Review in Progress: MX vs. ATV Alive
We have some pre-review impressions of THQ's latest off-road racer.
As I mentioned in my recent Reality Check column, when MX vs. ATV Alive arrived in stores earlier this week, we had yet to receive anything resembling a reviewable copy of the game. The good news is that shortly after the aforementioned column was written, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 retail copies of the game arrived in the mail. I've spent several hours checking out both versions since then, and our review won't be ready until early next week, but I wanted to post a heads-up on how the game is treating me thus far.
The first thing I noticed about MX vs. ATV Alive is that it doesn't feature a career mode. Rather, you simply have a persistent character across all single-player and multiplayer races who levels up the more you play. That's all well and good, except that your rider needs to reach level 10 before you unlock a decent number of tracks on which to race. Prior to that, you have only four full tracks (two of which need to be downloaded using a code that comes with new copies of the game, so they're currently unavailable on the PS3), two short tracks, and two free-ride locales. Racing the same tracks over and over again isn't a huge deal because they're well designed and there are multiple difficulty levels to choose from, but MX vs. ATV Alive definitely feels repetitive early on because so little of its content is unlocked.
Like MX vs. ATV Reflex before it, Alive is played using a dual-stick control system; the left stick steers your chosen vehicle while the right controls your rider. It's a good setup, and it's taken me a little while to get comfortable with it, but it makes getting huge air off of ramps and successfully negotiating sequences of humps pretty satisfying. I'm mostly playing on the default and Pro difficulty levels right now, and I feel like the game is posing a pretty decent challenge. Unlocking upgrades for bikes and ATVs (vehicles level up independent of you depending on how often you use them) makes winning races much easier, but that's quickly remedied by cranking up the difficulty, at which point you earn experience more quickly.
You can also race online if you're looking for a challenge, of course, though for obvious reasons, I'm currently only able to test this on the Xbox 360. I've yet to race in a full field of 12 riders, but getting into lag-free races with seven or eight other players hasn't been a problem at all. My rider is currently at level 15, and I'm hopeful that, over the weekend, I can get him to level 25 and unlock the six or seven tracks that are still grayed out on the event select menu. I guess I could just go to the in-game store and pay $6 to unlock everything, but where's the fun in that? Some areas of the rather unwieldy "MotoClub Depot" don't appear to be open for business just yet, incidentally, but it's clear that while this is a $40 game, the hope is that you'll spend more money buying new rider gear, vehicles, events, and even butt patches for it.
I look forward to delivering a full review next week. In the meantime, if you already bought the Xbox 360 version of the game and happen to be playing online this weekend, keep an eye out for me playing as JusticeCovert.
I used to love MX vs ATV Unleashed for the PS2 and loved it. It was always an interesting mix of an arcade and sim racer.
i want an ATV Most Wanted game
I want my PSN back :'(
Sounds good and from what you said I'm glad I went for the Xbox version. It's sitting on my shelf still sealed - hoping to open it tomorrow :D
Hot Stories
Newsmakers
-
Metro: Last Light Wii U canceled early on
THQ rep says "some work" was done on Wii U version of upcoming shooter, but decision to cancel the game was made "fairly early on." Full Story
- Posted Dec 13, 2012 5:46 am PT
-
Naughty Dog: games don't need males on cover to sell
The Last of Us dev says studio was asked to put Ellie on the back cover; claims it is a fallacy that putting a female on cover will lead to lesser sales. Full Story
- Posted Dec 12, 2012 7:58 am PT
Featured Stories
-
Assassin's Creed III sells 7 million
Stealth-action game notches new sales milestone, becoming Ubisoft's fastest-selling game ever. Full Story
- Posted Dec 12, 2012 9:52 am PT
-
BioWare had Bond-meets-Bourne RPG in the works - Report
Former BioWare producer Trent Oster says project was to cross 007 and Jason Bourne with an emphasis on acting; EA reportedly not interested. Full Story
- Posted Dec 6, 2012 10:23 am PT
-
Microsoft forming 'top-secret' Kinect team
Xbox maker establishing new unit to "tell the story of what the future of entertainment will look like"; candidates should be ready to fail in high-risk environment. Full Story
- Posted Dec 12, 2012 6:57 am PT
-
Diablo III a top Google search in 2012
Searches for Blizzard's dungeon-crawler topped only by iPad 3, Hurricane Sandy, Gangnam Style, and Whitney Houston. Full Story
- Posted Dec 12, 2012 12:27 pm PT
-
Crytek: Crysis 3 is 'maxing out' current gen
CEO Cevat Yerli claims "no game will ever look technically better than Crysis 3" on current gen; says Crysis 2 is technically superior to most games. Full Story
- Posted Dec 11, 2012 12:02 pm PT
Related Game
MX vs. ATV Alive
Follow for the latest news, videos, & tips from experts & insiders
- Publisher(s): THQ
- Developer(s): THQ Digital Studio Phoenix
- Genre: Driving
- Release: May 10, 2011 (US)
- ESRB: E