One thing that never gets old on any
console is a good racing game. While I am a fan of the more arcade racing games,
I still really enjoy playing a good ATV racing game from time to time. When the
PlayStation Portable debuted developers at Sony Entertainment released their
popular ATV franchise on it and the game was received by mixed reviews due to
its really poor controls and less than stellar graphics. The developers went
back to the drawing board to come up with their latest update.
With ATV Offroad Fury Pro the
developers really went back to find out what was wrong with the first game and
fix it to make it fun for all gamers. There are numerous game modes for you to
participate in that will help prevent this game from getting mundane. First off,
there is a training mode which allows you to get familiar with each of the
game’s different vehicles and helps prepare you for when you are racing, as you
will learn various tricks to help give you the edge. There are also single
events that include: Supercross, Rallycross, Nations, Freestyle, Circuit, Rally,
Snowcross, and others that really help you prepare for the Championship portion
of this game. In Championship you will compete in various events to get
sponsors, which help unlock new parts for your vehicles and clothing. Each of
these games modes are a blast to play and provide many hours of enjoyment.
There is also a nice multiplayer
portion of this game. If you have any friends around you that also own this game
you can set up an ad-hoc game to find out who is the best between you. The real
multiplayer is if you login online to play in single races, championships, as
well as a variety of minigames that will keep players coming back from more. In
this mode you will also be able to unlock more parts and upgrades for your
vehicles.
This game offers a lot of options
with its vehicle selection, which includes all-terrain vehicles, bikes, buggies,
trucks, rally cars, and even Ski-Doo snowmobiles! This means that you can go on
the same track multiple times and you will get a different race and feeling each
time. It was very wise for the developers to do this because this gives the game
a huge replay factor since you can race the same track multiple times with it
being different each time. What I really liked was playing with the Ski-Doo
snowmobiles; these levels were a great addition to this game and made it really
fun to play though since they really handle differently on the ice and snow.
One thing that I have to say is that
the graphics for this game look really good on the PlayStation Portable. While
they are not as good as the ATV Offroad 4, the graphics still offer a visual
feast. Unlike some of the other games on the PlayStation Portable, the drivers
and the vehicles are a nice size so it is easy to see them, especially when you
are pulling off some insane tricks. What I really noticed is how smoothly
everything is animated, and a big part of this is due to the nice and steady
framerate that this game enjoys.
The developers made the actual
tracks you race on really enjoyable in this game. To make the game feel more
like you are racing in a forest or dirt road, there will be various obstacles
that you will have to overcome, such as branches in the way, equipment, and
other things that will pertain to the level you are racing in. It is touches
like this that make the game feel that much more real to the players as they are
going through the game, and always makes you pay attention to the track like you
would have to in real life.
The sound for this game was done
with care and it shows. All of the sounds from the vehicles sound really
realistic and different from one another. This is a really good thing since
there are a multitude of vehicles to use; you would want them to sound different
from each other since they do in real life. What I found really appealing was
the music selection that the developers used. It has band such as Alkaline Trio,
Senses Fail, Saosin, and many more which really makes you want to continue to
play as you listen to such a great rock soundtrack.
ATV Offroad Fury Pro is rated for
everyone.
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Gameplay: 8.1
Players will be able to tell that this game was
made from the ground up with the PlayStation Portable controls in mind, because
this game handles really well. Handling the various vehicles all felt natural
and fun as you are doing various tricks in the air.
Graphics: 8.3
The graphics for ATV Offroad Fury Pro are a real head turner. While they are not
as good as its console brethren, it still packs a nice visual punch to your
eyes. What is really good is that I never seemed to have framerate issues, which
is always good no mater what game you are playing.
Sound: 8.4
I really enjoyed the soundtrack to this game. Any game that includes
Alkaline Trio and a few others is good in my books. The sound effects were also
really well done.
Difficulty: Medium
Just like all racing games it takes a while to get adjusted to the
vehicles that you are using as well as the tracks that you are racing upon. The
levels in the game ramp up with difficulty as you go along, but that is not a
huge surprise.
Concept: 7.9
This game provides some real ATV racing fun while you are on the go.
Also having various environmental obstacles in the environments made the game
much close to realism.
Multiplayer: N/A
At the time of this review I did not get a chance to test out the
multiplayer portions of this game.
Overall: 8.2
ATV Offroad Fury Pro is a really good racing game that has been
released for the PlayStation Portable. If you enjoy this type of game then I
suggest that you pick this little racing gem up.
