The MX vs. ATV series has been around since it’s first release in 2005 by Rainbow studios. MX vs. ATV Unleashed was the first in the series released in 2005 on the PS2, XBOX and PC. It aimed to give players a real simulation of riding either an ATV or MX bike. 4 games followed: MX vs. ATV Untamed, On The Edge (a PSP port of Unleashed), Reflex, and the newest installment, Alive.
With MX vs. ATV: Alive now available in stores, fans of the series are probably wondering if they should pick this newest edition up. Does it offer anything new? Or have the developers run out of options? Here are the HOTs and NOTs of MX vs. ATV: Alive.
HOT
Track Design
The track design in Alive utilizes a full range of terrain, jumps and turns to put your skill in control to the test. The starter tracks allow you to learn the ropes without being too difficult while some of the others will make sure you were practicing and learning as much as you could to earn that coveted imaginary gold medal.
Unfortunately there isn’t a huge selection of tracks to choose from. On top of that you only get to select from a few from the start. But I will get into that more in the NOTs.
Customization
Although the game does not have a wide vehicle selection, there is a vast array or different parts you can put on either your bike or quad to personalize it and make it your own. You can change things such as wheels, handlebars, the body of the vehicle and more. The same goes for your rider. You can either deck your own rider out with different gear and colors, or you can choose from a pre-made professional rider. Unfortunately, this does not save the game from it’s multiple flaws.
NOT
Progression System Is Boring
This alone can break the game for some players. The progression system requires you to win races in order to unlock more tracks, gear, and vehicles. What makes this a drag is the fact that there are only 2 National Tracks, 1 Short Race Track, and 2 Free Ride Tracks to start off with. You don’t start unlocking any more until level 10 which requires you to keep playing tracks over and over again until you finally unlock more. Even with the ability to switch up the mix of vehicles, laps and difficulty, you will soon find yourself bored of looking at the same track over and over again.
Not Much Selection
MX Vs. ATV: Alive doesn’t give you much in the way of content, even at a $39.99 price mark. The give you a total of 12 National Tracks, 3 Short Tracks, 2 Free Ride Tracks, 6 bikes, and 4 ATVs. Mix this in with a handful of customization options and pro riders and you have this game. The amount of content provided is due to THQ’s “hybrid pricing model” which has the consumer paying a lower price for the game and then dishing out extra green for downloadable content such as tracks vehicles and riders.
Reflex And Trick System
While the MX bikes handle perfectly fine, the ATV’s are very light and floaty making it difficult for players to use them on the jumps. Racing the ATVs on the figure eight tracks turns into a hellish nightmare and battle for control over you vehicle instead of first place.
The Rider Reflex System is an entirely different problem on it’s own. It basically allows you to control your rider’s weight shift over the front and back of the vehicle allowing you to get more air off of jumps, perform wheelies, maneuver turns and regain balance from a potential crash. The biggest problem is that you will almost always find yourself doing unnecessary wheelies that end up with your rider munching on dirt. This comes as an annoyance when your barely in the lead and you accidentally shift the right stick even slightly back, causing you to be pulled backwards and thrown off your back. Bye bye gold medal.
The trick system in this game is broken and should have just remained dead if they didn’t want to put any time or effort into it. It essentially has you holding down the right bumper and then having an epileptic seizure on the right stick with the vain hope that your rider will perform a trick. When he does pull one off, pray that he does it at the peak of your jump instead of right at the end, which they will tend to do. Performing tricks is near impossible as is due to the lack of sizable jumps to perform them off of.
VERDICT
MX vs ATV: Alive comes as a huge disappointment to the series. It offers very little content to the player, even at a discounted price. The racing is fun but you will find yourself racing the same tracks over and over again until you finally hit the rank to unlock a new one. The customization is nice but there isn’t much in the way of vehicles to put your own personal little flair on. Unless you are a die-hard fan of the series, my vote is on passing this installment.
[Editor’s Note: MX vs. ATV: Alive was reviewed on the PlayStation 3 platform. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]