ATV: Offroad: Web Wombat: Games

Sure, the launch wasn't perfect, but the games are now really starting to show some serious potential and, wouldn't you know it, we've just finished playing yet another AAA title.

Called ATV: Offroad, Rainbow Studios created the game for Sony Europe. Rainbow was also responsible for the Motocross Madness series on the PC, which everyone here at GameBlitz loves dearly.

As such, we were a little apprehensive when approaching a four-wheeled version of Motocross Madness, and a little bemused as to why Rainbow would jeopardise a good relationship with Microsoft by creating content for Sony. Methinks this is the dawn of a very grim struggle between Sony and Microsoft…

After a rather pleasing full-motion video introduction, complete with massive airs, stacks and thumping indy choonz, the game's menus are your first port of call. There are a number race modes, such as the time-eating enduro, indoor stadium supercross, freestyle stunt comp, maxxis nationals, pro career and a training mode - though we would suggest seasoned, world-weary gamers skip the last one.

All of these modes are one-off races that can be played with between one and four players. The pro-career is where the bulk of the single-player gaming lies and it's here that most will come to appreciate the small touches that make this game so satisfying.

The game engine feels similar to Rainbow's dirt bike offering and this is a damn good start. The way the quad's react to track surfaces is quite impressive and is testament to Rainbow's very intricate physics engine.

The replays show off just how good this game looks

The suspension behaviour is spot on, though I don't want to go into specifics here, simply because I'd prattle on for donkey's years about compression damping and stuff. Suffice to say that it is very realistic.

The quads bump around, react realistically to different angles of incline and basically do what you would expect them to do. Plus you can do wheelies and burnouts and that's always worth brownie points in my book.

There is also a clever suspension compression technique, which, when properly mastered, can give you more air time and usually take a few seconds off your lap time. You simply pull back on the analogue stick as you come to the base of a jump the flick it all the way forward as you approach the summit.

If done correctly it is possible to make huge airs, which is probably my only one major gripe with the game - the airs are too unrealistic.

You may say this is more fun and you'd be right. But Rainbow was going for realism, and realistic this ain't.

Racing through the pro-career takes a very long time, but it will teach you the basics of racing. It's not just a case of going full-throttle across the dirt, snow, sand and mud covered tracks. There can be advantages to taking a proper racing line, too, but this can sometimes be hazardous as the tracks contain many little undulations where you least expect them.

The key to staying ahead of the pack is rhythm. During clusters of jumps, of which there are many on each level, a perfect take off and landing is crucial. If you land on the top of a jump, as opposed to cruising nicely down its slopes, you either stack, or lose all your speed. This necessitates having to take the jumps one-by-one, as opposed to clearing them all with one massive undergarment-staining air.

Pick your racing armour, then your quad

With all this gameplay goodness on offer, I can happily say that it has been married to a most remarkable visual presence. The graphics are very reminiscent of Motocross Madness, but this makes them no less striking.

The quads are recreated in sumptuous detail, from the tubular frames to the minimal fibre-glass chassis.

You can make out every little feature on the quads - suspension, tyre tread, engine, exhaust system - it's all too much for this petrol head! The way they kick up chunks of dirt and leave a trail of dust behind them is also very cool.

Add to the very sexy looking ATVs some amazingly gorgeous vistas and you have one very fine showcase for anti-Sony friends to check out.

The tracks are often huge, but the clipping range is way off in the distance and the framerate is a solid 60fps with nary a hiccup.

Trackside detail is good and the actual tracks themselves look amazingly organic, with smooth deviations in the terrain and some very high-detail textures put to good use. In all, the great gameplay is matched by equally spunky graphics. Kudos to Rainbow for the tip-top job!

There are a bunch of fictional rides in there, but about 20 or so Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha quads made the cut, too. You can also customise the colour of your rider and choose male or female riders.

On the whole the sound samples are excellent - the dirty two-stroke and smoother four-stroke engines sound delightfully peppy and the rider's gut-wrenching screams of pain are a delight to listen to after particularly treacherous bails.

This is called the undignified dismount...

It's also cool to note after falls from extreme heights the rider's have a slightly different and even comically sounding scream that changes in intensity the further they fall. Chortle.

The music side of things hasn't been neglected, either. Bands such as Strawhorse, Cirrus, No Other Medicine (and other more commercial bands) add a rather interesting mix of indy, rock and grunge that somehow compel you to drive even more recklessly.

Longevity is guaranteed with this motor sports title, thanks to the amazing gameplay and real-world physics ATV: Offroad presents.

Two player bouts can be immensely enjoyable, but I found four-player action to be a little chuggy and, unless you have a cinema screen handy, be prepared to squint a lot.

At the end of the day, ATV: Offroad is a winner. It's so damn wholesome, easy to pick up yet difficult to master. It's one of those rare games, similar to Soul Calibur and Counter-Strike, that will have you saying to yourself - after several litres of caffeinated beverages - "just one more go".

Game: ATV: Offroad
System: Playstation 2
Players: 1-4
Memory Card: Yes
Developer: Rainbow Studios
Distributor: Sony

Rating: 90%

(Ratings Key/Explantion)

ATV: Offroad is on the shelves now.

	Announcement