ATV Offroad Fury

• Release Date: February 07, 2001
• Genre: Racing
• Style: Rally/Off-Road Racing
• Similar Games: Motocross Madness 2 (IBM PC Compatible), ATV: Quad Power Racing (PlayStation)

Game Description

Players choose from a dozen All-Terrain Vehicles and three motorbikes, all from real-world names like Honda, Yamaha, and Kawasaki. Once the vehicle selection is made a trip to the garage is in order, where ATV's and bikes can be tweaked and customized to better match specific driving styles. Then it's time to crank up the alternative rock soundtrack, grab a few friends, and hit the off-road course for stunts and speed. Up to four players can compete at once on a split-screen with the help of a PS2 multi-tap.



All vehicles and environments in ATV Offroad Fury are rendered in full 3D. Vehicles need not stay "on track" at all times and players can steer their bikes and ATV's anywhere on the course. To scale, environments can be over two square miles and the game provides 20 different area for racing. A track editor is also included to allow players to design their own courses. The game features six different types of competition, including Enduro races and freestyle stunt contests. ATV Offroad Fury was developed by Rainbow Studios, which is also responsible for the successful PC titles Motocross Madness and Motocross Madness 2.

Review: Overall

It's not uncommon to see the latest alternative sports brought into the world of videogames, even though these titles have had a varied degree of quality and success. From the development team at Rainbow Studios, makers of Motocross Madness for the PC, comes ATV Offroad Fury, one of the first of its type for the PlayStation 2.

Motocross Madness was a fun title, but Offroad Fury's quality didn't have to be as good, since it wasn't running against any stiff competition on the platform. Thankfully, however, the game turns out to be an enjoyable racing title that grabs hold of its unique vehicles and does a good job of thrusting you into their dirt-eating world.

Games such as this live or die by their control, and ATV's control is a definite plus. Does it offer "incredible realism" as the documentation suggests? That's hard to qualify, but the game certainly won't have you throwing your controller in disgust. While the vehicles do occasionally feel a touch floaty or bouncy, the control is, on the whole, quite tight and functional, even during the close turns and when you're trying to pass opponents.

You'll have to master turning as well as the way to properly jump to succeed in this game. Jumping has a bit of a twist, as holding down the jump button gets your suspension ready even though you can't turn while doing it. Holding the button down longer gives you bigger air, similar to the wind-up feature in SSX. It's a nice addition to an already competent control scheme.

The tracks themselves sport a nice variety of features and styles. The outdoor levels are wide and expansive, while the supercross tracks feature tight and rough corners that give players a different feel rather than more difficult gameplay. The sand, dirt, and snow tracks all feel distinct in the traction area, as well.

The controls respond well on those tracks, depending on how adept you are at them, and catching air is relatively simple to do, although it might be tough to master. The air feels almost a little too big at points, so it's fairly unrealistic. But this is a game, after all, and it doesn't hurt gameplay.

The game does boast a number of tricks to perform, but they really aren't useful for anything beyond the stunt mode. They end up being a nice addition that doesn't manage to affect actual gameplay. What does affect gameplay, in a decidedly negative way, is the computer AI.

Not only is the computer unforgiving in its abilities, even on the easier modes, but it is set up in that familiar "arcade" style, where it will allow you to catch up when you're way behind, and be right on your tail no matter how well you're doing when you're ahead. It keeps things intense, but ultimately it cheapens the experience.

Fortunately, the game runs at a smooth frame rate despite the number of simultaneous on-screen racers and the complexity of the course in front of you. The machines and their riders are decently modeled, and look fine while you're bursting along at high speeds. There are also some nice lighting effects, and the few special effects, like dust and snow trails, add to the realism.

The music selection, like most games of this type, includes a number of authentic bands playing some of their hit songs. Yet in this game, the songs are all at least four or five years old, perhaps speaking of the budget constraints the developers were working with in selecting these titles. Still, they're mostly good songs that fit the game's rather laidback tempo.

ATV Offroad Fury is not only a great PlayStation 2 game, it's a great game for any console, with fun control and a variety of options that will keep players coming back for more. Its few foibles won't be enough to turn off fans of the genre, and even casual gamers will enjoy Offroad Fury's racing action.

Review: Enjoyment

With plenty of modes, a fun control scheme, and great track design, this game is a joy to play. It might not be terribly realistic, but it certainly does give you a good sense of speed without being too jarring and touchy.

Review: Graphics

The tracks and environments look great, and the riders and bikes aren't bad either. The special effects and lighting help flesh out the visual nature of the game.

Review: Sound

While it's curious to hear songs from the '90s featured prominently in the soundtrack, the tunes aren't bad, and the effects are above average.

Review: Replay Value

With an assortment of race modes and a stunt mode that lets you show off your best tricks, plus a fun little multiplayer component, you probably won't tire of {*ATV Offroad Fury} any time soon.

Review: Documentation

The instruction manual does a fine job of explaining the game, and looks fairly nice to boot.

Production Credits