Most games and genres improve over
time, even the bad ones. It’s usually a given rule taught in Game Development
101 that as more games are made, the more developers can learn from mistakes a
make a better game because of it. ATV Thunder Ridge Riders/Monster Trucks
Mayhem is the exception to that fundamental rule.
Technically, this racing package
includes two games, so in the review I’ll make separate comments regarding each
game; however, most of my criticisms apply equally to both games and will
occasionally be directed simultaneously to both ATV and Monster Trucks
Mayhem. Also, the “Overall” score at the end is a reflection of my
opinion/recommendation of both games together, since the publishers so chose to
make that the product. Now on with the review…
First off, what passes as gameplay
in ATV/Monster Truck, is a retrograde of what most racing fans have come
to expect from new games. There is no touch-screen mechanics whatsoever, except
to advance menus, and the game relies totally on D-pad and buttons, which is
fine. I would rather a game not use the touch mechanic than ruin a game by
forcing it in. The problem is not in this; rather, the driving mechanics
themselves (physics, handling, etc…) are more concurrent with late NES or early
SNES games than anything recent. In the ATV game, traversing over the decently
rendered 3-D terrain is almost a joke; you can drive right up over hills (and
even water!) and back down without any affect on your car’s speed or handling
whatsoever. In one of my races, where you can either race against others in
Career mode or run a Timed checkpoint race by yourself, I ran straight into a
rock, but instead of flipping over or doing something realistic, my ATV
robotically bounced off of it like a rubber ball. The Career mode in ATV
is the same as Monster Truck, and I will go into that later. The Timed
races are merely slalom races around hills, weaving in and out of checkpoints.
The
gameplay in Monster Truck is even worse. The steering is laughable, as
you have about four different positions that your truck animates. The game is
literally inferior both in graphics and gameplay to Mario Kart for the
SNES. In MK, the tracks were laid out in a very narrow, strict fashion,
on top of a 2D/3D plane. And while the graphics are a tad better here (there are
3D ramps and undulations) the layout is similarly a lazy hybrid of both
dimensions. Monster Truck does feature a Crunch Melee mode, which is of
course devoid of fun or creativity, where you drive around looking for cars to
“crunch;” it’s almost unplayable. The Career mode has a simple upgrade system
where you can increase your trucks stats through the money you win or pick up on
the track, but it adds only miniscule depth.
The sound
in both games is completely generic and features bland rock songs to get your
manly testosterone flowing. Again, the sound effects are likewise generic and
predictable in both games, with the metal crunch here or the engine revving
there.
In both ATV and Monster
Truck there is a multi-card multiplayer function, but you would be
hard-pressed to find someone with this game anywhere around you.
As I said before, the graphics are
just horrible. There is hardly any art direction, and the levels all look
identical, depending on which mode you pick; there are merely different track
layouts. The only somewhat redeeming quality of ATV is the totally 3D
terrain, which you can traverse anywhere at anytime; however, the land all looks
the same and has been merely cut and pasted throughout to appear expansive. In
both games, the back-drops are blandly drawn paintings that show almost no
effort from developers. In ATV, the use of first person is fixed and
cannot be changed, which is again a disappointment. Monster Truck is
fixed in third person and each truck has about four different animations. The
sheer blandness of the game is evident by the fact that the developers didn’t
even bother naming the trucks or tracks anything other than “Truck A,” “Truck
C,” or “Track 1.” Yeh.
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Gameplay: 5.0
Generic and uses the mechanics of three generations ago
Graphics: 4.0
Significantly under-par for what the DS can actually do.
Sound:
5.0
Does the job and nothing more.
Difficulty: Easy
No depth or difficulty
Concept: 3.0
Clichéd and simple.
Multiplayer: 5.0
There is multi-card play, but no wi-fi. Good luck finding friends to play with.
Overall: 4.0
There is little replay value, except for multiplayer. This game is only
recommended for the extremely hardcore ATV fan, and anyone craving a fun and
challenging racer should look elsewhere.
