MX vs ATV Reflex

I have a history with motor cross games - positively speaking. I ploughed hours into Excitebike and my very first PC game was Moto Racer from 1997. The following year Motocross Madness consumed me before I became aware of Midtown Madness 2, and its delightful multiplayer mode Cops N 'Robbers. So yes, I and motocross games have historically been good to one another. They have provided me with unforgettable memories across their varying game styles.

However, what little hope and expectations I had about MX vs. ATV: Reflex being a worthy title evaporated fairly quickly. A constipated advertiser guides me through the archaic looking menus. Reflective logos bathe in some kind of chrome alloy that is tinged with rainbow colours on a white background. Anonymous guitar loops sound in the background. Now I know game menus aren't a fair representation of a game, but with this, the proverbial writing glowed ominously on the wall.

You could say MX vs. ATV: Reflex is Motorstorm: Pacific Rift's uglier, and less well off little brother - a poor wretch that lacks the technology, the good design and in-depth driving sensation. Sure, there are obvious differences, but one can't simply ignore the similarities. There are a number of game modes to choose from. They include free driving, circuit racing, a new take on checkpoint on more open expanses and a trick competition. In addition to vehicle classes, motocross and quad bikes, there are also UTV vehicles and pickup trucks - which all is all is a decent spread to sink one's teeth into.

In order to familiarize myself with the controls, I took the game for a test run and was greeted with the first reveal. The graphics are downright underwhelming. "Unreal III graphics are all very well," the developers must have thought. "But would it not have served them better to have the game run on the Google Earth engine?"

Okay, I might be getting ahead of myself here, but when I'm presented with poorly textured hills, between randomly deployed (and ugly) trees it's only natural my nasty streak rears its head.

Now the free driving mode isn't representative of the whole game. Aesthetically, it certainly picks up when it comes to circuit racing, and helps convey a sense of purpose, although visually it never becomes more than functional with the game play never really developing either. Vehicles possess a strange physics. The controls are stiff and driving feeling quite awkward - especially when on four wheels.

UTV-cars and pickups add absolutely nothing to the experience - difficult to control, clumsy and dull to drive. Boring! The sound of the engine grates at my insides and remind me of the local lawnmower that drones outside my window on summer days. A monotonous clatter! I can almost smell the freshly mown grass ... which in itself is quite nice. Quad bikes aren't without its merits but it is below the standard of Pure. In short, the motocross part of the game is the one with real entertainment value.

The game's greatest features include the ability to control the driver's body weight and the cycle separately, and how the wheels leave imprints on the quagmire, just like Sega Rally and the previously mentioned MotorStorm. Man controls weight distribution with the right lever and steering the bike with the left - which only complicates overall handling rather than improving the driving experience. Trick is done by holding a shoulder button combined with a joystick combination. Not very intuitive, but it works.

Plus the edge must be used in split-screen mode, which is not always obvious in today's racing games. In addition, you can also fry ground online. Finding people to play with, however, is another story ...

It feels like Rainbow has been making the same type of game for about a decade now which is impressive but they've felt to develop the concept. MX vs. ATV: Reflex is not useless as a game. However, pointless vehicle types, shuddy sound, half arsed driving sensation and mediocre graphics, simply implies it deserves no more than a shrug of the shoulders.