You can see your bike cutting through the snow, kicking up the mud and snow as you make your way around the track leaving the divots behind. This was most noticeable in the snow tracks. The ruts just don’t magically appear on the track as you can actually see how the dirt, sand, or mud begins to pile up along the tire tracks. The track deformation is also a very impressive addition. Riders and bikes are also well animated and move with fluidity and realism along each track. From the huge open vistas of an alpine setting to the more enclosed setting of stadium racing, each track that is created for this game has its own feeling with lots of visual touches going on. The off-road tracks are nicely detailed and varied. Needless to say, it was not long before I started finishing in the top three of a five lap race and much of that had to do with how easy it was for me to pick up the controls. There are trick modifier and clutch controls, but in all honesty I rarely used them. If you just have those basic controls down, you are able to effectively compete in all the races and finish in good standing. Your throttle and braking is controlled with the triggers. Steering your bike and controlling your rider is accomplished with ease by using the analog sticks. Do not get me wrong, there are still plenty of times my face hit the mud but being able to nudge other racers while focusing on the race at hand made the experience a little more realistic and enjoyable.īeing a rookie to the franchise I was surprised how accessible and easy it was to pick up the game right from the get go. This time around the bar to bar racing allows for a little bumping making the game feel more authentic and far more forgiving.
Far too often in previous games (so I am told) a little bump could result in completely wiping out. Being able to bump and nudge into other racers as you are heading into a jump or taking a corner is a big part of racing. New to the franchise this year is “bar to bar” racing. ATV Alive XP system introduced in the game will be a hit with the MX vs. I never had a chance to play around with some of these aspects of the game, but I can see how the MX vs. Most hardcore fans will likely spend the XP on tracks and parts as the parts can improve the performance of your bike. In turn you can spend the points on new parts for your ride, new tracks, new outfits, rider skills for your racer and so on. Throughout any given race you complete challenges and unlock points. You continue to race your way through the games many tracks, but whether you finish first in a race or last you always earn XP. The lack of a single player story mode has been replaced with a progression system, or better known as an experience points (XP) system. After some extended playtime with the game, I have to say I am impressed however, the lack of career single player story mode may turn some folks off the game. With a release date, it is safe to assume we had a chance to play with what looked like the final completed version of MX vs. Not to mention I was curious to see how the game would play given its price ($39.99) which is significantly less than your typical new release video game on the Xbox 360. Not having much experience with the franchise I was curious to see what one of THQ’s most successful original IP’s was all about. ATV Alive’s single player and multiplayer features on the Xbox 360. THQ was having major money troubles at this time so that might explain why the soundtrack is not as stacked as it had been in past games.This past week I was lucky enough to get some hands-on time with MX vs. There is a licensed soundtrack here that has some decent tracks on it. There is a bit of an issue with pop-in every now and again, but as you are so focused on the racing you will probably not notice it all that much. I especially liked the tracks that had snow on them as I feel these looked great. The tracks look nice and muddy and the way the riders move is great. I will say that for the most part, the presentation of MX vs. It put a sour taste in my mouth when this was released and I was not the only one. THQ made the very greedy decision to allow players to unlock everything at the start of the game as long as they were willing to give them an extra ten bucks, I am sorry, but I find this disgusting. Now, in theory, that is ok, I do not have a problem with it, but you do not unlock new tracks until you are level 10! This forces you to replay those first two tracks over and over again! Not to mention, after this the next tracks do not unlock until you are level 25! There are only two tracks unlocked at the start of the game. You will notice the first issue with MX vs.