and Graffiti. In the Graffiti game mode you have to perform stunts off different ramps, scoring as high as possible, to win that ramp and the player with the most ramps at the end is declared the winner. Snake is very similar to Tron, you race around the arena with a coloured trail being left behind you and the objective is to knock rival player off their vehicle. There’s also an ice hockey game to play in split screen mode, two players on ATV’s try to score goals with an oversized puck. While the mini games do add to the variety of the game they do become tiresome rather quickly and seem more of a gimmick with no real lasting appeal.

Graphically the game looks pretty good and runs at a good speed. Riders feature good animation and will move around on the vehicles when you turn corners go over bumps. Tracks are fairly detailed but on the whole the game isn’t the most modern looking racing game available.

Sound in the game is pretty good, vehicles all sound very authentic and the game features a fairly good nu-metal soundtrack that is fitting with the games theme, however the games biggest weakness in this department is there’s not really that much going on.

On the whole MX vs. ATV: Untamed is a solid game with lots of different options to experience, however with this latest instalment I can’t help feeling there’s simply too many gimmicks that have been thrown in just for the sake of it and the series is starting to feel a little tired and may not have any real lasting appeal.