MX Vs ATV Untamed

If you've been searching for a good off road racing game then you're in luck, as you can cross MX vs ATV off your list of 'possibles' and write it in your list of 'not good enoughs'. The dirt arena can be a lot of fun but MX simply doesn't offer enough of it, despite a wide range of racing options utilizing Motocross bikes and All-Terrain vehicles.

Select any challenge from the main menu and begin a race. If it's supposed to last five laps, chances are by lap two you'll be looking at your watch and wishing it was over. In fact, the only real fun to be had is making your man crash into trees so that he grunts and tumbles in an unintentionally hilarious way. When you ironically smash a bike into a Red Cross truck by the track, that's pretty funny stuff.

The bikes and ATVs handle okay, but the tracks are uninspired and though you're supposed to perform mid-air stunts to garner points, which you then trade for 'gear' in the store, most of the ramps are smaller than they look. Should you manage to launch off a large ramp, you can do a number of stunts by holding down Z or C and tilting your controllers in various directions. Landing on both wheels seems logical, so why do you often only avoid crashing by landing on one wheel?

While we're on the subject, why doesn't any dirt get tossed up from your tires as you skid around corners? It's a simple case of makers Rainbow Studios focusing all their efforts in one or two areas at the cost of others. So you can deck out your bike with cool stickers, buy helmets and choose your own jukebox style, but the actual act of racing has all the thrills of a snail barn dance.