If you’re a fan of the series, MX vs. ATV: Supercross is worth a look, especially for the $30 price of admission. But if you’re a regular racing fan looking to scratch your itch within the genre, you’re better off looking somewhere else.
It’s not surprising that MX vs ATV Supercross was released as a budget title. The amount of gameplay and unlockable content is good, but it is hard to drive your way through all of the necessary tracks without getting a bit bored.
Dirt Bike rider and Game enthusiast. I've been a fan of the MX Vs ATV franchise for approx 5 years. When I heard that THQ was closing down after Alive, I thought 'good, they deserve it after butchering an awesome game'. Also cheesed because I bought it under the impression that there would be heaps of add-ons which never came after closure.
So when I heard it was being bought back, I was a little sceptical. After reading they would be going back to some of the Reflex days more, I got a little more excited. Racing split screen with my mates on this game had been some of the best racing I had ever had.
So, after hearing they would be using real tracks and real bikes - even more excited.
When the game first came out and I jumped on, I was initially very displeased. The bike couldn't be whipped and movement in the air and on the track seemed impossible. It just seemed, bland and boring.
However, after realising the controls were a little different (hello clutch button and right stick pump option) and the difficulty levels and bikes ridden all made significant difference, it all got better from there.
To the point where I can say, I LOVE THIS GAME. I am having soooomuch fund riding against mates on my YZ450,
A few negatives:
- still no replay. Why not?
- having to go through and re-setup a Private Session' needs to be done after all tracks have been raced. Cannot just change tracks or hit restart, you need to set supercross, vehicle types etc.. all again.
- why maximum of 5 tracks per session?
- unable to see rider suits when selecting rider in Multiplayer.
Apart from these finicky things, definitely best of the franchise.
My mate bought xbox360 on weekend just for this game!
First of all, I would like to say that I am a hardcore fan of this franchise. I ride dirt bikes in real life, and when I am injured or have downtime, I love playing the mx vs atv series. Out of all the games in my library, this franchise is my most played (right ahead of halo). Each game has its quirks, and THQ did an excellent job on Reflex and Alive (my favorite game in the series, despite what some people say).
Mx vs atv Alive had the best physics system and controls for any mx game ever. It was a little bit too easy on the hardest difficulty, so I spent most of my time racing a 125 against the 450's on all time difficulty and it was great fun. The only negatives with that game was a lack of promised supercross content and funky rider models (they looked to be 6'5" and say on the bike like there was a broom up their ass). All Nordic had to do was integrate a supercross series with excellent track design and call it a day.
Well, the tracks are great. However they screwed with the controls and in air physics, and not in a positive way. They totally butchered the in air physics and preload system. The return to an mx unleashed type of up down preload ruins the game. If they patched it to have Alive's seat bounce method, you would be able to whip and scrub. As it is, in order to preload fully off of a jump that you could potentially do an epic whip off of, you have to slam the right stick up, which throws the rider forward and makes it impossible to whip effectively.
In addition, there is no gyro affect in the air, so even doing a small, simple scrub results in a sideways landing. The air controls are far too touchy on the initial turn in for the whip, and then too sluggish on the return. It's a shame, because alive had the best physics out of any dirt bike game ever, and instead of simply making some awesome supercross tracks (which Nordic did, the tracks are great) and leaving the physics alone, they completely changed how the game plays.
Gone are the days of being able to style around the track with a reliable preload (pulling down for minor seat bounce and clicking the stick in that position for extra loft) and instead it is replaced with a goofy arcade preload matches with more sim handling and it simply doesn't work.
A return to the old seat bounce would make whips doable as holding the stick down off the face results in a boner air style take off that can then be manipulated into a great whip. Hopefully a patch is incoming to return an Alive style seat bounce, otherwise I cannot see myself playing this game for countless hours as I did in previous iterations. My favorite franchise just took a major step back and it is quite sad.
Aside from those negatives (and they almost ruin the game for me) the game is great. The AI is more aggressive, faster and put up an excellent fight. If I was able to scrub and whip around the track like in Alive, this game would be a solid 10 for me (graphics could be better, but the subject matter and fun factor is most important to me).
As the game stands, it's still a 6.5/10, and if Nordic patched the controls and tweaked the in air physics, I would be soooo happy.
Those who enjoyed past entries will enjoy this one and get a kick out of the new right-stick jumping and aiming mechanic. Beyond that, there hasn’t been much added to the mix beyond superficial customization options.
Not fixing the irritating failures of past games, however, is inexcusable at this point and indicates a game produced only to sell a few units in the Christmas rush. [Issue#156, p.124]
This is quite possibly the worst MX Vs. ATV game ever. The main two problems are the glitches and the physics. This game is FULL of glitches and the physics make it worse. Those two things ruin the game for me. (BTW let me ask you a question: Do you like whips or scrubs? Yes? Well, either download the Whip DLC or grind and grind for hours on end until you get it. Have fun!)
Dirt bike racing is a very a competitive and tough sport to be involved in, with very tight corners, high jumps and awkward ground to race on. MX vs ATV captures it wonderfully, but with a slight few hitches that unfortunately takes away from the games nostalgia.
The game features the usual modes that you’d see in many racing games nowadays, but one I do like is the free ride mode, which allows you to master the tracks at your own time and pace, very handy for those looking to play online and need the upper hand on opponents.
The career mode features some great customization for riders, and can also fine tune your gear with colours and patches to make your rider authentic. As you play through the career, you’ll unlock more gear and more bike upgrades which will become essential when the difficulty increases.
The graphics in the game are great; the tracks are very well detailed and look great in high definition. Being able to see the dirt tracks darken as riders slide through is neat and they don’t reset unlike some racers tend to do. The details on the riders are fine, as with the many different colours on the outfits, you’d think that the detailing may have dumbed down during races. While this looks great, the background crowd and the bikes themselves look a little bit flat, and the bikes don’t get dirtier the more laps you do.
Physics in the game tend to be a lot stiffer than previous games in the series, while making a jump, it’s very hard to control your bike if its starts steer off course, which can cause a lot of problems if you mistime your jump. On the other hand, cornering has been made easier, but rather than drifting the usual way, the back end tends to kick out, with the camera angles lagging behind a second as you’re racing off. There also seems to be a generic landing animation from a jump, which can look a little odd if you’re landing at an angle and your bike and rider are perfectly straight.
Overall I think the game is great, it is competitive, fun and has paid attention to detail in the customization department. Unfortunately it is a little let down by the physics in some places and some new bikes rather than the ones recycled from its past game under a new name. Full Review @ItsMuchMore
I really do not like this game. When I went out to buy it, but little did I know that it was complete crap. I hate the races and the controls and the soundtrack. The events are basic and boring, the controls feel like a step back from a MX Vs. ATV Reflex because which is a game from 2009, and the soundtrack could've been great because Linkin Park released the Hunting Party, Rise Against released the Black Market. Instead, they went with generic-sounding motocross music.
One of the best parts of about the MX Vs. ATV series was the ragdoll physics. MX Vs. ATV Untamed had amazing ragdoll physics that didn't cut out until you stopped. This game shows you a second of ragdoll physics, then it puts you back on your bike.
The only positive is that the series seems to be starting back up again.
SummaryRip, jump and scrub your way around 17 tracks and try to cross the finishing line first against more than 40 official riders and harvest all that motocross glory. Choose between bikes or ATVs, multiple game modes including Career, Single races and various local and online multiplayer events with up to
12 players. Perform amazing tricks ...