Platform reviewed: PSP
The ATV Offroad Fury series is one of those licenses that you really have to be a fan of to enjoy at this point. The first game was good and fun, but the developers just keep pumping out new sequels, most with very few new features, to the point where most feel like an update, less than a full new game. And this is exactly the case with ATV Offroad Fury Pro for PSP. It’s a good game for fans of the offroad racing genre, but most everyone else will grow tired of the stale “jump around arenas” gameplay. It does an excellent job of recreating the offroading experience, but then, so did all the games in the series before it.
It should be said that, although the game doesn’t feel very fresh, it certainly packs in the extras. Starting first with additional vehicles – not only do you race on the usual assortment of motorcross bikes and four-wheelin’ ATV’s, but they’ve added snow racing and dune buggies. Each vehicle has specific handling and trick characteristics, but that often doesn’t matter, as you just feel like you’re playing “point the stick and smash a bunch of buttons when you hit a jump.”
Additional content comes in the form of tracks and game modes, of which both are plentiful. With a huge variety of vehicles comes a need to have tracks for them to race on, and that need is certainly met here. As for race modes, there’s career, training and more, and the best part – you can take your racing online.
Visually, Offroad Fury Pro sports some very polished graphics, both for vehicles and the environments. You really do feel like you’re on a dirt track or ice track as you play, with little details immersing you in the environments. The sound is likewise solid, so as a whole you’re really made a part of the racing experience.
ATV Offroad Fury Pro is a solid game that will easily please fans of offroad racing (and them some), but the more casual gamer may find the same-old same-old gameplay tiresome, even with the additional content and vehicles. Overall, the game will satisfy, it just depends on how much you like the genre.
- Overall: 7.0
- A whole lot of new content, but the gameplay feels the same as we’ve seen before
