racing and flying

There are several aspects of this game that I think make it one of the greats. Although it still plays like an arcade-style game, it incorporates more simulation-type physics and control than you would expect. These are the touches that I was really amazed by when I rented it.

1. Awesome soundtrack. OK,... I was blown away to hear real songs playing in the background by Primus, Duran Duran, Alice in Chains, etc. Great touch.

2. Well-designed tracks. This game has a LOT of tracks. They are designed so that you really have to race several times and learn the tracks in order to win. There is a lot of variation, with arena racing and country racing.

3. Even though you never like to crash, the crashes are great to watch. The physics are very nice here.

4. Strong AI. When you win a race on the harder "career" levels, you BARELY win. It is not one of those games where you are lapping the second place opponent. This, together with the excellent track design, is what earns this game 4 stars.

5... I personally thought the 2-player mode was great fun and gave the whole feel of the game, especially if you use side-by-side split screen instead of top/bottom.

Here is what...[I did not like] about this game, earning it 4 stars instead of 5:

1. Not enough variation in the AI... All the opponents drive the same, so tend to be bunched up on the course. So when you...[mess] up, you go from 1st to last place rapidly, and it is very difficult to pass the pack again without crashing.

2. The physics are sometimes too realistic. There are little boxes all over the sides of the track, and if you hit one it is a guaranteed crash. You can't drive on a very large grade without crashing. OK maybe this isn't a true fault but I found it annoying.

3. The "trick" techniques really bite. They are difficult to pull off and not very exciting to watch...

4. No replay mode. After a race it shows you the last lap in replay, which is nice if you pulled your sick maneuver on the last lap, butotherwise...[is useless].

I WILL buy this game after renting for 5 days, which is a rare occurence for me.

I recently got this game for PS2, and considering the cheap price, I figured it would be a cheap, knockoff game. But I was wrong.

There are tons of different things to do, including freestyle competitions, practicing, multiplayer action, and having a pro career. There's also a training mode, which is really helpful to get you to learn how to control the bike, although the voice-over guy is quite annoying. If you don't do what you're asked right the first time, he'll go on for 5 minutes explaining what you did wrong. This can be frustrating if all you want to do is ride.

There are about 5 or 6 levels (well, that's all I've seen so far), which may be discouraging to some, but if you play the game, you'll find that the few levels they have are huge and detailed. They seem to go on forever, and you don't even know when you've come to the edge until you get blasted backward a couple hundred feet.

There are plenty of ATVs to choose from, as well as your uniform colors, and there are both male and female riders. The only bad thing I've found about the game is how the environment is somewhat unrealistic. I mean, going over the hills and jumps feels as real as it gets, but if you hit ANYTHING, even a tent or trashcan, you flip or wipe out. In real life, you'd normally ride through these things, but I guess the game has no sense of real matter.

Other than that little problem, the game's really cool! We play it for hours at a time, just trying to beat eachother's scores in a practice mode! And you can have up to 4 players on a split screen, with a multitap of course.

Now this game has gotten great reviews. A lot of my freinds have it and love it. But I just dont understand why. Wiping out is cool and a lot of fun on the stunt mode and thats why I gave it the 2 stars. Racing is boring. I tjought ATVs would of worked but I guess they didnt.

Better just stick to cars and motorcycles.